Thet Oo

Thet Oo's wife - Pyone Pyone Aye – First Clip My name is Pyone Pyone Aye. To talk about family, I have three daughters, May Chit Oo is the eldest, Khin Cho Oo the middle and Yin New Ooo the youngest. My husband is Ko Thet Oo. He got involved in political field since around 87-88 after marriage. Me and my daughters ran a retail shop and I taught children. He was taking part in politics. I was not aware of his involvement. Then he was arrested in 1997. I was arrested too for keeping his documents. By that time the eldest daughter was in grade 7, the middle in grade 4 and the youngest in kinder garden. They were left behind with my mother and mother-in-law. My mother died in july 1998. I was not informed about her death and did not have a chance to take a last look. My mother-in-law paid me prison interview visit and took care of children. I was released in October 2003. Even though I was sentenced 7 years, I stayed more than 7 years. After release, I had to struggle for my daughters' schooling, I ran a shop to support their education. I had to see Ko Thet Oo for prison visits. I think he was released in 2011. He stayed in prison for more than 15 years. After release he is still involved in it. Now my children are graduated, got married. So we are living on our own. I took part in the prayer campaign for Daw Su's release and then joined campaigns organized by Min Ko Naing and other political movements. I had to hide and flee. I don't know how my mother thinks since she passed away. My mother-in-law did not say anything or my daughters did not either. It was because their own mother and father were unfairly imprisoned. The reason was that I kept Ko Thet Oo's documents. During the interrogation MI (military intelligence) blamed me for not telling what Thet Oo did. It was one charge. Another reason was that they were looking for Ko Thet Oo and it was like if they arrest husband, they arrest wife too and sentence 7 years. In fact they could have released me. At that time I did not have any record of involvement. Frankly speaking I was unfairly prosecuted. They first arrested Ko Thet Oo on 2 january 1997 in downtown and me on 5th at home. Actually they did not arrest me in the beginning. They took my mother to Tamwe police station saying they have something to ask. Then I went to police station and said to MI (military intelligence) "Look, my mother did nothing wrong, if you have to make enquiry about Ko They Oo, ask me only". So they released my mother and took me and a young guy who kept his documents in a car to an MI camp near Inya Lake hotel. They took my mother too and let her go there. They blindfolded me and the young guy ,hooded and took to Insein prison, and interrogated whole day. I told them "I did nothing, I don't know what he is doing, I am running my own business, I know nothing about what he does, please let me go, I have three daughters left at home". They told me "Ok, we will let you go". After interrogating whole night they sent me around 9 pm to a prison cell. I could only return from there after more than 7 years.