Flashpoints Aug 8: Aung San Suu Kyi speech smuggled out of Burma

Thursday, August 8, 2002 - Start Audio
-00:00 Leslie Kean: New speech by Aung San Suu Kyi. 1500 political prisoners remain in Burmese jails. Egypt's most prominent political prisoner.
-00:58 Leslie Kean: about Aung San Suu Kyi, called Burma's Gandhi, leader of the Burmese democracy movement, winner of a Nobel Peace prize.. about a speech of hers just smuggled out of Burma, to mark the Free Political Prisoners In Burma campaign.. now w Dr. Thaung Thun part of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (Burmese elected government in exile).. Dr. Thun: there about 1,500 political prisoners still imprisoned in Burma.. put in prison for such things as putting up a political leaflet or poster, expression of political beliefs, criticizing the military.. 7 years in prison minimum.. most prisoners sent first to 'military intelligence'.. there subjected to mental and physical torture.. trials mostly done in secret in prison.. the military can extend the sentence forever, if they say the prisoner is 'a threat to the state security'.. Dr. Thun: about some prisoners who are seriously ill and still languish in prison.. Dr. Thun: 18 elected MP's (Members of Parliment) remain in prison.. Leslie: what are the conditions like in prison in Burma?.. Dr. Thun: very crowded.. torture and inhumane treatement the order of the day.. medical care is virtually non-existent.. sometimes food and medicine is provided by family on visits.. malaria outbreaks during the rainy season.. many people suffer from AIDS.. because the medical personnel use one needle for many prisoners.. about democracy movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi.. she was released from prison in a public relations gesture, May 6, 2002.. she is trying to re-organize the party.. trying to understand what is going on in all the country.. AUNG SAN SUU KYI WON THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE IN 1991.. HER PARTY WON A NATIONAL ELECTION WITH 80% OF THE VOTE.. BUT THE MILITARY NULLIFIED THE ELECTION AND ARRESTED AUNG SAN SUU KYI AND MANY PARTY MEMBERS.. about her seriously ill husband not allowed to visit her before he died..
-13:40 Leslie: NOW A RARE RECORDING OF A AUNG SAN SUU KYI SPEECH.. JUST SMUGGLED OUT OF BURMA.. Aung San Suu Kyi: about the importance of the release of political prisoners.. about the great injustice done them.. about freedom and democracy..
-18:20 music break
-19:40 Leslie: a new report: Rape as a Weapon of War.. two human rights groups document in sickening detail the rape of 625 women and girls in Burma.. probably just the tip of the iceberg.. now w Karen tribal activist, Naw May Oo, just graduated from law school and returned from the Thai-Burma border.. Naw May Oo: rape committed by officers and soldiers.. on military bases.. now w Vic Coakley, an Australian attorney working with the government in exile.. Vic: rapes took place in a region where over 3,000 villages have been relocated.. MOST RAPES COMMITTED BY OFFICERS IN FRONT OF THEIR TROOPS.. 61% WERE GANG RAPES, 25% OF THE RAPES ENDED IN THE MURDER OF THE VICTIMS.. MANY WERE GIRLS, ONE VICTIM WAS ONLY FIVE YEARS OLD.. the generals at the top either knew or should have known.. they are responsible.. they can no longer deny knowledge, especially with this report.. Naw May Oo: many Karen women have heard of this report.. they said they could identify with the victims in the report.. Leslie: are the women who testified in the report afraid of retaliation?.. Naw May Oo: yes, but their testimony has encouraged more women to speak out.. Vic: only one rapist was punished, and he was only reassigned to another battalion.. Naw May Oo: the Burmese government not a legal government.. the regime has not ratified the International Criminal Court (ICC).. compare the Congo recently ratified the ICC.. [to Colin Powell's credit] the US State Department has been very outspoken and has raised this issue with the Burmese regime.. and just last Friday, the regime announced an investigation.. but unlikely the investigation will be credible.. about universal jurisdiction, like Belgium.. about the US Torture Victims Protection Act.. other women in a class action suit successful in a US suit.. Leslie: how are the survivors doing?.. Naw May Oo: the victims try to forget, and nobody is comfortable talking about it.. programs for those women do not exist.. very silently they suffer.. one woman raped in front of the village and killed.. I knew her and knew her boyfriend.. more info see: this link and click on 'publications'.
-37:25 music break
-39:19 Leslie: 63 year old Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a prominent professor at the American University at Cairo, is Egypt's best known political prisoner. On July 29, after serving previous time in prison, he was sentenced to 7 years at hard labor. His crime was helping to teach Egyptians how to vote, how to fill out a ballot and how to monitor elections. The Egyptian court also accused him of embezzling funds from the European Union.. The EU supported his efforts at democratizing Egypt, and was outraged by the government's claim, and said no embezzlement ever happened. Dr. Ibrahim is an internationally renowned sociologist and advocate of democracy and human rights. Along with teaching at the University, he is also the director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies in Cairo, a research organization working to affect public policy throughout the Arab world. Now w his wife Barbara Ibrahim.. (describes the ordeal suffered by Dr. Ibrahim).. What bothered the government was his helping to teach Egyptians how to vote, how to fill out a ballot and how to monitor elections. But the actual charges: 'defaming the dignity of the state' and 'accepting EU grants without permission of the government'. The US in a difficult situation.. supporting repressive regimes, but still giving lip service to democratic ideals.. Barbara: like a nightmare.. I wake up thinking this never happened.. I'm a US citizen.. Egyptians very supportive privately.. www.Democracy-Egypt.org
-53:25 Leslie: EVENTS: a very important one, Sunday Aug 11 7-10PM, Radio Free Berkeley has been evicted from their office space.. need your support, a benefit at Cedar and Bonita, Unitarian Hall.. with Andrea Buffet of Media Alliance, Stephen Dunifer of Berkeley Free Radio, Pierre Labousier of Haiti Action, Berkeley council guy, Chris Worthington.. fascinating demonstrations of microradio potential, movie, an amazing program.. info 510-533-0401 or www.freeradio.org.. AND on Monday Aug 12, an emergency rally to defend workers rights; ILWU locals 1034 and 91; at the Oakland Federal Building 5PM, 1301 Clay Street.. info 415-821-6545
-56:13 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

