Burma Watchers Ponder Reasons for Win Tin’s Release

By WAI MOE

Burmese pro-democracy activists have welcomed the release of Burma’s longest-serving political prisoner, Win Tin, but agree that it’s too early to say whether it holds out any hope for the more than 2,000 who are still behind bars.

Win Tin and a number of other activists were among 9,002 prisoners the regime announced on Tuesday that it had freed. Most of the freed prisoners were criminals, and the number given by the official media could not be confirmed—former military intelligence officers said the regime usually inflated the numbers of prisoners it released.

“While the release of Win Tin and his fellow prisoners is certainly the best news to come out of Myanmar [Burma] for a long time, unfortunately they don’t even represent one percent of the political prisoners there,” said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International’s Burma researcher on Tuesday. “There are many, many more who should also be released.”

Win Tin, 79, was arrested in 1989, when he was working as one of the three senior secretaries of the National League for Democracy (NLD).

He was initially charged with belonging to the Communist Party of Burma and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment, but the sentence was subsequently extended to a total of 19 years. He was overlooked in amnesties in 1993, 1995, 1997 and 2004, when some political prisoners were freed.

Win Tin was offered his freedom on condition that he renounced politics. He refused each time. In 2004, he was taken with other prisoners to the gates of Insein Prison, but then escorted back to his cell. His release on Tuesday was unconditional.

Commenting on Win Tin’s release, Burma specialist Larry Jagan said the regime usually announced unexpected amnesties whenever junta head Snr-Gen Than Shwe wanted to “turn a new page” in Burmese politics.

Five other close NLD associates of Suu Kyi were released with Win Tin—Khin Maung Swe, Than Nyein, Than Naing, May Win Myint and Aung Soe Myint.

Ohn Kyaing, Win Tin’s close colleague and a veteran journalist in Rangoon, said he hoped the release would be followed by some more positive development from the regime.

“Win Tin’s release is great news for us,” he said. “We are used to getting bad news for decades.”

NLD spokesman Nyan Win told The Irrawaddy: “It is too early to comment on this issue and it remains to be seen whether it is a positive move or not.” He pointed out that only a handful of political prisoners had been released so far.

“I can only say now that all the political prisoners released on September 23 were unjustly arrested,” he said.

Political analysts suggest three reasons for Win Tin’s release—international pressure on the junta for meaningful political reform; an increase in the junta’s confidence about its control over the country; Suu Kyi and the regime may be close to an agreement.

Thakin Chun Tun, a veteran politician in Rangoon, said the junta released prisoners in the hope of reducing international pressure and deflecting attention at the United Nations General Assembly. “It is just a public relations exercise to tone down international pressure,” he said.

Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese political commentator in Thailand, said: “The release shows that the military rulers are quite confident in themselves.” International pressure posed no real threat to the regime, he said.

Aung Naing Oo said Than Shwe kept the door closed to dialogue with Suu Kyi, and consequently he didn’t believe the release had anything to do with Suu Kyi’s attempts to restore talks with the regime.