scape goat released process of Burmese Junta

Thursday, October 25, 2007
Junta showcases release of protesters, activists

Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)

October 24, 2007 - The Burmese military junta today released an aging dissident even as it released several other activists who were arrested for participating in last month's protests.

Kyaw Khaing (85), people's representative of the Taungup National League for Democracy in western Burma's Arakan state, was released by authorities from Thandwe jail, a local resident said.

Mr. Khaing, an elected member of parliament in the 1990 elections, was arrested in the last week of September and was sentenced to seven and- a-half years in prison along with the general secretary of Taungup NLD, Min Aung, local residents said.

The local told Mizzima that Kyaw Khaing was released on Wednesday after submitting an appeal to the court but Min Aung continues to be in detention.

Surprisingly, the local, who closely monitored the case of the NLD leader, said a township police official wrote the appeal and after making U Kyaw Khaing sign it, submitted it to the Thandwe township court, which ordered his release.

"On the day they were sentenced to seven and-a- half years, the township police officer himself wrote an appeal and got U Kyaw Khaing to sign it and send it to the township court," the local said.

Meanwhile, authorities in Pakhokku of Magwe division in central Burma on Tuesday night released nine protesters, who were arrested for actively participating in the recent monk-led protests.

"They were released last night at about 9 p.m. (local time). Authorities brought them back to their respective residences," a local resident of Pakhokku told Mizzima.

In a separate incident, authorities in Mingyan town of Mandalay division released three members of the NLD on Sunday.

Local residents said, the Mingyan township NLD secretary Paw Thein and party members Win Naing and Bo Win, were released from Palate prison, where they had been kept under detention.

While the Burmese junta claims that it has released most protestors and opposition party members, who were arrested and detained for actively participated in the monk-led protests, observers said the junta's is doing it to ease the mounting international pressure.

The recent release of several activists and opposition party members is part of the junta's preparation for the visit by United Nations Human Rights expert Paulo Sergio Pinheiro and the Secretary General's special advisor to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, a local observer in Mingyan said.

"By showing to Paulo Sergio Pinheiro and Gambari that it is releasing activists, the junta wants to ease international pressure. And they want to prove to the international community that Burma is back to normal and stable now," the local observer, who wished to remain anonymous, told Mizzima.

Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win in a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday formally invited UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, to visit Burma as requested earlier by the Human Rights Council.

Burmese junta's Foreign Minister requested the UN chief to make the rights expert's trip earlier than November 17.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Gambari, who is currently in holding talks with Chinese officials in Beijing as part of a six-nation tour to consult on Burma, said he has been officially invited to re-visit Burma and expects to return to the Southeast Asian country in early November.