MoeMaKa reporter (Insein)
January 16, 2011
There are tens of thousands of prisoners who are serving for various crimes in the notorious Burmese prison ‘Insein’. It has been founded that these inmates are being oppressed, blackmailed into giving money, and bullied in many ways by prison officials, and the corruption in this prison is extremely rampant. This kind of bribery is called ‘Bout Char Pyat The’ (give and take bribes) in prison terminology.
It is also said that as injustice and bribery are occurring together in each level of prison employees; there are intense tensions and conflicts between these staff besides inmates in the prison. Other prisoners who cannot afford bribes and prisoners of conscience have been experiencing torture and persecutions carried out by corrupt prison officials.
According to the news of prisoners reported via their families, it is learnt that there was a dispute about bribes between the prisoner staff officer U Win Naing and the warder of cellblock 4(Name still under inquiry).Last week, in order to show his superiority and make trouble to that warder, the officer suddenly inspected cellblock 4 and cursed and yelled at prisoners. Then, he insulted the warder physically. It is an obvious example of bribery scandal in that prison.
The news of last week said that reporter Sithu Zeya was sent to a dog house cell and treated harshly for arguing with the jailer. It happened in cell block 4. Prisoner officers and other employees quarrel among themselves over dividing of bribe shares. Political prisoners become the victims of them, because only political prisoners are brave to complain of these abuses and injustice, said a person close to prison official.