MYANMAR. TORTURE 'STATE POLICY'

in a published report entitled ‘The darkness we see: Torture in Burma's interrogation centres and prisons’, it was alleged that the Burmese junta was torturing political prisoners to crush dissent and that at least five political detainees had been tortured to death in the past six months. Virtually all 10,000 or so activists detained since the pro-democracy uprising in 1988 ha been abused physically or psychologically, said the report. Impunity for the perpetrators was "complete", said the report, which was written by the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and based on interviews with 35 recently released political inmates. 
"Torture is state policy in Burma," it says. "It is used to break down political activists and instill fear into the general public. They are tortured not only to halt possible opposition to the regime but so they may return to their families and friends with the physical and psychological remnants of their torture on display, silencing any thoughts the public may have of speaking out against the regime."