S E C R E T RANGOON 000919

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM BM ASSK NLD
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S LOCATION; VISITS TO
HOMES OF OTHER NLD LEADERS


Classified By: CDA, a.i. Ron McMullen for reason 1.5 (d)


1. (S) NLD insiders tell us Aung San Suu Kyi has recently
been held in the house of a military officer on the complex
of a counter-terrorism unit in Hlegu Township, a few miles
north of Rangoon's international airport. We do not know if
she is there permanently or was moved temporarily (from the
Clear Water Pond facility or elsewhere) to facilitate the
ICRC visit. We hope to get a readout from the ICRC head of
delegation August 4th on his recent meeting with ASSK. A
visiting academic with good links to the SPDC has asked to
see her, but so far has received no reply.


2. (C) On July 30 emboffs drove to the Rangoon homes of
eight senior NLD leaders who are being held under house
arrest. In most instances the homes were guarded by one
policeman and a municipal ward representative (typically an
unemployed young man paid "tea money" by MI to restrict
access to the house). In some cases the police permitted us
to deliver packets of "American News and Views" right to the
houses, but more often they took the packets with a promise
to deliver them once the contents were cleared by their
superiors. We know that as of August 1 NLD Chairman U Aung
Shwe has not received the packet we delivered.


3. (C) We understand that this rather lax house arrest
system has enabled NLD activists to occasionally sneak into
the homes of the party leadership to pass news and receive
instructions. We will continue our rather high-profile
regular visits, whether or not we are successful in getting
printed material to the detainees, to remind the SPDC and the
detained NLD leaders that we remain concerned about their
plight.
McMullen