Nanning Activist Flees to Burma, Appears Safe for

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUANGZHOU 000147 SIPDIS C O N F I D E N T I A L SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/CM AND DRL PACOM FOR FPA RANGOON FOR VILLAROSA BANGKOK FOR SUTTON/LAMBERT/HONNOLD E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/32 TAGS: PHUM PGOV CH SUBJECT: Nanning Activist Flees to Burma, Appears Safe for Now Ref: 06 Guangzhou 32369 ¶1. (U) Classified by Consular Chief William Martin. Reason 1.4 (d). ¶2. (C) On January 29, Nanning-based activist Li Xiaolong called Congenoff. Li, formerly of the Beijing group Empowerment and Rights Institute (reftel),said he had illegally crossed into Northeastern Burma, though the exact reasons for his flight from China are not entirely clear. In the weeks prior to the call, Li and others had been doing research in Yunnan province (bordering Burma) about human rights cases. During the call, Li said that he wanted to speak with a USG official in Burma about important information regarding the well-known Chinese dissident, Dr. Wang Bingzhang, who has been imprisoned in Shaoguan, Guangdong, since 2002. Congenoff suggested that if Li wanted to meet USG officials, his best option was to travel to Rangoon. Li said this would be difficult because he did not have proper documents. On January 31, Li wrote Congenoff an email that the Chinese government had become aware of his activities and that he wanted USG help to move to a "different location." ¶3. (C) On February 1, Congenoff contacted Embassy Rangoon about the situation and learned the Embassy had a Chinese- speaking officer who could meet with Li, but might attract Burmese surveillance unless the meeting took place in Mandalay (which has a large Chinese expat community) or Rangoon. After consulting with Embassy Beijing about the risks of surveillance from both Chinese and Burmese authorities, Congenoff asked Embassy Rangoon to instruct Li that if he felt his life was in danger and wanted to seek refugee status, he should travel to the UNHCR headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. On the afternoon of February 1, a Chinese-speaking Emboff contacted Li on his cellphone and passed on the recommendation. However, Li said he felt safe in his current location and did not need to travel to Thailand. Rangoon Emboff did not arrange a meeting, but left a phone number for Li to contact him. ¶4. (U) Embassies Beijing, Bangkok, and Rangoon have cleared on this cable. GOLDBERG