Families of Prisoners Don’t Believe Talk of Amnesty

Families of political prisoners in Burma have little hope that their family members will be released even after Burma told the United Nations that political prisoners would be released before the 2010 election.

Win Maung, the father of the democracy activist leader, Pyone Cho, said, “How I can trust what they say, because they never do what they say. If I believe, I just hurt myself.”

A man holds a placard as he participates in a protest over the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi outside the Burmese Embassy in London on June 19. (Photo: Getty Images)

Pyone Cho received a 65-year sentence and is detained in Burma's southern Kawthaung prison in Tenasserim Division.

Burma's UN ambassador, Than Swe, told the Security Council on Monday Burma plans to grant amnesty to prisoners to enable them to take part in national elections next year, at the request of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

However, the ambassador did not mention the word "political" or say how many prisoners would be released, or when, or whether it would include key figures such as opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

According to human rights groups, the junta has more than 2,100 political prisoners behind bars and many are serving long sentences. The number of political prisoners has doubled since the crackdown on the monk-led demonstrations in late 2007. 

 “The regime never talks about releasing political prisoners. But it sometimes includes a small number of political prisoners in an amnesty," said Tin Tin Win, the mother of democracy activist Ant Bwe Kyaw, who was sentenced to 65 years for his role in the 88 Generation Student group.   

"I don’t have much hope for my son," she said.