ARRESTS CONTINUE IN BURMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 001018

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MLS, DRL, AND IO
PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM BM
SUBJECT: ARRESTS CONTINUE IN BURMA

REF: RANGOON 1014 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: P/E Chief Leslie Hayden for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)


1. (C) Reports of ongoing arrests, torture, and deaths in
custody continue to circulate although they are growing more
difficult to confirm as more activists go into hiding and
become increasingly nervous about meeting Embassy employees.
The authorities have reportedly begun arresting relatives of
fugitives when they do not find them at their residences,
including the mothers of wanted activists. We are working to
confirm reports of hundreds of monks being detained and
tortured in Myitkyina, Kachin State. Post confirmed today
that American Center English language student Aye Myint Myint
was arrested Wednesday night. Exile magazine Irrawaddy
reported another American Center student, Ye Myant Hein, was
arrested Wednesday also, but we have no record of any
students with this name.


2. (SBU) The government continues to hold mass rallies in
support of the National Convention. One of these rallies is
scheduled to take place in Rangoon on October 13 at Thuwana
Stadium. Armed soldiers have already been deployed along the
street leading to the stadium and residents of some of
Rangoon's poorest neighborhoods are reportedly being paid
10,000 kyat ($8.00) to attend the rally.


3. (C) Regarding travel restrictions on diplomatic missions,
we have discreetly surveyed other missions and UN agencies to
find out if their diplomats had been told they were not
allowed to travel outside of Rangoon, as we were yesterday
(reftel). None of the UN offices or missions we checked with
had been notified of any such restriction. The Korean and
Japanese Embassies confirmed that they had received
permission from the GOB for their consuls to travel to Shan
State in mid-October. The UN reported that no movement
restrictions were being posed on their international staff
based in Mandalay, Sittwe, and other areas. Most embassies
and UN agencies seek permission before traveling, and have
not requested permission recently. Tourist travel by
diplomats does not appear to be restricted. Several
diplomats from western embassies, including our own, have
been allowed to travel to tourist areas in the last week.
The GOB often enforces restrictions arbitrarily and may have
done so in the instance of our diplomatic note. We never
request permission, but simply inform the Foreign Ministry of
our plans. We plan to proceed with our travel to Mandalay as
planned.



VILLAROSA