August 29, 2023
According to people close to the prison, 10 prison officers, including a prison paramedic from Dawei Prison, have been sentenced to prison terms as a penalty.
A person close to the prison said that the Dawei District Court sentenced U Win Zaw, a prison paramedic, to (11)months in prison in connection with selling goods in prison on last August 21st.
“For 1 or 2 days after he was summoned, he was sentenced to 11 months by the district court. He is selling the necessary equipment and food in the prison. Due to the current situation, no one knows for sure what section it is,” he said.
In addition to prison paramedic U Win Zaw, around 10 prison staff were also sentenced by the district court to be imprisoned from 6 months to 1 and a half years under various sections. People’s Radio Myanmar does not yet know the details of the number of sections against these prison officers, including the prison paramedics.
A person close to the prison said, “The rest are also imprisoned for 6 months to 1.5 years. It’s hard to know which sections they’re charged for. It’s so restricted inside now that we don’t know for sure anymore.”
According to a resident of the Dawei prison compound, the prison officers who have been arrested and imprisoned include the officers in the prison reception area and those in charge of inspection in the prison.
He said that the soldiers under the Military Council searched Dawei prison officers and prisoners last July 11th and found drugs and phones, so they proceeded with the prosecution.
Sources inside the prison said that on August 22, five prison officers, including the prison warden, were also charged and six prisoners with the confiscation of articles such as WY pills, marijuana, and ICE, were also prosecuted with the sections which can incarcerate indefinitely.
At present, the situation in Dawei prison is restricted, and some prisoners are being forbidden from sending messages and some are being in solitary confinement, said a person who sends messages to the prison.
“They are very controlled now. Even the delivery of the goods is closely checked. It’s so strict that it’s hard to know anything,” he said.
A resident of Dawei Prison said that because many prison officers are currently incarcerated and being inspected, there are only a few long-tenured officers left and new prison officers are arriving now.
On August 14th, when the military raided the home of Deputy Warden U Thu Rein Tun in the prison compound, drugs, and phones were seized, and former warden U Aung Pyay and 20 senior officers, including Deputy Prison Warden U Thu Rein Tun, are still being detained and interrogated by military council soldiers in Dawei Prison but no sentence and prosecution until yet, known by the people close to the prison.
According to people close to the prison, among those sentenced to prison for being found in possession of a phone are some political prisoners, including democracy activist Ko Zay Lin Oo. Prisoners who are imprisoned for politics in Dawei prison, according to information from DPPN, there are more than 400 prisoners.
News – Naw Ae Ni
Photo: CJ
Phar Si Than (People’s Radio Myanmar)
