From:    William Bowles
Subject: MYANMAR: Abuse of Rights of Women

6:28 pm  Sep 12, 1991
Source: Peacenet
(Fido:250/222) igc:aicoord
Conf:ai.general
Artists and Writers: Burma

MA THEINGI

Ma Theingi was arrested on July 20, 1989, along with 42
other National League for Democracy (NLD) supporters in
their national headquarters in the capital city of Yangon
(formerly known as Rangoon).

Ma Theingi is in her early 40s and is a painter and art
teacher at the Yangon International School. She has also
written a book on the tradition of Burmese puppet theater.
She was the personal secretary to the NLD's General
Secretary, Aung San Suu Kyi. She is currently believed to be
held in Insein Prison in Yangon, but no charges have yet
been brought against her, to Amnesty International's
knowledge.

Early June 1989 was marked by a deterioration in relations
between the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC,
the martial law authority) and the National League for
Democracy (the most prominent political party in
Burma/Myanmar). By mid-month, the NLD and student groups,
together with some other political parties, had reportedly
decided to resume organizing mass gatherings to mark
anniversaries of alleged political killings by security
forces, and to resume holding political rallies. these
gatherings led to a new wave of arrests in June and July
1989.

Amnesty International considers Ma Theingi to be a prisoner
of conscience, detained for the non-violent exercise of her
rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, in
violation of Articles 19 and 20 of the UN Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.

You Can Help:

Please send courteously worded letters calling for the
immediate and unconditional release of Ma Theingi.

Write to:

General Saw Maung, Chairman, State Law and Order Restoration
Council, Signal Pagoda Road, Yangon, Union of Myanmar

U Hla Myinto Oo, Embassy of the Union of Myanmar, 2300 S
St., NW, Washington, DC 20008