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The meaning of the Burmese junta's amnesty
Irrawaddy - September 23, 2009
Rangoon – At 1 p.m. On Sept. 18, 160 prisoners were waiting silently, sitting in red plastic chairs in Aung Mingla Hall in the notorious Insein Prison in Rangoon. Most of them were happy because they are about to be released in an amnesty.
Among the prisoners was a lady quietly speaking to herself, indifferent to the surroundings. If someone listened carefully, they would have heard her praying for loving kindness and for the well being of others.
She looked frail and her eyes were weak. She wore a green-colored, checkered cotton blouse. Wrinkles on her face showed the trouble she has seen in her life. She was probably the oldest prisoner to be released under the junta amnesty. Now 73 years old, you wondered why she was detained and on what type of charge?
The woman is a nun, and she was unjustly arrested and sentenced after her involvement in the 2007 Saffron Revolution, when Buddhist monks and nuns prayed for loving kindness in the major cities of Burma.
Her lay name is Daw San. She was a senior nun at a monastery in North Okkalapa Township in Rangoon when she was arrested in late 2007 during a military round up and random arrest at monasteries.
She was sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment in a special court of Insein prison together with other nuns, on a charge of demeaning Buddhism. Later, the authorities forcibly defrocked her robes in violation of Buddhist procedures.
Daw San and many monks and nuns were arrested unjustly without any apparent charges and sentenced to lengthy prison sentences for the crime of marching and chanting Buddha's teaching of "loving kindness" and praying for the well being of Burmese, including the Burmese generals.
They were non-violent protestors who risked their lives to struggle against the unjust rule of the junta, well-armed with guns, batons, shields and bombs.
The Burmese people see the irony of the amnesty of a few monks, nuns, patriotic politicians and activists, who were innocent of committing crimes and who were unjustly imprisoned.
"They were innocent from the beginning," said one Rangoon resident. "But the junta accused them of committing crimes, arrested them, beat them and sentenced them to prison. Finally, they say they granted them amnesty in goodwill, it's hilarious. This is a familiar story in Burma."
While the amnesty carries a bitter irony, it is no joking matter for the detainees, each of whom has a story of sacrifice, of family tragedies, of bitter separation from family and friends.
Most of the prisoners released by the authorities were convicts who committed petty crimes, such as thefts or robberies. Some committed murders. Their amnesty makes many citizens fearful.
"One of the infamous burglars from our area who was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment was released this February. It really makes trouble for our neighborhood. We now worrying about when our homes will be robbed," said the owner of a jewel shop in Bahan Township.
Added to the irony, is the fact that the junta now insists that there are no political prisoners in Burma.
At a press conference on Thursday, the direct general of the correction department, U Zaw Win, claimed that there were only people who were detained for violation of security laws or criminal acts. Among the amnesty of 7, 114 prisoners, 250 were sentenced for "security reasons," he said.
Since the junta seized state power in 1988, it has granted amnesty 14 times to a total of 220,000 prisoners.
The number of political prisoners in Burma has risen, according to Amnesty International, which estimates there are 2,200 now being held in Burmese prison for their political beliefs or exercise of free speech.
The International community welcomed the junta's amnesty as a positive gesture, but the majority of Burmese see the release of political prisoners as merely a ploy to remove international pressure.
"After releasing these political prisoners, the junta may arrest them anytime with no apparent reason," said a lawyer. "I can't see this as real progress. We are just like water in their hands. They can throw us away anytime. The international community sees the amnesty as progress, but I don't think they really understand the nature of our junta."
However the amnesty may be perceived by different groups, for the people who waited outside the gates of Insein Prison, it was a day of joy.
Mothers and fathers and sons and daughters were reunited, husbands and wives were reunited, and children were again able to hold their mothers or fathers.
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