Central Legal Aid Team of the National League for Democracy led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is to set up lawyers’ networks across the regions of Burma, in an effort to provide legal assistance for detained dissidents and activists.

CLAT members Aung Thein and Khin Maung Shein have been touring Mandalay and Monywa in central Burma to meet with local lawyers to discuss their plan of building the networks.

“We discussed how the lawyers’ groups [networks] in the regions can provide assistance for those being persecuted in political cases that take place in their regions,” said Aung Thein.

“The network has no concern with being a member of the NLD – it is merely to assist those being involved in and working on court cases.”

“More importantly, there are child soldier and land confiscation issues in our country, and lawyers who work on those cases often don’t know where to seek assistance from. We are to act as volunteers for them.”

There are more than 2200 political prisoners being detained in jails throughout the country, despite recent release of Aung San Suu Kyi.