NEW BURMA PRISONER RELEASES: LOVING-KINDNESS AND

UNCLAS RANGOON 000010

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, DRL
COMMERCE FOR ITA JEAN KELLY
USPACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KDEM BM NLD
SUBJECT: NEW BURMA PRISONER RELEASES: LOVING-KINDNESS AND
GOODWILL

REF: A. RANGOON 1647 AND PREVIOUS

B. RANGOON 1612 AND PREVIOUS


1. (U) The GOB announced on January 2nd that it had released
5,588 additional prisoners from jails around the country.
The release announcement was scheduled to precede the January
4th Independence Day holiday. Unlike the three prior mass
releases (ref B) in this case the government did not claim to
be freeing those unjustly imprisoned by former Prime Minister
Khin Nyunt's Military Intelligence (MI). Instead, the
announcement cited the SPDC's "loving-kindness and good will"
and desire to rehabilitate prisoners who have exhibited good
behavior.


2. (SBU) Details are still sketchy about exactly how many
prisoners are actually free, and the number of political
prisoners included in the 5,588. However, initial reports
indicate that the following political prisoners (all listed
in the December Amnesty International report) were among
those freed on January 2nd or 3rd:

-- Aung Myint (aka Pyapon Ni Lone Oo),a well-known poet and
journalist arrested in 2000 for issuing a statement
protesting the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and sentenced
to 21 years.
-- Kyaw Khin, an NLD MP-elect from Shan State arrested in
1996 for allegedly having tapes of anti-government messages
and sentenced to 10 years.
-- Thein Dan, an NLD Divisional Executive Committee Member
from Mandalay arrested in 1991 for writing an article
criticizing the GOB's shooting of demonstrators and sentenced
to 17 years.
-- Myint Soe (aka Johnny, aka Kyaw Oo),an NLD Youth member
from Rangoon arrested in 1990 for discussing the formation of
a parallel government and sentenced to 17 years.

The GOB also released Saw Tin Soe, a Karen National Union
member from Karen State arrested in 1983 and sentenced to
death (later changed to 25 years) for attempted hi-jacking.


3. (SBU) The steady trickle of political prisoner releases
over the last several months is a good thing. However, the
numbers remain very small considering nearly 1,400 such
prisoners remain behind bars. Furthermore, the releases pale
a bit when examined in the context of ongoing arrests and
harassment of NLD members (ref B) and the GOB's recent
decision to further tighten the imprisonment conditions of
NLD leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo (ref A).
MARTINEZ