Press Release: Terry Evans

14 February

Yesterday Burma's junta extended the house arrest of Tin Oo, the deputy leader of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party. According to a reliable source in Rangoon, Tin Oo has had his arrest warrant extended for another year. Tin Oo and Aung San Suu Kyi were arrested in May 2003, after a pro-junta mob attacked their convoy during a political tour of the country’s North.

Aung San Suu Kyi and Tin Oo led the NLD to a landslide election victory in 1990, however the generals refused to hand over power. Recently the ruling junta announced that it would hold a referendum in May, ahead of democratic elections in 2010. Pro-democracy activists claim that this is merely another piece of meaningless political theatre as long as Aung San Suu Kyi, Tin Oo and other democracy leaders remain in detention.

ENDS