| Image: Wan Press |
The trial of U Thein Zan, a 65-year-old retired Burmese sailor who was arrested for satirising government newspapers in early March, was deferred to the end of the month by a court in Rangoon. Thein Zan, who makes his living repairing radios and tape recorders, had been moved to outrage on the morning of 23 February by the contradiction between the escalating prices of essential commodities on the market and the propaganda in the junta-run papers. These assured readers that economic and social conditions in Burma were indeed improving, and that those who opposed the state were just a small group of troublemakers. Thein Zan had then cut out a number of headlines from the government papers and pasted them on his fence, alongside bits of his own lampoonery. At 11 that morning, after the fence attracted the attention of more than 100 people, police arrived, removed the clippings, and took the artist to the local council office. A salute to U Thein Zan, who dared make an individual statement, completely unprotected, against a harsh and reactive state.
Meanwhile, on 12 March, Burmese journalist U Win Tin, imprisoned since 1989 on charges of anti-state activities, turned 77 in prison. Win Tin, the former editor-in-chief of the daily Hanthawati and a senior member of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, is one of the longest-serving detained journalists in the world. Currently being held in a cell designed for military dogs, Win Tin's poor health has been exacerbated by years of torture. Originally short-listed in July 2006 for early release, the ailing journalist, who has repeatedly refused to sign a statement that he will give up political activities upon his discharge, has been told that he is not entitled to such favours, as he has not yet fulfilled the requirement of hard labour.