Prominent Indians stand by Burmese rebels inside jail

Subhra K. Gupta
Mizzima News: 01 January, 2007

A number of eminent Indian citizens have expressed their solidarity for Burmese 'freedom fighters' who are now behind bars in Presidency jail in Kolkata, India.

At a Press conference in Kolkata Press Club on December 30, noted author and social activist Ms. Mahasweta Devi told journalists that "The Arakanese and Karen freedom fighters should not be treated inhumanly."

A joint memorandum signed by eminent personalities like film maker Mrinal Sen, former West Bengal minister Ashok Mitra, politician and Indian Women's Commission member Malini Bhattacharya was sent to the Chief Minister of West Bengal, India Buddhadeb Bhattachrya.

The memorandum said "the Burmese freedom fighters had been languishing in jail in Port Blair for more than eight years and the Indian federal police, the CBI had not filed a charge sheet for over six years. Now they have been brought from Andaman Islands to West Bengal for justice."

The eminent personalities pointed out in their memorandum that "the CBI has a vested interest in ensuring that the trial is held away from media glare, so that their shortcomings are not brought out in the open". The CBI has already appealed to the court that due to security reasons the trial should be inside the jail. Earlier the state's Home Secretary sent a letter to the CBI in this regard.

Recently prison guards in Presidency jail along with a number of convicted prisoners beat up the Burmese freedom brutally in a clash. The jail authorities registered a false case against the Burmese.

The freedom fighters belong to ethnic nationalities organizations from Burma which have been fighting the Burmese military regime for decades for 'democracy and human rights.'

In a gesture expressing support for the democratic aspirations of the people of Burma – hundreds of Burmese nationals signed a joint memorandum and sent it to the Chief Minister and requested him to withdraw the cases against Burmese freedom fighters and release them from prison.

At the Press conference the Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) released a letter from Dr. (Col) Lakshmi Sehgal written to two Burmese journalists living in exile expressing solidarity with the Burmese freedom fighters.

The media had exposed that the Burmese arrested during 'Operation Leech' in Andaman Island belonged to the National United Party of Arakan (NUPA) and Karen National Union (KNU), which have been fighting against the Burmese military regime for decades for self-determination and human rights. They arrived in Andaman following an agreement with Indian intelligence officers that they would be allowed to base in India in exchange gathering information along the Indian coastal areas.

They were betrayed by the Indian security agencies and six of their top leaders were killed in cold blood. An Indian military intelligence officer Lt. Col B J S Grewal allegedly betrayed the trust of the Burmese freedom fighters at the behest of the military junta of Burma.