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Min Ko Naing has been brutally tortured several times during his time in prison. According to one report, during interrogation, he was forced to stand in water for two weeks until, finally, he collapsed. His left foot became totally numb after the interrogation period. He was not allowed to meet with his family or anybody else, and he was put in a special cell.
In February 1994 US congressman Bill Richardson was allowed to see Min Ko Naing as well as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who was still under house arrest. He asked Bill Richardson to tell his colleagues not to give up.
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UN special human rights investigator Mr. Yozo Yokota also met Min Ko Naing in 1995 after repeated requests were made, but he was only able to talk to him through the cell bars. According to Yokota's reports, many guards, prison wardens and photographers recorded the conversation and took pictures. The interview was short and the inmate, according to Yokota, was nervous and thin but otherwise in good health.
For a while, he lived in the cell next to U Win Htein, Aung San Suu Kyi's personal assistant. U Win Htein tried to pass on some information to him, but they were caught by the authorities and U Win Htein was moved to another cell. When U Win Htein was released in February, 1995, he reported that Min Ko Naing's fighting spirit is still strong.
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More recent reports have stated that he is suffering from a gastric ulcer. His friends are also concerned that he may have developed mental problems due to his incredibly long period of solitary confinement. His mother is also reported to be have been seriously ill several times due to stress related to her son's situation It is believed that Min Ko Naing has been transferred from Insein Prison in Rangoon to Sittwe Prison in Arakan State. Only once could he manage send a message out to Other students asking telling them not to bring food but news, and encouraging them to continue the struggle. Now, his request is becoming the core of the present campaign asking for his releases.
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