REFUGEE REFERRAL FOR DR. SALAI TUN THAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 003898

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR PRM/A
DHS FOR BCIS OFFICE OF ASYLUM, REFUGEES, AND INTERNATIONAL
OPERATIONS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2016
TAGS: PREF PHUM TH BM
SUBJECT: REFUGEE REFERRAL FOR DR. SALAI TUN THAN

REF: 2003 STATE 326248

Classified By: Political Couselor Susan M. Sutton for reason 1.4 (d)


1. (U) This is an action request. See Para 9.



2. (C) Per guidance in Reftel, Post is referring Burmese
citizen, Dr. Salai Tun Than, for resettlement to the United
States through the Department's Refugee Resettlement Program.
Biographical information follows:

Name: Salai Tun Than
D/POB: March 28, 1928; Inpyit village, Mindon Township,
Magway Division, Burma
Nationality: Burmese
Gender: Male

Persecution Claim
--------------


3. (C) Dr. Salai Tun Than (STT) is a former political
prisoner who was jailed in Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison
after staging a solo protest calling for multi-party
elections in front of Rangoon City Hall on November 29, 2001.
He was released on April 27, 2003 after staging a 7-day
hunger strike protesting the prison authorities refusal to
allow him to have a Bible or to take communion inside the
prison.


4. (C) In January 2006, while traveling in the US, STT issued
an open letter to Senior General Than Shwe demanding the
release of all political prisoners and the transfer of power
to the National League for Democracy. He then sent letters
to several organizations within Burma urging them to join in
a civil disobedience campaign that he would begin upon his
return to Rangoon on June 19, 2006 (the 60th birthday of Aung
San Su Kyi). STT fully expected to be arrested and returned
to prison for this action.


5. (C) STT traveled from the US to Japan, then South Korea
and finally to Thailand where he planned to fly from Bangkok
to Rangoon on June 19. While in South Korea, STT protested
in front of the Burmese Embassy in Seoul. At that time, it
appears that the Burmese government took the decision to
revoke STT's passport, though they did not inform STT of this
action. It is unclear on what ground the passport was
revoked. STT traveled to Thailand and was allowed to enter
because the Thai authorities were also unaware that STT's
passport had been revoked.


6. (C) On June 19, STT again cleared Thai Immigration, but
was not allowed to board the Thai Airways (TG) flight to
Rangoon by TG officials. TG informed STT that they had been
contacted by the Government of Burma and informed that STT's
passport had been revoked and warned that if they allowed STT
to board, there might be negative consequences for TG. That
same day, according to Thai MFA, the Burmese Embassy in Seoul
sent a diplomatic note to the Thai Embassy in Seoul informing
the RTG of the revocation of STT's passport.


7. (C) Since that date, STT is in Thailand without legal
status. The RTG considers that he no longer has a valid
travel document, thus his entry permit to Thailand is
invalid. At the same time, he cannot legally exit Thailand
without some valid travel document. The RTG has not acted to
detain STT in the hopes that an alternative solution can be
reached. The actions of the Government of Burma have made it
such that STT cannot return to Burma, but cannot legally
travel/reside anywhere else.

Need for Resettlement to US
--------------


8. (C) Given that he is being prevented from returning to his
home country by the Burmese Government, and that he would
almost assuredly face persecution at the hands of that
government were he to return, STT is requesting resettlement
to the United States as a refugee. STT has one daughter
living in Greer, South Carolina (Name: Mai Theingi Tun Than;
Phone: 239-728-1632) and one son living in Rockford, Illinois
(Name: Salai Htin Kyaw Than; Phone: 813-787-6758).


9. (C) Post strongly supports this referral. Please provide
guidance on whether post should take further steps in
processing this case for U.S. resettlement.
BOYCE