Thet Win Aung

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Thet Win Aung (born August 27, 1971 , † October 16, 2006 in Mandalay ) was a Burmese student leader and political prisoner.

Political life

Since 1988 Thet Win Aung has participated in protests against the military regime in Myanmar, formerly Burma. In 1989 he became vice-general secretary of the unauthorized student association Basic Education Student Union (BESU). For these activities, he was expelled from school in September 1991 and sent to prison for 9 months, where he was tortured. After his release, he became a senior member of the illegal student umbrella organization All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), and in 1994 its general secretary.

Thet Win Aung was involved in organizing peaceful student demonstrations in Rangoon demanding improvements in education and the release of political prisoners. He was arrested again in October 1998 and sentenced to 52 years in prison in January 1999 - the sentence was later increased to 59 years. Amnesty International drew attention to the fate of Thet Win Aung, including a. with the "Letters Against Oblivion" campaign in February 2000. Thet Win Aung went on hunger strike in 2002 to protest the conditions of detention in Kalay Prison in Sagaing .

Death and reactions

Thet Win Aung died in Mandalay Prison on October 16, 2006, at the age of 34, believed to have been the result of torture during his detention. His health was considered to be poor as he also suffered from other diseases ( malaria ), but he was denied further medical help from outside. On September 30, 2006, the Burmese authorities arrested his brother Ko Pyone Cho , who is also active in the student movement. The father of the two students, Win Maung, suspected that Thet Win Aung died of a heart attack after hearing of his brother's arrest. On the situation of Ko Pyone Cho himself, in solitary confinement , sitting in the family in October had no information.

On October 22, 2006, the family and around 1,000 sympathizers and friends remembered Thet Win Aung in a Buddhist ceremony in Rangoon - under the surveillance of the secret service. Burmese exiles in New Delhi and London also expressed their solidarity.

Some European governments, including Norway and France , officially condemned his death and requested the Burmese government to investigate the cause of death. The European Union had previously called for Thet Win Aung to be released on humanitarian grounds, which Myanmar rejected.

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personal data
SURNAME Thet Win Aung
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Burmese student leader
DATE OF BIRTH August 27, 1971
DATE OF DEATH October 16, 2006
Place of death Mandalay (Burma)