BURMA: THE POLITICAL PRISONER REVOLVING DOOR

UNCLAS RANGOON 000345 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM BM NLD SUBJECT: BURMA: THE POLITICAL PRISONER REVOLVING DOOR REF: RANGOON 1549 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The GOB has released prominent political prisoner Ko Ko Gyi. However, authorities simultaneously arrested three democratic opposition MPs-elect. The GOB relentlessly continues to arrest pro-democracy leaders who it fears might unite the Burmese opposition. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) International media widely reported the release on March 17 of prominent political prisoner, Ko Ko Gyi, a former All Burma Federation of Students Union activist. An Embassy employee spoke with a credible source who met Ko Ko Gyi following his release and said he is in decent physical shape and "excellent mental health." ¶3. (SBU) Also on March 17 the police Special Branch (SB) re-arrested retired Lt Gen Kyaw Hsan, a 72-year-old NLD divisional leader and MP-elect from Sagaing Division, who had last been released from prison in November, 2004 (reftel). U Lwin, NLD spokesperson, told an Embassy employee that Kyaw Hsan, who reportedly has close ties with Karen factions, was apparently arrested on the pretext that he had "illegally imported goods" stored on his compound and/or he had hosted "unregistered" guests at his Rangoon house. ¶4. (SBU) Also on March 17 SB agents took into custody U Kyaw Min, a Rakhine MP-elect of the National Democratic Party for Human Rights and member of the Committee Representing the People's Parliament (CRPP). (Note: U Kyaw Min is currently enrolled in the Global English course at the Embassy's American Center. End Note.) According to Embassy sources, SB agents thoroughly searched Kyaw Min's house and led him away under a black hood, a standard practice of the now-disbanded Military Intelligence. On March 20, the police asked the family of U Kyaw Min to come and collect his personal effects, an indication that he has been imprisoned. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: Including the arrest on February 25 of U Kyaw Khin, MP-elect from Taunggyi, three MPs-elect have been arrested in the past month. While the GOB may release the odd political prisoner when it feels confident that the person has been effectively neutralized, it is still aggressively arresting pro-democracy MPs-elect, particularly those who it believes have leanings toward forming a parallel government or otherwise wish to unite the Burmese pro-democracy opposition. End Comment. Martinez