increasing presence of Navy on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques.. residents of Vieques gearing up for increase in bombing.. now w Puerto Rican activist, Prof. Deborah Santana, of Mills College just back from Vieques.. Prof. Santana: in 1941 the Navy began appropriating land on Vieques.. they have used Vieques to test weapons, and store weapons, including nuclear weapons.. a tremendous amount of environmental damage.. injuries and death to residents.. high incidences of cancer, respiratory illnesses.. the past three years the whole world knows.. Leslie: the Navy to leave in 2003?.. Prof. Santana: we have seen documents that mention 2006.. but there is nothing in writing.. Leslie Kean: now w Nilda Medina, an activist living on Vieques.. Nilda: we are hearing.. that they are planning to stay longer, than 2003.. everyday we see trucks, construction material going inside.. they are building new houses.. we see in the past week, military personnel practicing in front of us.. the Navy made contracts with companies for ten years, building.. we don't understand what is going on.. the Navy does not want to leave Vieques.. Prof Santana: now that they have fired the civilian guards, I have seen provacative behavior at the gate.. one time I saw them bring up a pepper spray weapons and turn it on.. one time the Marines were throwing mangoes at the protestors.. trying to provoke the Puerto Ricans.. Leslie Kean: Nilda, you are wife to Roberto Rabin, now in prison.. Nilda: they don't allow him to have telephone call, even to his mother.. six months in prison for a misdemeanor violation of trespassing.. protest every Saturday, in front of the gates of the camp.. we have the dates of the manuevors.. we are organized.. we make civil disobedience everyday.. Prof Santana: every night hundreds of feet of fence get torn down.. we are working to get Bush to put his words in writing, and issue an executive order to cease bombing in May, 2003.. 17 Congresspeople have written letters to Bush asking him for that executive order.. later this month we want to flood the white house with letters and faxes.. more info www.ViequesLibre.org.. 787-741-0716.. Nilda: the people of Vieques will continue this struggle until the Navy leaves.. we are very grateful for your assistance..

National Center for Human Rights Education