Health of Burmese Cyclone Volunteer at Risk

By SAW YAN NAING

A Burmese cyclone relief worker, Yin Yin Wine, who has been detained in Insein Prison in Rangoon, is suffering a stomach or intestinal illness, sources in Rangoon said on Monday.

A source close to Insein Prison told The Irrawaddy that the 36-year-old woman has not received proper medical treatment in prison and has been denied treatment from outside the prison.

“She has been eating only boiled rice for two months,” he said, and has vomited blood.

Yin Yin Wine was arrested in June along with other volunteer relief workers, including Zarganar, a well-known Burmese comedian, while distributing relief supplies to cyclone survivors in the Irrawaddy delta.

After the cyclone hit Burma on May 2-3, Yin Yin Wine was actively involved in helping cyclone survivors, said Tate Naing, secretary of the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).

“She visited hard-hit cyclone areas by herself,” he said. “She privately delivered food to the survivors.”

Tate Naing said most prisons where political prisoners are detained do not have medical doctors. In addition, even if there is a physician there are many restrictions and obstacles imposed on political prisoners who seek medical treatment, he said.

“We are very concerned about the health condition of political prisoners overall due to theses unnecessary restrictions,” said Tate Naing. Some political prisoners could loose their life due to the restrictions, he said.

Yin Yin Wine is among dozens of political prisoners and volunteer relief workers who are detained and have yet to be sentenced by the special prison courts.

About 21 cyclone relief workers were sentenced to prison terms in November.

In all, the Insein Prison courts sentenced about 215 political prisoners in November, including Buddhist monks, journalists and cyclone relief workers. Of those, about 100 prisoners have been transferred to remote areas of the country.