BURMA REGIME TRIES TO STOP TUESDAY WORSHIPPERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000081

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MLS; PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BM
SUBJECT: BURMA REGIME TRIES TO STOP TUESDAY WORSHIPPERS

REF: 05 RANGOON 1814

RANGOON 00000081 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Poloff Dean Tidwell for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: On January 16, GOB backed thugs in civilian
clothes verbally and physically attacked pro-democracy
activist Naw Ohn Hla and her group who go to Shwe Dagon
Pagoda every Tuesday to pray for the release of Aung San Suu
Kyi and all of Burma's political prisoners. When she tried
to file a report of the incident to the police, Naw Ohn Hla
was turned away. This Tuesday, the group's weekly prayers
took place without incident after several Burmese monks
showed up to defend the worshippers. Several NLD youth and
members of the 88 Generation Students were at the Pagoda to
show their support. Well-known for her determined activism,
Naw Ohn Hla intends to persist with her weekly pilgrimage.
We see this as more evidence of growing defiance. End
Summary.

ON THE WAY TO THE PAGODA
--------------


2. (C) On January 16, Naw Ohn Hla and her colleagues followed
their weekly routine to pray at Shwe Dagon Pagoda for Aung
San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners (reftel.) Two male
worshippers from the group arrived first; one wearing a
T-shirt bearing General Aung San's image and the other
wearing a shirt with the image of Aung San Suu Kyi. Two men
in plain clothes grabbed the latter, who had South Asian
features, yelled racial slurs, and demanded to know what an
Indian was doing in a Buddhist monastery. One of the men
forcefully struck the second worshipper on the side of the
head, injuring his ear.


3. (C) When Naw Ohn Hla arrived, eight others joined her to
ascend the stairs to the pagoda. During the ascent, persons
in plainclothes blocked their way and ordered them to go
away, but Naw Ohn Hla countered that they had come to pay
their respects to Lord Buddha and would continue. A woman
then slapped Naw Ohn Hla a few times. Although Naw Ohn Hla
asked Special Branch (SB) police officers observing the
incident why they did not intervene to stop the people who
were illegally preventing worshippers from entering the
pagoda, the officers did not answer.


4. (C) An Embassy observer noticed about 100 persons in
plainclothes (Naw Ohn Hla said there were 500) surround Naw
Ohn Hla and her friends and shouted at them to go away and
screamed that the NLD was not welcome. The Tuesday
Worshippers finally retreated to the bottom of the lower
staircase and prayed near the guardian lions. When they
concluded their prayers with "May Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin
Oo and all political prisoners be free," the crowd hooted and
jeered to drown out their prayers.

DO NOTHING AUTHORITIES
--------------


5. (C) Naw Ohn Hla is sure the people who blocked her from
entering the pagoda were members of the regime's mass-member
organization, the Union Solidarity Development Association
(USDA). She recognized the chairman of Western Shwegondine
Peace and Development Council (PDC) in the crowd. Naw Ohn
Hla also told us she had heard many unemployed vagrants had
been recruited to block the worshippers with the promise of a
meal. Naw Ohn Hla also saw LtCol Thein Hteik Oo, a Rangoon
military commander in the background.


6. (C) After leaving the pagoda, Naw Ohn Hla went to the
Bahan Township police station to file a complaint against
those who prevented her from worshipping. Just before she
finished filing the report, the police chief arrived and
complained that the NLD was trying to start a riot at the

RANGOON 00000081 002.2 OF 002


pagoda. Naw Ohn Hla replied that her right to freedom of
worship had been violated and she intended to file a report.
The police insisted that only the entire group could file the
report, not just Naw Ohn Hla, so she left without filing.

A QUIETER TUESDAY
--------------


7. (C) On January 23, Embassy employees observed several SB,
USDA, and ward PDC officials present at the pagoda, but this
time they did not try to stop the Tuesday Worshippers who
prayed at the Tuesday Planetary Post for about 15 minutes. A
new element was a group of Buddhist monks who were on hand,
apparently to show support for the Tuesday Worshippers.
According to an unconfirmed report, the 88 Generation
Students motivated the monks to turn out in force. Labor
activist Su Su Nway was at the pagoda to observe the prayer
service, but did not actively participate. Also on hand to
observe was Ohn Than, a 15-year political prisoner veteran
who recently wrote an open letter to the SPDC leadership. He
was reportedly dressed in prisoner garb. NLD youth activists
and members of the 88 Generation Students showed up in force
to give support.

NAW OHN HLA
--------------


8. (C) Naw Ohn Hla is an ethnic Karen in her early 40s from
Hmawby Township in Rangoon Division. She was a former NLD
activist until the NLD leadership terminated her party
membership in February 2005. NLD spokesperson Myint Thein
told Poloff the party was forced to dismiss her because she
refused to maintain party discipline by continually engaging
in political protests not approved by NLD leadership. He
recounted that when authorities once blocked Aung San Suu
Kyi's convoy during a trip to the Ayeyarwady Delta, the NLD
decided to cancel the trip. Naw Ohn Hla, however, refused to
leave the scene and NLD members had to force her into the car
so they could return to Rangoon. She also staged a solo
protest in front of the house of NLD Chairman Aung Shwe. NLD
leaders claim that her "rash" protests once caused the
authorities to detain key NLD leaders for a period forcing
them to disassociate the party from her activities. Despite
her expulsion from the NLD, Naw Ohn Hla maintains a good
relationship with many of the party's members and avidly
supports Aung San Suu Kyi.


9. (C) COMMENT: Naw Ohn Hla's weekly prayer vigil puts the
regime in a difficult position. The Generals do not want to
be seen preventing Buddhists from worshipping at pagodas, so
they have resorted to using plain-clothed USDA members rather
than uniformed officials to harass Naw Ohn Hla and her
Tuesday Worshippers. However, their tactics backfired. Last
week's attack only succeeded in strengthening support for Naw
Ohn Hla's weekly vigil and added new, high-profile
participants to the weekly event. It revealed a growing
willingness to defy authorities and thugs. END COMMENT.
VILLAROSA