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Washington, D.C., June 5, 2001 -- James Mawdsley, who spent more than a year in a Burmese jail, says Voice of America Burmese broadcasts provide a critical information link for the Burmese people.

Mawdsley, who has dual British and Australian nationality, was sentenced to 17 years in prison in late 1999 on charges of distributing pro-democracy leaflets.  In an interview with VOA’s Burmese Service, Mr. Mawdsley gave the following account of the impact of VOA broadcasts:

"People in Burma and along the [Thai-Burma] border have told me how important it is that they listen to radio like VOA.  How else are they going to get information?  It is almost impossible to get information deep inside Burma otherwise … VOA provides an absolutely invaluable service and that has made a massive difference since 1988, this increased awareness across the whole of Burma, it has happened through radio."

Mawdsley was in Washington meeting with members of Congress, officials at the State Department, and representatives of the Burma democracy movement. 

The Voice of America broadcasts one and a half hours a day of Burmese-language programming. The Voice of America is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S.  Government. VOA broadcasts over 900 hours of news, informational, educational, and cultural programming every week to an audience of some 91 million worldwide. Programs are produced and broadcast in English and 52 other languages.

For additional information, please contact the Office of External Affairs at (202) 619-2538 or send email to pubaff@voa.gov.