I was involved in it because I hated injustice. He spent time in three prisons, in Mandalay, in Thayawaddy, and in the country s most notorious detention center, Insein, just outside Rangoon. Insane just about sums up the conditions in these jails. Torture is common and Bo Kyi was twice beaten severely for protesting prison conditions. One of Bo Kyi s friends, doing hard labor at Myingyan Prison, was beaten daily, fed poorly, and eventually died.
Political prisoners lack sufficient water for bathing and drinking.
Authorities routinely deny adequate medical treatment even when a prisoner s condition reaches a life-threatening stage. When I was sick, it was difficult for me to go to the hospital, Bo Kyi said. I had to use the medicine my family provided instead. Food is bland, usually rice, fish paste, and talapaw, a concoction resembling, but hardy deserving, the name of soup. Family aid is not always possible.