Eighteen years ago, a well-known journalist and politician was arrested by the military intelligence in Burma for advocating democracy and representing the voices of the oppressed people. On 4th of July, 2007, he has been locked up for 18 years. Although his physical conditions are deteriorated due to the lack of proper medication and food in Burmese prisons, his political belief of "Suu - Hlut - Twe" platform ; referring the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners (Suu), the meeting of the parliament that was elected in 1990 (Hlut), and political dialogue (Twe) has not changed yet. In fact, he is a key figure of solidarity against the military regime. In this article, I would like to categorize three different symbols of Sayar U Win Tin.
U Win Tin is a Journalist
“U Win Tin is the son of a trader who rose to become
one of the most prominent intellectuals of his day”
_ Siobhan Dowd, (Silenced Voices), Digital Freedom Network
“Denied paper or writing instruments,
the resourceful journalist reportedly formulated
his own ink out of powder extracted from
the bricks of his cell, and fashioned a pen
from a piece of bamboo mat”
_ Southeast Asian Press Alliance/International Freedom of Expression Exchange
U Win Tin was born on 12th of March, 1930. In 1953, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, Modern History, and Political Science from Rangoon University. From 1950 to 1954, he worked as an assistant editor of the Sarpay Beikman (Burma Translation Society). From 1954 to 1957, he became a consultant with the Djambartan publishing company of the Netherlands. From 1957 to 1969, he worked as an Executive editor of the Kyemon Daily and from 1969 to 1978, he became the Chief Editor of the Hanthawaddy Daily. He travelled widely in Europe and Asia.
While working as the Chief Editor of Hanthawaddy Daily, U Win Tin became a member of the “Saturday Literary Circle” and in 1978, a paper critical of the Burmese Way to Socialism is read at the “Saturday Literary Circle”. For this movement, authorities consequently dismissed U Win Tin from his post and closed down the Hanthawaddy Daily. So U Win Tin worked as a freelance journalist and translator from 1978. He also wrote the arts literature in sabaephyu magazine with a pen-name called Paw Thit.
U Win Tin is a Politician
“It was only natural that those who believed in
intellectual freedom and justices should have been
at the vanguard of the democracy movement which
began in 1988. U Win Tin’s undoubted ability and
his strength of purpose made him a prime target
of those who opposed the democratic cause”
_ Aung San Suu Kyi, (Letters from Burma)
“With so many people involved in this struggle
for democracy, we forgot to eat, to sleep,
even forgot about literature until the young ones
arranged this Writers' Day meeting to remind us,
for which we are most grateful to them.
If we open the door to democracy it will be
open for us. If we dare, we can speak out,
we can win people over, we can act.”
_ An Address by U Win Tin, December 9, 1988, Writer’s Day
for democracy, we forgot to eat, to sleep,
even forgot about literature until the young ones
arranged this Writers' Day meeting to remind us,
for which we are most grateful to them.
If we open the door to democracy it will be
open for us. If we dare, we can speak out,
we can win people over, we can act.”
_ An Address by U Win Tin, December 9, 1988, Writer’s Day
During 1988 uprisings of Burma against the Burmese dictator General Ne Win’s government, U Win Tin became the President of Writers Union. U Win Tin worked closely with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and others to establish National League for Democracy and in September 1988, he became a Secretary of the Executive Committee of the NLD.
In May 1989, U Win Tin urged the NLD to adopt a civil disobedience campaign to defy martial law, quoting the works of philosopher Henry David Thoreau and the example of Mahatma Gandhi. So in July 1989, U Win Tin became one of the first leaders of the NLD to be arrested. He is the only member of the original Executive Committee of the NLD who still remained in prison.
U Win Tin is a Political Prisoner
“Despite the psychological torture that he has been
made to endure and his continuing arbitrary detention,
U Win Tin’s spirit will remain strong”
_ Tate Naing, AAPP
“It is an outrage that an ailing, seventy-seven-year-old man
be kept behind bars and denied early release
because he cannot perform hard labor. We demand
the immediate and unconditional release of
our colleague U Win Tin.”
