08/30/2012, 00.00
MYANMAR
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Thein Sein calls on exiles to come home, as courts convict them

by Francis Khoo Thwe
The president has removed the names of 2,000 activists and dissidents from the 'black list.' They include that of trade union leader U Maung Maung who told AsiaNews that he is going home "next week" when "I get my visa." Meanwhile, a Burmese court sentences a lawyer to six months in jail on "contempt of court" charges after he came back from exile.

Yangon (AsiaNews) - The president of Myanmar has called on exiles and dissidents to come home. Some 2,000 people have had their names removed from the 'black list' (an additional 4,000 are left). However, for would-be returnees, coming home means a trial and jail. This is what happened to Kyaw Kyaw Min, a lawyer who returned home after years of forced exile. Yesterday, a court sentenced him to six months in prison for "contempt of court" because he willfully delayed a hearing against a group of activist he and fellow lawyer Nyi Nyi Htwe represented. Speaking to The Irrawaddy, a dissident publication, the latter said that Kyaw Kyaw Min "will be the first person who receives imprisonment after returning to Burma."

The lawyer defended activists from the National league for Democracy (NLD) who had taken to the streets in a peaceful demonstration in August 2007 to demand Aung San Suu Ky's release. The action came a few weeks before protesting monks were violently crushed by the military junta.

At their court hearing, the NLD activists said they did not believe in the fairness of Myanmar's legal system and turned their back to the court. When the judge ordered their attorneys to control their clients, Kyaw Kyaw Min and Nyi Nyi Htwe said that they did not have the authority to force them to turn around.

For this, Nyi Nyi Htwe was charged and convicted, whilst Kyaw Kyaw Min fled to Thailand. Only recently did he return, believing in the promises of reform of the new "civilian" leadership. Instead, he was given six months in prison.

"This simply shows that there are no assurances and guarantees for exiles on their future, safety or dignity despite [the president's] welcoming speech," said Nyi Nyi Htwe.

Federation of Trade Unions of Burma (FTUB) General Secretary U Maung Maun is one of the 2,000 exiles who can come home. He is also a member of the National Council of the Union of Burma, an organisation that wants to establish democracy in Burma.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has welcomed the Burmese president's decision. The FTUB leader will thus be able to go home "after decades of exile [. . .] at this crucial stage in Burma's history"

Speaking to AsiaNews, U Maung Maung (pictured) who is in the United States, said that he plans to go home "once I get my visa" from Burmese authorities.

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