Moruya's branch of Amnesty International is celebrating a triumph of dedication and proof that the power of the written word is still strong with the release of a political prisoner in Myanmar.
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Dr Tun Aung was released last week after having been jailed since 2012 for trying to quell a riot in western Myanmar (formerly Burma), and had been sentenced to up to 17 years on dubious charges.
Pressure from Amnesty International, in particular the Moruya branch members, played a crucial role in his release, as the members bombarded the authorities with letters and emails while encouraging Dr Aung not to give up.
“We have been campaigning intensely since he was imprisoned and we are delighted at his release,” Moruya Amnesty International spokeswoman Helen Kay said.
It is not the first time the Moruya branch has contributed to an unlikely triumph of the human spirit in this oppressively-governed country.
“We have a very long-term interest in Myanmar,” Mrs Kay said.
“In 2011, the government offered to reduce the sentences of 1900 political prisoners, and we campaigned that the sentences should be quashed entirely and that’s what they did; they released all of them.”
What Amnesty International does is simple, intense and surprisingly effective.
“We write letters and emails to governments, send solidarity messages to the prisoners so they know they are not alone, and pressure the authorities to watch for the prisoner’s welfare,” Mrs Kay said.
Amnesty learned that Dr Aung has been ill while in jail, and ensured that he received the necessary medical treatment to recover.
“Many former prisoners give excellent testimonies of what a crucial role Amnesty played in their release,” Mrs Kay said.
“When we talked at Moruya High School, the students naturally asked ‘does it work? and we were able to say yes, we have had a lot of success.”
Despite having fewer than 15 regular members, the Moruya branch sent over 300 letters last year.
Rather than resting on its laurels, the branch is actively campaigning to spare “Bali Nine” pair Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran from the death penalty in Indonesia.
“We strongly oppose the death penalty and there is a huge amount of work going on to stop it,” Mrs Kay said.