US embassy cable - 02RANGOON1510

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 001510 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP FOR KELLY AND DALEY, AND DRL 
USCINCPAC FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2012 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, BM, Human Rights, NLD 
SUBJECT: GOB RELEASES 115 POLITICAL PRISONERS 
 
 
Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez.  Reason: 1.5 (d). 
 
1.  (C) Summary: The GOB released another 115 political 
prisoners on November 21.  The NLD has received the names of 
50 NLD members who were released as well as one other who 
military intelligence mistakenly identified as an NLD member. 
 ICRC received all 115 names.  This brings the total number 
of political prisoners released since the talks began between 
the NLD and the government to about 550, of which more than 
400 have been NLD members.  According to NLD spokesman U 
Lwin, only about 110 NLD members remain in prison. End 
Summary. 
 
2. (C) The National League for Democracy's spokesman, U Lwin, 
told Poloff November 22 that his contacts in military 
intelligence had provided him last night with a list of 51 
supposed NLD members who had been released as part of the 
GOB's announced release of 115 political prisoners on 
November 21.  According to U Lwin, 50 of the 51 were indeed 
NLD members, though none were particularly high-ranking. 
Most were "students" (actually individuals who were now 30 to 
40 years old after spending years in prison), including the 
one non-NLD member, who had been swept up with a group of NLD 
members at the time of their original arrest.  Otherwise, the 
group included only one member of an NLD state-wide executive 
committee and 'two or three" township committee members. 
None of the 16 NLD MPs were released; neither were any other 
high profile prisoners (NLD or not) part of the release. 
 
3. (C) U Lwin said that the latest releases, when completely 
confirmed, would bring the total number of political 
prisoners released since the start of the talks between Aung 
San Suu Kyi and the military to about 550, of which more than 
400 were members of the NLD.  Altogether, he said, there are 
now only about 110 NLD members still in detention, though 
that group includes many major figures, including U Win Tin 
and the 16 NLD MPs. 
 
4. (C) U Lwin noted that some of the press stories on the 
releases stated that 57 NLD members had been released.  So 
far as he knew, that was not true, but he feared that some 
NLD members might have been offered their release, but 
refused to sign the warning given every paroled prisoner. 
That warning stated that released prisoners could be made to 
serve the remainder of their sentences, if arrested again on 
similar charges.  U Lwin said that the NLD had told the 
prisoners that this was not a pledge of good behavior; it was 
simply part of the procedures for release and that no 
released prisoners had ever yet been re-arrested. 
Nevertheless, some prisoners still refused to sign the 
warning.  Hence his concern about the discrepancy in numbers. 
 
 
4. (C) ICRC's protection officer, Christophe Hartmann, told 
Poloff that ICRC had received a list of 115 prisoners who had 
been released from various prisons throughout Burma on 
November 21.  However, the released prisoners had not yet 
checked in with ICRC.  Only when the prisoners had checked in 
would ICRC be prepared to say that the full release had taken 
place. 
 
Comment 
 
5. (C) In this case, DCI, the Burmese public relations firm, 
appears to have gotten its facts right.  Apparently, the GOB 
did release 115 prisoners November 21 though it may take some 
days to fully confirm that number.  According to U Lwin, the 
release was probably timed to coincide with the UN's 
consideration of the resolution on Burma and the upcoming 
SAIS conference on Burma in Washington.  It may also have 
been the first tranche of the 200 to 300 political prisoners 
Secretary 1 Khin Nyunt told Razali the government may release 
 
SIPDIS 
before the close of the year.  End Comment. 
Martinez