TALES FROM INSEIN PRISON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001099

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM BM
SUBJECT: TALES FROM INSEIN PRISON


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Classified By: Political Officer Chelsia Wheeler for Reasons 1.4 (b) &
(d)


1. (C) Summary. NLD Spokesman U Myint Thein, recently
released from Insein prison, detailed for us his experiences
during his 34-day detention. While he did not experience
physical torture, he said that others did. The police often
awoke him in the middle of the night to subject him to
three-hour interrogation sessions. He received very little
food and inadequate medical treatment. By the end of his
five-week detention, he had lost thirty pounds and contracted
Hepatitis B. End Summary.


2. (C) On November 8 Poloff met with NLD Spokesman U Myint
Thein to learn the details of his recent 34-day detention.
At 1:30 a.m. on September 27, during the height of the
military crackdown, police came to U Myint Thein's house to
arrest him and, in the process, confiscated books and letters
on human rights and democracy. Initially the police detained
him for two days in a local police station, questioning him
around-the-clock, before transferring him to Insein Prison.
He stayed in ONE of the prison's "first class" cells, which
he described as a small room without furniture or windows and
only a single toilet in the corner. His cell mate was Aung
Myint Oo, who had been arrested after attending human rights
training in Chiang Mai. Aung Myint Oo, he added, is still in
detention.


3. (C) U Myint Thein said that while he did not undergo
physical torture during his detention, he did suffer "mental
torture." The police and Special Branch (SB) officers
threatened him with beatings and forced him to wake up in the
middle of the night for questioning that lasted up to three
hours. He commented that sometimes his HEALTH was so bad
that he would vomit throughout the interrogation session, and
police had to massage him before he could continue. Others
in the prison with whom U Myint Thein spoke were subjected to
physical torture. This torture involved beatings, being
bound in handcuffs and shackles, and being forced to lie
face-down on the bed of trucks while driving down bumpy
roads.


4. (C) Throughout his time in prison, U Myint Thein's HEALTH
deteriorated. By the time he was released he had lost thirty
pounds. He explained that he suffered from stomach problems,
Hepatitis B, and kidney stones. The only food he received
was poor quality hard rice with mixed vegetables, food "only
fit for pigs." Twice a week he received an egg, a treat in
those conditions. He received no medicine or treatment from
any medical professional. His wife, aware of his medical
problems, tried repeatedly to send him supplies, but the
authorities refused to reveal his location to her. He
explained that if he had stayed at the prison for another
month, he would not have survived. When we met with him,
over a week after his release, he had already regained nine
pounds and appeared to be in high spirits, although he has
not yet returned to work.


5. (C) U Myint Thein compared the conditions in the prison to
hell. He noted, however, that the police guards harbored
some sympathy for him and other prisoners, which they
demonstrated by cutting short the required interrogation
sessions and by allowing him to watch television instead. At
times they would also neglect to write down key points that
came out of the interrogation. ONE guard reportedly placed
his foot under the head of a prisoner forced to lie on a
truck bed to cushion his ride. U Myint Thein described the
guards as being as tired of the interrogation process as he
was, becoming more sympathetic toward him.


6. (C) When asked what he thought of the meeting in Nay Pyi
Taw on November 8 between the NLD Uncles and Gambari, U Myint
Thein did not believe that anything material would come out
of it. The Uncles, he said, did not push the boundaries
enough to achieve significant progress. He commented that
the Uncles were so weak that they could not negotiate the
terms of their travel to Nay Pyi Taw, which they had to pay
for out of pocket. Since his release, U Myint Thein has not

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met with other leaders who might be alternatives to the
Uncles in the democracy movement. Optimistically, he stated
that we have not seen the end and he hoped to see change soon.


7. (C) Comment: U Myint Thein's experience confirms what we
have heard from others about conditions in Insein prison.
His comments regarding the competency of the Uncles indicate
even the most loyal NLD members question their leadership.
However, absent direct guidance from NLD party leader Aung
San Suu Kyi, no changes will be made. End Comment.
VILLAROSA