Win Tin, NLD Executive Member, Ill

By SAW YAN NAING

Win Tin, 79, a central executive committee member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), had an asthma attack on Friday morning and is resting at home, according to a close friend in Rangoon.

Maung Maung Khin, told The Irrawaddy on Friday, “He was not able to go to the office today. We will ask the doctor to give him a medical check tomorrow.”

Soon after he was released from Insein Prison in Rangoon on September 23, Win Tin, a veteran journalist who served 19 years in prison, again took up his work at the NLD.

He suffered from heart and prostate problems while in prison, where authorities refused to provide him with proper medical care.

Win Tin, who was a senior adviser to detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was arrested in 1989 on a series of charges ranging from publishing anti-government propaganda and to instigation of civil disobedience.

He was actively involved in the 1988 pro-democracy uprising and previously served as editor of the influential newspaper Hanthawaddy and as a vice-chairman of the Bermese Writers’ Union.

In October, U Lwin, 86, secretary of the NLD, suffered a stroke, and the NLD’s chairman, Aung Shwe, 91, contracted a serious case of the flu.

In October, more than 100 NLD youth members resigned, complaining that they weren’t allowed to participate in decision-making. Some critics have charged that the opposition group’s leadership is aging and falling behind in creating new, innovative strategies to counter the military government’s push for national elections under a newly approved constitution designed to keep the military in control of the country.

The NLD won a landslide victory in multi-party elections in 1990. The current Burmese regime led by Snr-Gen Than Shwe ignored the results of the election and refused to transfer power.