EMBASSY REFUGEE REFERRAL FOR ZAW THAN HTIKE

UNCLAS BANGKOK 001859 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS ///////C O R R E C T E D COPY////// CHANGING PARAGRAPH MARKINGS ONLY. E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF PHUM TH BMGT SUBJECT: EMBASSY REFUGEE REFERRAL FOR ZAW THAN HTIKE ¶1. (U) This is an action request. See para 7. ¶2. (SBU) Embassy is referring Burmese citizen, Mr. Zaw Than Htike, for resettlement to the United States through the Department's Refugee Resettlement Program. Biographical information follows: Name: Zaw Than Htike DOB: November 11, 1975 Nationality: Burmese Gender: Male Persecution Claim -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Zaw Than Htike was one of the junior leaders of the 1988 student generation and a former political prisoner. He was imprisoned from July 4, 1999 to July 6, 2005 at the Pathein and Myingyan Prison for distributing literature against the military regime. Zaw was heavily involved with human rights courses at the American Center where he took multiple English and Journalism courses. ¶4. (SBU) Zaw stated that he continued his political activities after his first American Center training course held in June ¶2006. Upon completion of the course, he made two trips to other townships to discuss human rights and distribute literature. Training at the Center occured again in July and October of 2007. After every training session Zaw would embark on trips to various townships to create a human rights network. After a workshop on documenting complex humanitarian emergencies in January 2007, Zaw cooperated with his colleagues to distribute thousands of copies of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in Burmese, Karen and Shan languages. Among the material distributed was the Human Rights handbook and hundreds of activist instructional DVDs. Zaw claimed he obtained all the material from the American Center. ¶5. (SBU) Zaw and his colleagues received a small grant from the Burma Project by which they collected data on human rights abuses in Burma and sent the information to advocacy groups and news agencies. He previously traveled to Thailand on November 17, 2006 and because he did not feel at risk at that time, returned to Burma. At 8 p.m. on February 1, 2007 the Burmese police came to Zaw's apartment and asked his family members about his whereabouts and his activities. They detained and questioned his relatives and searched his parents' apartment. Zaw's brother remains in detention for anti-governmental activities. After these incidents, Zaw urgently left Burma and flew to Thailand on his valid Burmese passport. He arrived in Bangkok on February 12, 2007. Zaw claims that one week after he left Burma his friend, Myint Zaw Do, who is also involved in these political activities and a former political prisoner, was detained. The government kept Myint's and four other students' passport. Need for Resettlement -------------- ¶6. (SBU) It is possible that Zaw would be detained and possibly imprisoned if he was to return to Burma. There is no durable solution for Zaw in Thailand. ¶7. (SBU) Post recommends that Department approve this Embassy referral of Zaw Than Htike. Please provide guidance on whether post should take further steps in processing this case for U.S. resettlement. ARVIZU