MYANMAR: Fear of torture and ill treatment of detainees

A Solidarity vigil will be held this Friday night, in support of Burma’s people, who are unable to exercise their fundamental rights in their country, and to express our opposition towards the Burma military junta’s bloody crackdown on protestors.

There are now reports filing in, that hundreds have been killed and some 6,000 people are being held at various detention facilities. Thousands of monks have been forcibly defrocked and are believed to be on their way to the military junta’s deadly labour camps.

The vigil is an initiative of civil society organisations, including Amnesty International Malaysia, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Civil Rights Committee of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH-CRC) and Youth For Change (Y4C): Friday Night, 5 October 2007, 8 p.m. at KLCC Entrance nearest to Menara Maxis, opposite Avenue K. Please come to show your solidarity. Please bring candles, candle-holders and banners. Wear your red top too.


“Please use your liberty to promote ours”
- Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, detained Nobel Peace Laureate.

For further information, please contact SUARAM (MoonHui) at 03-77843525 or Amnesty International (K.Shan) at 03-79552680.


WHAT YOU CAN DO

Please cut and paste the letter below & kindly put your name AND E-mail it back to amnesty international malaysia at ( ua@aimalaysia.org )This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

H.E. U Tin Latt
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
EMBASSY OF THE UNION OF MYANMAR
No. 11 A, Jalan Aman, Off Jalan Damai,
54000 Kuala Lumpur

27 September 2007

Your Excellency,

Release all detainees immediately

I would like to express my concern about the reports that hundreds of monks and other peaceful protesters, including well-known comedian Zargana and Member of Parliament Paik Ko have been detained.

I call on the authorities to release them immediately and unconditionally, unless they are to be charged with recognisably criminal offences.

I also call on the authorities to ensure that, while they remain in custody, all the detainees are held only in official places of detention, and are given immediate access to lawyers, their families and any medical treatment they may require.
I strongly urge the authorities to ensure that the detainees are not subjected to torture or any other ill-treatment.

Lastly, I call on the authorities to ensure that all people in Myanmar are able to peacefully exercise the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly without fear of harassment, intimidation or arbitrary detention, in line with international human rights standards.


Yours sincerely,

Name:
Location: