Myanmar has 2,200 political prisoners

YANGON, Myanmar, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was kept under house arrest most of the last two decades, said prison conditions in the country can be brutal.

The Nobel laureate, who was released in November, vowed to spotlight the plight of other political prisoners, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

Suu Kyi said she drew strength from her dawn meditation sessions.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has about 2,200 political prisoners.

People can be imprisoned in Myanmar for speaking out against the military, or even passing a rumor, and they face long prison terms, enduring torture, consuming barely edible food, lack medical care and spend years in solitary confinement, the report said.

"There's a great difference between prison and house arrest," said Phyo Min Thein, an opposition politician and brother-in-law of a political prisoner serving a 65-year sentence.

"Aung San Suu Kyi was treated well, while those in prison are treated with extreme oppression. Is it fair? Everything isn't fair. We live under an unfair system."

Political prisoners often include comedians, musicians, artists and writers and one of their major challenges is staying mentally healthy while being deprived of contact with loved ones, the report said.

U Khun Htun Oo, 67, a political representative of the Shan ethnic minority and in failing health, received 93 years in 2005 for a private discussion about political transition.