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		MEP meets Human Rights Crusader James Mawdsley Tuesday, 18 June 2002 Local Conservative Euro-MP Roger Helmer has today met with human rights promoter James Mawdsley to talk about the role of the European Parliament in Burma and how the EU should intervene. Having been arrested three times for protesting against the Burmese regime, then sentenced in 1999 to seventeen years in jail, twenty-eight year old backpacking crusader, James Mawdsley was unexpectedly released after serving approximately fourteen months. Last night Mr Helmer attended an hour long speech by Mr Mawdsley, about his experiences in Burma during his arrest and the torture and hardship he suffered, before meeting with him in private this afternoon. Roger Helmer MEP, who sits on the European parliament's ASEAN (Association of South East Asia Nations) inter-parliamentary delegation, is calling for European Parliament support for Burma and hopes to meet some of the families of political prisoners currently being held in Burma. Mr Helmer has recently returned from a trip to Indonesia where he successfully called for the closing down of the Muslim organisation Laskar Jihad, which is widely believed to run terrorist training camps in Indonesia and to be linked to Al Q'aida. He also raised the important issue of child imprisonment in the Far East. Speaking from the European Parliament in Brussels Roger Helmer, who himself worked and lived in the Far East for many years before coming an MEP, said: "Horrific human rights atrocities are taking place in Burma and it is vital the European Parliament intervene and give their support. So often the EU is happy to talk about these problems but nothing actually gets done. I believe pressure should be put on the Burmese regime to release these political prisoners immediately."