AFP demands release of Dr Aye Maung from prison

By Kyaw Chit 20 Nov 2019

Kyaw Chit | DMG
20 November, Sittwe
 
The Arakan Front Party (AFP) released a statement on 20 November to free Pyithu Hluttaw MP Dr Aye Maung from Ann Township, who has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.

“The National League for Democracy issued its statement on the AA’s abduction of Chin MP U Hwei Tin. They put the case to parliament. Dr Aye Maung is a leader of Arakanese people. When he was arrested, he was the chairperson of the AFP and a lawmaker. So, we thought that we also should demand to free him from prison,” said U Kyaw Lwin, vice chair of the AFP.

The AFP’s statement said that the severity of Dr Aye Maung’s punishment for his speeches given at a public event was unfair.

The Sittwe district court on 19 March sentenced prominent lawmaker Dr Aye Maung and author Wai Hun Aung to 20 years’ imprisonment for incitement and high treason for speeches given at an event held in Rathedaung Township in 2018 marking the fall of Arakanese kingdom. The pair is now in Insein prison in Yangon Region.

When parliament demanded the release of U Hwei Tin from the AA’s abduction, Arakanese people criticized the situation because parliament didn’t demand the release of Dr Aye Maung.

“The situation of Dr Aye Maung and U Hwei Tin is a bit different. U Hwei Tin was arrested by the AA, a group the government announced as an illegal organization. Dr Aye Maung was arrested by the government legally. The political party and parliament are formed under the 2008 constitution,” U Kyaw Lwin said.

He added that it was difficult for regional or the Pyidaungsu [union] parliament to request the release of Dr Aye Maung who has been punished by the government.

“We are waiting for an end to the case. Now, lawyers submitted a special appeal for his case,” he said.

The AFP said in its statement that family of Dr Aye Maung and Arakanese people are seriously worried about his health and safety during his incarceration.

The punishment to Dr Aye Maung could thwart national reconciliation and peace-making attempts as well as damaging the trust of people [in the government] and national solidarity, and the AFP believed that participation of Dr Aye Maung in peace making process would lend support while Myanmar is facing international pressure, the statement said.

“Experts from Arakan State and Myanmar pointed out that judgments made during Dr Aye Maung’s case were not completely sound. A lot of people said that it should not be made during the current situation,” U Kyaw Lwin said.

“Currently, the Tatmadaw and the AA are fighting. There is also malicious dissent between Arakanese people and Bamar people found on Facebook. We need to make reconciliation between different grouups. Even Bamar people said that Dr Aye Maung should be free. I thought the situation is worse when he was convicted,” he said.

Appeals were submitted up to the Union Supreme Court on the conviction but were rejected. So, a special appeal has been filed to the Union Supreme Court.

“From my point of view, he shouldn’t have been arrested for giving a speech. We cannot think why he was convicted for high treason for his speech. If an act of giving a speech is justification for high treason, then public events will decrease in the future,” U Kyaw Lwin said.

Since Dr Aye Maung was arrested after giving a speech at a public event, the number of public talks has decreased significantly.

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