Can any readers confirm the facts of this story?
Burmese authorities disrupting AIDS project in Rangoon
May 19, 2006 (DVB) - The local authorities of Burma’s military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) are resorting to pressure to disrupt the HIV/AIDS patient treatment programme jointly being carried out by Doctors Without Borders and the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD).
Regional authorities have pressured the house owner into evicting people from the home for HIV/AIDS patients from the districts that has been set up in Thaketa Township of Rangoon.
The authorities had been resorting to pressure against the home where AIDS patients were residing and also threatening to appropriate the home from the homeowner. As a result, the patients had to move out, according to Ma Phyu Phyu Thin, who is in charge of HIV/AIDS education team of the NLD.
“What happened was that all the ward authorities joined forces to exert pressure and evict the patients from the home, saying they could not accept the patients staying together in the ward at a home and pressuring the home owner to refund the rent he had taken. We had been staying here for about four months only and there were still two more months to go. We, on behalf of the patients, had appealed to the homeowner as well as the authorities to allow us to stay two more months. But, they flatly rejected the appeal, and also applied pressure on the homeowner. They asked the patients to sign their agreement to move out, and all of them had to leave immediately. They also threatened the homeowner that his home could be confiscated. They refused to register the patients in the guests list of the ward (According to existing laws, unregistered guests can be arrested and fined). There were almost 40 patients altogether.”
A female AIDS patient also had this to say about how she felt about moving out.
“We are quite mentally distressed. We are here to get treatment because we are sick, and they could do this to us. We are very distressed. They refused to register us as guests at this home - a place where we are receiving help. They will not register us until now. There is no one to provide treatment anywhere and that is why we have travelled to Rangoon for treatment. Personally, I could not have come here. But, I was helped by NLD youths who sent me here to the capital city, Rangoon. We are not being allowed to (?stay here). I could not help it anymore. If they want to arrest us, they can do so, we are ready to go with them as long as they give us health care and medicines.”
In order to find out about the incident, we contacted No 2 Police Station in Thaketa Township and here is what they had to say:
“No, we have not heard any news about it. I don't think it happened. We do not have any news. No, brother, we did not hear anything and no one reported to our station also. Brother, I have to say that the case does not concern us.”
While the international community and humanitarian agencies have been helping HIV/AIDS patients all over the world, the SPDC government continues to practice inhumane policies.
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