Burmese Political Prisoner Ko Mya Aye Denied Medical Treatment

Burmese Political Prisoner Ko Mya Aye Denied Medical Treatment – Now On Death Row

By Burma Campaign UK • April 29, 2010

Ko Mya Aye, one of the leaders of 88 Generation Students Group, which led protests in 1988 and again in 2007, is being denied access to proper medical treatment he urgently needs for a heart condition.

On 9th of April he was moved from Loikaw Prison in Karenni State to Taungyi Prison in Shan State. Both prisons are many miles from emergency medical care he will need if he has another heart attack, and too far away for family to make regular visits.

Ko Mya Aye appears to be suffering from angina which has recently become unstable causing heart failure and requiring urgent medical treatment. He is also suffering from hypertension and gastric problems. He needs proper medical tests that can only be done in Rangoon, and will probably require an angioplasty operation or coronary artery bypass graft. So far there have been none of the required medical tests or operations. Another angina attack without access to emergency medical care would be very serious.

Taungyi prison is 450 miles away from Rangoon and 16 miles away from Taungyi City. The distance from the main prison entrance to the prison itself is about 4 miles.

Ko Mya Aye is also being held in conditions which are making his health condition much worse. On his arrival in the jail he was put in a cell which is for death row prisoners, and denied any exercise. There is no toilet or running water in the cell and he has to go toilet in an open field by the prison with no privacy.

“Ko Mya Aye should be released immediately so he can get the urgent medical treatment that he needs,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “If the authorities will not release him, at the very least they should allow him proper medical care.”

Burma’s generals systematically use the denial of medical treatment to mistreat and abuse political prisoners. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) estimates that 137 political prisoners are in poor health as a result of harsh medical conditions or being denied proper medical care.

Ko Mya Aye was arrested in 1989 and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment for his role as a prominent student leader in the 1988 uprising. He served his 6 year prison term in notorious Insein prison, Rangoon, and was moved to Taungoo prison for his last two years imprisonment.

He was released in 1996 and continued campaigning for freedom and democracy. In 2004, 88 generation group was formed and Ko Mya Aye is one of the student leaders of the group along with Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and Pyone Cho.

In 2007, the 88 generation students group led the peaceful protests at the start of the uprising and several leaders were arrested and sentenced to 65 years and 6 months each.