U Ni Mar (74 Year), Father of Mar Mar Oo died of heart attack while she was serving 70 years as woman political prisoner

MoeMaKa Reporter Rangoon

September 28^th, 2010

U Ni Mar, father of Mar Mar Oo, woman political prisoner currently serving 70 years in Burmese regime’s prison, passed away on September 22 at his home in Rangoon. He died of a heart attacked at the age on 74. He had been sentenced for 3 years in prison for participation in the uprising of 8/8/88. Close friends of his daughter told MoeMaKa he was a nice, quiet and strong person.

U Ni Mar spent the last years of his life selling old books on the street for survival. With the money he got from selling books, he visited his daughter in jail and was able to provide food. The prison – Ba Maw Prison was located at the other end of the country very far away from his home, Rangoon. 

(Photo - Ma Mar Mar Oo and her friends - 88 Generation Students)

His daughter, Mar Mar Oo, is now serving 65 years for participating in the uprising of 2007 Saffron Revolution. Like her father, she also took part in 8/8/88 uprising and had been jailed in 1996 for involving in students uprising. She was conditionally released while remaining of her 5 years jail term was in pending. However those “pending” 5 years had been added to 65 years in jail to make her jail term 70 years in total when she was sentenced in 2008.          

 Generally, at the funeral of political and human-rights activists, there used to be a practice of covering the flag of the organization they had worked as a final tribute from their fellow colleagues. However, U Ni Mar was not that well-known and those who knew him well were not available to arrange such funeral. His funeral was made possible by FFSS (Free Funeral Service Society). Although his funeral was not honored as a political activist but as a civilian, his death will not be unnoticed.

(News translated by Pwithphyu Nandar)