YANGON, Myanmar -- Myanmar's military government on Saturday freed the 82-year-old deputy leader of the pro-democracy party headed by Aung San Suu Kyi after nearly seven years in detention.
The release of Tin Oo, who helped found the National League for Democracy with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ms. Suu Kyi, comes shortly before a U.N. envoy visits the country. Ms. Suu Kyi remains under house arrest.
Mr. Oo spent nearly seven years in prison and under house arrest. The junta had renewed his detention on an annual basis since his arrest in 2003, with his latest term expiring Saturday.
Reporters saw four officials enter Mr. Oo's residence, where he had been detained. He later emerged from the building.
The U.N. special envoy to Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, is to arrive Monday to evaluate its progress on human rights issues. Rights groups say the junta still holds about 2,100 political prisoners.
Mr. Oo was arrested along with Ms. Suu Kyi on May 30, 2003, when a pro-government mob attacked their motorcade as they were making a political tour of northern Myanmar.
Four people were killed and 50 injured in the incident, according to official figures, but dissidents say the death toll was much higher. Hundreds of members and supporters of Ms. Suu Kyi's party were arrested, but none of the attackers was ever brought to court.
Mr. Oo was initially held in Kalay prison, known for its harsh conditions, about 430 miles (700 kilometers) north of Yangon. Since February 2004 he was held under house arrest in Yangon. His telephone was cut off, he was not allowed to receive visitors and relatives said he had been denied regular medical checkups.
A highly decorated commander, Mr. Oo rose to the rank of general and served as defense minister during the 26-year socialist regime of late dictator Ne Win. He was forced into retirement in 1976 and imprisoned for three years for alleged involvement in a plot to kill Ne Win. But it is widely believed that Mr. Win wanted to eliminate the highly popular Mr. Oo as a potential rival.
Mr. Oo spent another three years in prison after the founding of Ms. Suu Kyi's party.
A trusted ally to Ms. Suu Kyi, Mr. Oo accompanied her on her travels around the country to rally for democracy.
On Friday, Suu Kyi's party called for Mr. Oo's unconditional release, saying he had been detained because of his "unrelenting efforts for the emergence of democracy and human rights in the country.''
Home Minister Maj. Gen. Maung Oo reportedly said last month that Mr. Oo would be freed in February and Ms. Suu Kyi would be released in November. His comments were made during remarks to local officials in central Myanmar and reported by the U.S.-government backed Radio Free Asia and other media, and could not be independently confirmed.
The junta took power in 1988 after violently suppressing mass pro-democracy protests. It held general elections in 1990, but refused to recognize the results after Ms. Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory.
Comments
Post a Comment