BURMA: POLICE ARREST FOUR ACTIVISTS; WHEREABOUTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 000686 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MLS, DRL, AND IO PACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM BM SUBJECT: BURMA: POLICE ARREST FOUR ACTIVISTS; WHEREABOUTS STILL UNKNOWN REF: RANGOON 490 Classified By: Political Officer Marc Shaw for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) ¶1. (C) Prominent opposition lawyer Aung Thein confirmed a media report that Police Special Branch officers arrested four female activists on October 3 after they returned from offering alms to monks at Magwe monastery in a suburb of Rangoon. According to an exile media report that quotes one detainee,s family member, authorities arrested Naw Ohn Hla, Myint Myint San, and Ma Cho as they drove home from the monastery, and arrested the fourth activist ) Cho Cho Lwin ) at her shop. No information is available about the reason for the detention or where the activists are being held, according to Aung Thein. ¶2. (C) Naw Ohn Hla is a prominent National League for Democracy member and the organizer of the Tuesday Prayer Group, a collection of pro-democracy activists who visit Rangoon's Shwedagon Pagoda every Tuesday to pray for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners. Authorities detained and questioned Naw Ohn Hla for several hours August 11, the day Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted and sentenced. We understand the other women arrested with her October 3 are also members of the group. VAJDA