_ Joel Simon, Executive Director, Committee to protect Journalists
In Oct 1989, he was sentenced to three years imprisonment. He was kept without food and interrogated about his activities in the democracy movement. In 1992, a few months before his prison term was due to expire, U Win Tin was sentenced to an additional 11 years in jail. Although exact charges against him were not known, vaguely worded provisions of the “Emergency Provisions Act” were commonly used to imprison political activists in Burma. In 1994, US Congressman William Richardson visited U Win Tin in prison. U Win Tin was being held in solitary confinement, wearing a neck brace which appears ill-fitting and causing discomfort. Although he was allowed to wear glasses, he had an uncorrected squint in one eye and had difficulty in focusing.
In March 1995, Col Than Tun visited U Win Tin and discovered his poor state of health (hernia, poor eyes, bad teeth, spondylitis). Although the colonel had come to test his morale, he ordered U Win Tin to be admitted to hospital. Surgeons operated on U Win Tin’s neglected hernia - due to strangulation they removed his testicle.
In 1995, U Win Tin and other political prisoners managed to write to the United Nations about their poor prison conditions. Their letter states that political prisoners did not receive sufficient medication, and that prisoners’ rights were denied in many ways in prison, including torture. As a result, U Win Tin and others were moved into military dog cells with concrete floors (ie: cells where military dogs were normally kept, with no mats, blankets or beds). They were denied visits from friends/family. Prisoners were interrogated all day and night for a week without rest and were denied drinking water for up to 2 days at a time.
In 1996, U Win Tin and other prisoners were found guilty of communicating with the UN and of producing written materials, including magazines, which were considered to be detrimental to the state. U Win Tin was also charged with writing poetry for a magazine that prisoners had prepared. For this, U Win Tin was sentenced to another five to seven years imprisonment. Despite this, the prisoners hold a Diamond Jubilee National Day - U Win Tin delivered his speech to the other prisoners by shouting from his cell. Prisoners sang the national anthem together from their separate cells.
In 1997, U Win Tin was admitted to Yangon General Hospital with cardiac problems. In 2000, U Win Tin was the recipient of UNESCO’s Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. Also in 2001, He was awarded the World Association of Newspapers’ Golden Pen of Freedom Award.
In 2002, his health deteriorated and he had to spend several months in Rangoon general hospital. He then returned to Insein prison in May but his health began to worsen again in July. While in hospital, in March, he is visited by the UN special rapporteur, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro. In June 2003, he had to return to his special cell in Insein prison after doctors deemed his health to be “satisfactory.” In Dec 2003, U Win Tin was visited by an Amnesty International delegation and the delegation reported his morale as excellent and his health as fair.
In Nov 2004, SPDC release several political prisoners. At the time, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Kyaw Thu, stated “Win Tin is already on the list” of those to be released. However, U Win Tin was not released and no explanation was given. In March 2005, U Win Tin turned 75. Again in July 2005, SPDC announced the release of 249 political prisoners. Although authorities told U Win Tin of his imminent release and took him through the standard procedures prior to release, U Win Tin was then taken back to his cell. No explanation was given for this reversal.
In 2005, the 2005 Freedom of Expression award in Scotland was named for U Win Tin. This award aimed to promote plays that highlight human rights issues. In August 2005, Reporters without Borders appealed to the UN special envoy for Burma to intervene on behalf of imprisoned journalist Win Tin during his three-day visit to Burma where he was to meet General Soe Win, the prime minister.
In 2006, he became the winner of the 2006 Reporters without Borders award. U Win Tin has refused on several occasions to sign a letter of resignation from the NLD in exchange for his release.
In 2007, he turned to 77. On that day, he issued a rare call for resistance against the military regime. He also told a friend who is allowed to visit him as "All political prisoners must be freed and the democratic parliament must meet. We must not abandon these demands."
In fact, it is very rare to find out a powerful journalist, a true politician and a brave political prisoner like Sayar U Win Tin. Although SPDC regime put him in prison for a long time, they will never win the spirit and capability of U Win Tin. Please let me conclude this article by using the words of Sayar U Win Tin as “A true politician will do his best wherever he is, whether in parliament or in prison”
Khin Ma Ma Myo (8.7.2007)
(Information from Letters of Burma, AAPP, BMA, Amnesty International, SEPA/ILEX, CPJ, Reporters Without Borders are used as referenced)