600,000 SIGN PETITION FOR RELEASE OF MYANMAR'S POLITICAL PRISONERS

By D. Arul Rajoo

HANOI, May 26 (Bernama) -- A global campaign for the release of Myanmar's
political prisoners has secured over 600,000 signatures in just 10 weeks,
campaign organisers said.

Since the launch of the campaign on March 13, which coincides with Myanmar's
Human Rights Day, an average of one person signed the petition every 10 seconds,
with signatures coming from over 150 countries.

"This is the largest global coordinated action on Burma (Myanmar's old name)
the world has ever witnessed," Dr Naing Aung, Secretary-General of the Forum for
Democracy in Myanmar said in a statement.

The petition calls on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to make it his
personal priority to secure the release of all political prisoners in the
country, as the essential first step towards democratisation in the country.

It comes at a time when Ban Ki-moon is negotiating with the ruling military
government to visit the country.

Ban Ki-moon has said that he is "deeply concerned" about democracy icon Aung
San Suu Kyi's detention.

The closed-door trial of the Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of the
National League for Democracy is entering its seventh day Tuesday.

International condemnation of the trial has been widespread, including
unprecedented criticism from the Asean and became the highlight of the Ninth
Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) here.

Since October last year, more than 350 of Myanmar's 2,100 political
prisoners have faced similar trials, to harsh sentences of up to 104 years in
jail.

Co-founder and Joint-Secretary of the Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners (Burma) Bo Kyi said, "The eyes of the world are on Ban Ki-moon now. He
must do whatever it takes, and accept nothing less than the immediate and
unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners. Without
their release, there can be no national reconciliation in Myanmar," he said.

The campaign has been led by the association and Forum for Democracy in
Burma, representing former political prisoners and pro-democracy activists.

A broad-based consortium of Myanmar exile and solidarity groups around the
world has worked to secure the signatures, including Avaaz, a massive online
community of activists.

Avaaz Executive Director Ricken Patel, who regarded Aung San Suu Kyi as
Myanmar's Nelson Mandela, said the UN Secretary-General must insist that her
release be the condition for any further international engagement with the
Myanmar junta.
-- BERNAMA