Many people have been wrongly charged by the SPDC according to an ex-prisoner who recently fled from an illegal labour camp.

“About 80% of the prisoners in this camp were innocent and were charged with misconduct and threatened with beatings and torture.” said Mr. Aung Myo Paing (aka) Nai Asha from Ye Township. Aung Myo Paing was sentenced by the local authorities in Ye and later sent to Ingapo Labour Camp, Kyaik Hto Township in Mon State.

According to Aung, there are about 200 people being held at the Ingapo Labour Camp including 18 Buddhist monks who took part in the 2007 Saffron Revolution in Burma. “Even though these monks were disrobed without their consent, they still practice their religion as Buddhist monks. Most of the monks are Arakanese and Burmese nationals,” added Aung. When the SPDC arrested these monks they charged them as drug criminals not as political activists to defame their dignity.

Aung Myo Paing from Yan Myo Aung of Ye Township said he was picked up on February 2, 2007 and subsequently charged by Daw Cho Cho Mar, the judge from Moulmein, for illegally trading in teak timber.  Describing the events that led to his arrest, he had no contact with the local SPDC, but had been actively involved in community development initiatives and had his own business after returning home from Singapore.  He had given scholarships to poor children with his own money and shown no interest in joining the USDA. This led him to be put under suspicion by the local SPDC authorities who later arrested him and charged him with illegal trading. He was interrogated by the Moulmein District Police Force headed by U Khin Aung where he was beaten several times and suffered from physically injuries.

 “I was interrogated mostly late at night when they (policemen) were drunk and tortured me until I signed a confession.  I met many prisoners who were wrongly charged like me.  Many of the convicts were charged with gambling underground lottery (Che-Thee) and drug abuse.

Aung Myo Paing was later transferred to a labour camp but he paid one million Kyat in bribe money to be put in the kitchen at the labour camp.  (The kitchen team is exempt from hard labour and they do not have to work in the rubber plantation and are not chained.) He fled to Thai border from the labour camp and has just arrived in Malaysia with the help of some friends.

Burmese democracy activist Ms. Khin Ohmar said before the Saffron demonstrations in 2007 there were about 1,100 political prisoners, now that has doubled to about 2,100.