Agenda Item 11

Agenda Item 11(e): Religious Intolerance

Oral Intervention made by Bo Kyi

Catholic Institute for International Relations

58^th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights

Geneva, Switzerland

April ( ), 2001

Chair,

Thank you for giving me the floor to speak on behalf of the Catholic Institute for International Relations. Due to the time constrainst, I will only read the underlined sections of my written statement.

My name is Bo Kyi. I am the joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma). I spent 7 years and 3 months in jail for my political beliefs and activities. I am here today on behalf of all current and former political prisoners in Burma to inform the international community of how they are detained and tortured. I believe that public awareness can prevent future torture.

In Burma, anyone can be arrested without a warrant for being involved in the promotion of human rights and democracy. Since 1988, hundreds of students, monks, members of ethnic nationality groups, political opposition groups and others, have been arrested, tortured and imprisoned for non-violent activities and beliefs.

Chair

In Burma, all police stations are used as interrogation centers. Moreover there are over 30 military intelligence units which are used as interrogation centers. The military intelligence service (MIS) of the State Peace and Development Council, the current unelected government of Burma, uses interrogation centers to obtain information from persons whom they suspect as being involved in any political movement. The MIS uses methods like severe beatings, kicking with heavy boots, suffocation, threats with snakes, and interrogation without allowing any rest, proper food or drinking water to name but a few methods.

The following is my experience.

In March 1990, I led a peaceful demonstration, calling for the military government to recognize the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) as a legal organization. The police broke up our demonstration and arrested 22 students, of which I was one. As soon as I was arrested, I was handcuffed and blindfolded and taken to an interrogation center. For the first 36 hours I was given no food or water. I was ordered to stand in very uncomfortable positions for hours at a time. For four days I was not allowed to sleep. I was kept blindfolded for eight days. The authorities repeatedly questioned me about my activities. When they were unhappy with my answers they beat and kicked me. Finally I could stand the torture anymore, so I agreed to sign any confession that they wrote. I was then sent to Insein prison, where for three weeks I was locked alone in a tiny cell.

On April 2, 1990 I was sentenced by a military court to three years in prison with hard labor. I was not allowed to have a lawyer or given any chance to plead my case. After my release, I worked as an English teacher to survive but my students were often harassed and questioned by the military intelligence service. These agents visited my house frequently and warned me to stop teaching. They offered me a job as an informer and invited me to write an article in the state-run newspaper entitled "When I was in prison, they treated me very well." I refused what they offered.

I was arrested again on 17 July 1994 and given another 5 years imprisonment. This time I was accused of poisoning people's minds by distributing seditious poems. I spent the first year of this prison term locked alone in an 8 X 12ft cell. The second year I was put into a larger room with criminal prisoners.

On 6 July 1996, the prison authorities falsely accused me of trying to organize a demonstration inside the prison. As punishment, a 1.5ft long iron bar was placed horizontally between my leg iron chains. I was beaten more than 200 times with a rubber pipe until I lost consciousness. Then I was ordered to maintain an uncomfortable position for 2 hours a day for two weeks. During this time they took away my sleeping mat and I was forced to sleep on the concrete. In October 1998 I was released from prison.

Chair

Today there are approximately 2,000 political prisoners in Burma. At least 68 political prisoners have died in prison since 1988.

Recent political developments in Burma, specifically the talks between the junta and the opposition have had some positive effects on the situation of political prisoners. Since the talks began in October 2000, 243 political prisoners have been released. In addition, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Burma are now allowed to visit prisons and political prisoners when they receive permission from the SPDC.

Despite this limited progress, the situation of political prisoners remains very poor. Our inside sources report that while the prisoners are well treated during inspections by the ICRC or the UN, in general there has been little improvement in the overall prison conditions.

I would like to highlight briefly a case that needs urgent attention. Ko Ko Gyi the vice-chairperson of ABSFU was arrested in December 1991. He was sentenced to 20 years because he called for the release of NLD leader, Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. In 1993 his sentence was commuted to 10 years. In 1999 when his prison sentence was completed he was taken to the gates of the prison as if he were to be released. At the gate, officials informed him that he was subject to further detention under Article 10 (a) of the 1975 State Protection Act. This law allows officials to detain a person for up to 5 years without trial for so-called security reasons. As of today Ko Ko Gyi remains in prison. At least 35 activists remain in prison even though their prison sentences have been completed.

In conclusion, I would like to state that while we welcome the positive developments that have occurred as a result of the talks between the regime and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, it is abundantly clear that the ruling junta continues to grossly violate the human rights of the people in Burma. Lack of political freedom, illegal detention, and torture continue to be a daily reality. On behalf of the political prisoners in Burma, I would like to appeal to the UN Commission on Human Rights to take urgent action to expedite the release of all political prisoners, bring an end to illegal detentions and all other human rights abuses in Burma.

Chair, thank you.