US embassy cable - 03RANGOON1444

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 001444 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE ALSO FOR EAP/BCLTV; TREASURY FOR OASIA JEFF NEIL; 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/11/2013 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, BM, Human Rights, NLD 
SUBJECT: GOB RELEASES EIGHT MAY 30 POLITICAL PRISONERS 
 
Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.5 (B,D) 
 
1. (C) Summary:  The GOB announced on November 10 the release 
of eight political detainees, including six known members of 
the NLD arrested following the May 30 premeditated attack on 
ASSK and her convoy.  The releases are clearly calculated to 
soften the blow of a damning U.N. report on the human rights 
situation in Burma to be delivered to the UNGA on November 
12.  End summary. 
 
2. (U) On November 10, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
announced the release of eight Burmese democracy activists 
detained since the May 30 attack in Depeyin on Aung San Suu 
Kyi (ASSK) and her NLD convoy.  In what has become standard 
practice for the GOB, the MFA made the announcement in a 
release to all diplomatic missions in Rangoon, except the 
U.S. Embassy. 
 
3. (U) The MFA provided minimal information on the detainees, 
stating that "with regard to the events of the night of May 
30, it is learnt that 8 more persons were released and sent 
home on 9th November 2003."  However, in contrast to recent 
releases of political detainees, the GOB did provide a list 
of detainee names and their prison locations.  Authorities 
released four of the detainees from Shwebo and Khamti jails 
in Sagaing Division, two from the Myitkyina jail in Kachin 
State, and two from Insein jail in Rangoon, the latter being 
Burma's most notorious prison for political dissidents. 
 
4. (C) Contrary to international press reports, not all of 
the released detainees appear to be members of the NLD party. 
 Embassy NLD sources are unable to verify that the two 
detainees released in Myitkyina, Daw Ngwe Kyaing (female) and 
Tin Soe, are regular members of the party and neither of the 
two appear on lists of activists missing since the May 30 
assault. 
 
5. (C) Six of the released detainees, however, are well known 
NLD members.  They include Tun Zaw Zaw, Aung Soe, Hla Oo, 
Teza Naing, Daw May Hnin Kyi (female), and U Hla Min.  The 
most prominent of the six are Tun Zaw Zaw, an NLD youth 
leader who was partially blinded during a previous stint in 
jail, and U Hla Min, an NLD Member of Parliament-elect from 
Thaninthayi Division and a participant in a U.S. Embassy 
public diplomacy democracy program.  Both of the two NLD 
members are considered close confidants of ASSK and "second 
generation" leaders of the NLD movement. 
 
6. (C) Three of the released NLD members were arrested in 
connection to their direct participation in the ill-fated NLD 
convoy, including Hla Oo, Teza Naing, and Aung Soe.  Local 
police and military intelligence officials arrested the three 
en masse on May 31 near Depeyin, the day after the attack. 
The other released NLD members were arrested during a 
nationwide SPDC-led sweep that shut down the entire NLD party 
structure in the aftermath of the May 30 attack.  Among those 
arrested during the sweep were U Hla Min and May Hnin Kyi, 
who were both detained in June and then re-arrested in July 
for alleged parole violations.  May Hnin Kyi, also an NLD 
MP-elect, was originally detained with eight other NLD women 
in Mandalay for writing a letter to SPDC Chairman Senior 
General Than Shwe calling for ASSK's immediate release. 
 
7. (C) Comment: The release of eight political detainees is 
welcome news.  However, this decision by the SPDC is clearly 
calculated to soften the blow of U.N. human rights envoy 
Pinheiro's expected report to the UNGA on November 12.  The 
regime made no substantive concessions to the rest of 
Pinheiro's numerous requests on the human rights front and 
continues to detain dozens of NLD members and some 1,300 
political prisoners.  End comment. 
Martinez