Date: 4 May 2006

On May 2, 2006, U Myint Than, 59, who was arrested in February 2005, died after suffering chest pains and a stroke at Thandwe General Hospital. He is the third political prisoner to die in a Burmese prison during 2006, and the tenth to have died since early 2005.

U Myint Than was a leader of the New Generation-Shan State. He was arrested on 8 February 2005 with other renowned Shan leaders, including Khun Htun Oo and chairman Gen Hso Ten. He was sentenced to 79 years imprisonment for alleged insurrection in November 2005 and held in Insein prison. He was then transferred to Thandwe prison located in western Burma's Arakan State near the Bangladash border. At the time of his arrest, the US State Department expressed concern for his lengthy prison sentence, and the conditions of his imprisonment.

The AAPP believes he died for the following reasons:

1) U Myint Than was arbitrarily arrested and sentenced to long term imprisonment, 79 years, with hard labor.
2) The regime transferred him intentionally to a remote area like Thandwe, located in Arakan State, far away from his family.
3) He was not provided proper medical treatment, and did not receive enough medicine in the hospital.
4) He was tortured both psychologically and physically during interrogation.
5) He was not provided enough nutrition by the prison authorities.
6) Because he was far away from his family, they could not provide him the needed medicine or food easily as they did not have sufficient money for traveling expenses. They were unable to meet him until ten months after his arrest.
7) In order for a political prisoner to visit the public general hospital, military intelligence must watch over a political prisoner, limiting the quality of care they receive.

Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)

More Information: - Tate Naing (66) 1 287 8751 - Bo Kyi (66) 1 324 8935