Please send appeals to:
His Excellency General Than Shwe
President, State Peace and Development Council
C/o Ministry of Defence
Signal Pagoda Road
Rangoon, Burma
Fax c/o the Ministry of Information: 951245631
Fax c/o the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 951222950

U Win Tin, free-lancer
Imprisoned: July 4, 1989
U Win Tin, former editor of two daily newspapers and vice-chair of Burma’s Writers Association, was arrested and sentenced to three years’ hard labor - a sentence that was subsequently extended. U Win Tin was active in establishing independent publications during the 1988 student democracy movement, and worked closely with democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Authorities extended U Win Tin’s sentence by five years on March 28 1996, after convicting him of smuggling letters describing conditions at Insein prison to Professor Yozo Yokota, the U.N. Special Rapporteur for human rights in Burma. U Win Tin is said to be in extremely poor health after years of maltreatment in Burma’s prisons. The journalist has had at least two heart attacks, and in 2002, he spent several months at Rangoon General Hospital following a hernia operation. In November 2002, authorities again transferred U Win Tin to Rangoon General Hospital, this time for medical treatment in connection with a heart ailment.

Ohn Kyaing, free-lancer
Thein Tan, free-lancer
Imprisoned: September 6, 1990

On September 7, 1990, Col. Than Tun, Burma’s deputy chief of military intelligence, announced that Ohn Kyaing and Thein Tan were among six leaders of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) arrested on the previous day. On October 19, they were sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a military tribunal for "inciting unrest by writing false reports about the unrest which occurred in Mandalay on 8 August 1990". The Mandalay "unrest" referred to by the committee involved the killing of four pro-democracy demonstrators by the military. In mid-1991, Ohn Kyaing received two additional sentences of 10 years in prison for his involvement in drafting a pamphlet for the NLD. The sentences of both men were reduced to 10 years on January 1, 1993. However, Ohn Kyaing and Thein Tan remained in prison at the end of 2002.

Maung Maung Lay Ngwe, Pe-Tin-Tan
Imprisoned: September 1990
Maung Maung Lay Ngwe was arrested and charged with writing and distributing publications that "make people lose respect for the government." The publications were titled, collectively, Pe-Tin-Tan ("Echoes"). CPJ believes he may have been released but could not confirm his legal status or find records of his sentencing.

Sein Hla Oo, free-lancer
Imprisoned: August 5, 1994
Sein Hla Oo, a free-lance journalist, was arrested along with dissident writer San San Nwe on charges of contacting anti-government groups and spreading information damaging to the state. On October 6, 1994, Sein Hla Oo was sentenced to 10 years in prison. San San Nwe and three other dissidents received sentences of seven to 15 years in prison on similar charges. Sein Hla Oo was a member of the National League for Democracy (NLD). Though San San Nwe was granted early release in July 2001 along with 10 other political prisoners associated with the NLD, Sein Hla Oo remained in jail at the end of 2002. During his imprisonment, Sein Hla Oo allegedly received an additional 20-year sentence, but CPJ was unable to verify this information.

Aung Htun, author
Tha Ban, free-lancer
Imprisoned: February 1998

Aung Htun was arrested in February 1998 for writing a book documenting the history of the Burmese student movement. A writer and activist with the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, Aung Htun was sentenced to a total of 17 years imprisonment. In April 1998, the All Burma Students Democratic Front announced that five others were also prosecuted for contributing to the book, including journalist Tha Ban, a former reporter for the newspaper Kyemon and a prominent Arakanese activist. Tha Ban was sentenced to seven years imprisonment. Ohn Kyaing and Thein Tan remained in prison at the end of 2002.

Aung Pwint, free-lancer
Thaung Tun, free-lancer
Imprisoned: October 1999

Aung Pwint and Thaung Tun were arrested separately in early October 1999. They were arrested for making independent video documentaries that portrayed "real life" in Burma, including video of forced labor and hardship in rural areas. Their videotapes circulated through underground networks. The military government had prohibited Aung Pwint from making videos in 1996 "because they were considered to show too negative a picture of Burmese society and living standards". The two men were tried together and sentenced to eight years in prison.