US embassy cable - 05RANGOON862

S E C R E T RANGOON 000862 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/24/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, BM 
SUBJECT: BURMA: FORMER PM KHIN NYUNT RECEIVES SUSPENDED 
SENTENCE 
 
 
Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
1. (S) A reliable Embassy source, a lawyer with close ties to 
former Military Intelligence officials, said on July 25 that 
the secret trial of former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt is over. 
 The General, ousted in October 2004, was apparently 
sentenced to 44 years imprisonment under eight different 
criminal and security charges including insubordination, 
attempt to disintegrate the armed forces, and corruption. 
 
2. (S) Another Embassy source connected with the Burmese 
Police Special Branch claimed that authorities immediately 
suspended Khin Nyunt's sentence under a provision of the law 
that permits the GOB to take such action if it is deemed in 
the government's interest.  The GOB's ability to reactivate a 
suspended sentence without notice is frequently used to 
ensure that former prisoners refrain from political or other 
prohibited activities. 
 
3. (C) Now that the secret trial held in Insein Prison is 
over and his sentence apparently suspended, Khin Nyunt is 
reported to have returned to his Rangoon residence (within a 
military compound) where he is expected to remain under house 
arrest for the foreseeable future. 
Martinez