BURMA: FIVE POLITICAL ACTIVISTS RECEIVE LIFE

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 000729

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2015
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BM NLD
SUBJECT: BURMA: FIVE POLITICAL ACTIVISTS RECEIVE LIFE
SENTENCES

REF: A. 04 RANGOON 1149

B. RANGOON 224

Classified By: CDA, a.i. Ronald K. McMullen for Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary: Five political activists were sentenced to
life imprisonment on June 13. They were among a group of six
activists arrested in December and included four former
members of the National League for Democracy (NLD). The NLD
leadership had previously suspended the four and expressed
little knowledge of or interest in the case. End Summary.


2. (C) Six Rangoon political activists, four with NLD
connections, were arrested on December 13, 2004. Reports at
the time, though we could not verify them, stated that they
were arrested for distributing the UN Declaration on Human
Rights and possibly a pamphlet titled "Appeal to the People,
Armed Services Personnel and Artists" on December 10,
International Human Rights Day. The only female among them
was released on January 7, 2005 and has remained out of
contact. The others remained in detention in Insein Prison,
where they were tried and sentenced to life imprisonment on
June 13, 2005.


3. (C) After they were arrested, the prisoners' family
members reportedly appealed to lawyers sympathetic to the NLD
to defend them in court, but the lawyers were denied access
to the detainees. The defendants reportedly were not allowed
any legal representation during their trial; therefore, it is
difficult to know exactly what law(s) they were charged with
violating. (Note: A Rangoon lawyer stated that according to
Burmese law a person may not be given a life sentence absent
legal representation. End Note.)


4. (C) Poloff questioned NLD leadership about this case, but
they claimed ignorance of any details. Since the arrest of
these persons, the NLD leadership has not tried to contact
the detainees' families or their released colleague to
inquire about the case. The NLD reportedly had earlier
suspended the four NLD members of the group, including the
female, from party membership, so did not feel responsible to
follow up the case. NLD leaders described the group leader,
the NLD Chairman from Ahlone Township, as a former communist
party member and a "leftist."


5. (C) Comment: The NLD continues to grapple with a
generational gap between the "old guard" and the "young
turks." This may be partly the result of the leadership
vacuum that occurred following the May 30, 2003 attack on
Aung San Suu Kyi's convoy when the NLD party leaders were all
arrested and isolated NLD groups tried to carry on activities
independently. The NLD leaders admit that they are treading
water until Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo are released from
house arrest and can lead the party again. End Comment.
McMullen