Amnesty International confirmed on Friday that one of the seven
prisoners of conscience freed this week, U Win Htein, was re-arrested a
few hours after his release.
Twenty years after the brief flowering of people power in Myanmar,
however, little has improved for the millions of people still suffering
under repressive rule.
Twenty years after the start of pro-democracy demonstrations in Myanmar that were violently repressed, the United Nations (UN) should take stronger measures to obtain the release of U Win Tin and other prisoners of conscience detained since that day, Amnesty International said today.
Myanmar’s government is stepping up efforts to force survivors of Cyclone Nargis out of emergency shelters and is keeping aid from reaching them, according to new research published by Amnesty International today. The government’s actions place tens of thousands of already vulnerable survivors at increased risk of death, disease and hunger.
In an open letter, Amnesty International's Secretary General has called on ASEAN leaders to take urgent action to prevent further human rights violations in Myanmar.
As hold-ups continue in the supply of foreign aid to Myanmar, Asian
leaders have been urged to pressure the country's military rulers into
taking swift action to address a growing humanitarian catastrophe.
Leaders of Amnesty International in Asia Pacific, meeting
in Hong Kong, called on their governments to use every means possible
to pressure the Myanmar authorities to focus on disaster relief and
facilitate international assistance to protect the rights to life, food
and health of its citizens.
