New Delhi – The Rangoon Division, Lanmadaw Township court sentenced hip-hop singer Zeyar Thaw, a member of the band Acid, to six years imprisonment today.
Zeyar Thaw (a.k.a. Kyaw Kyaw), who is popular among Burmese youth, was prosecuted by the military regime under charges of illegally holding foreign currency and establishing an unlawful association.
"The judges pronounced their judgment today after taking testimony from the Military Affairs Security (MAS). He was sentenced to one year imprisonment on the charge of holding foreign currency and another five years for the charge of establishing an unlawful association. We had no chance to defend his case," lawyer Khin Than Htay, aunt of Zeyar Thaw, told Mizzima.
"He toured foreign countries as a singer, so he got some foreign currency. A Thai baht 100 denomination note, some change in Malaysian Ringgits and some Singapore dollars were found in his possession. It was not more than 10,000 kyat (US$ 8) in total," she added.
MAS arrested Zeyar Thaw on the 12th of March this year at a restaurant between Sayar San Road and 66th Street in Rangoon.
She is proud for her nephew, given a prison term as an artist, confessed his aunt.
"I'm proud of him as it is not a criminal conviction. I feel proud to see him performing his artistic duty," she said.
Generation Wave (GW), in an announcement, recognized Zeyar Thaw as a member of the organization.
GW is a youth movement that was formed during the September 2007 Saffron Revolution.
According to Burma's repressive penal code, dissidents can be sentenced for establishing associations and civil society organizations without permission from the government.
GW released an anti-junta album, in cooperation with the clandestine band Freedom Fighter, in which 'Rise up Burma' and 'No No No', an anti-constitutional referendum song, were featured.
In addition to Zeyar Thaw, five of his GW colleagues were also sentenced today in the same court, each receiving five years behind bars for their links to an allegedly unlawfully formed organization.
At least ten members of GW have been detained and more than 100 dissidents sentenced, to up to 65-year terms, within the last few weeks alone.
