The Burma Campaign UK today welcomed the release of senior NLD leader U Tin Oo, who has been either jailed or under house arrest since a failed attempt by the regime to kill Aung San Suu Kyi in May 2003. A pro-government militia attacked the convoy that he and Aung San Suu Kyi were travelling in, in what became known as the Depayin massacre. At least one hundred people were killed in the attack.
“The release of U Tin Oo is very welcome, but we should not attach any political significance to the release,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “Burmese democracy activists are regularly released when the generals want to score points with the international community, and are then arrested again later. Even the release of more than a thousand political prisoners would only take us back to 2003 levels, when U Tin Oo was jailed.” There are currently more than 2,100 political prisoners in Burma.
The release comes on the eve of a visit by Tomas Ojea Quintana, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma. No progress on human rights is expected to result from his visit.
U Tin Oo is a founder member of the National League for Democracy, and a close confidant of Aung San Suu Kyi. He was previously kept under house arrest from 1989 to 1995.