US embassy cable - 03RANGOON185

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 000185 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV 
CINCPAC FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2012 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, BM, NLD 
SUBJECT: A NEW WAVE OF POLITICAL ARRESTS 
 
Classified By: COM CARMEN M. MARTINEZ FOR REASON 1.5(D). 
 
1. (C)  Reuters reported on February 10 that the regime had 
arrested 12 opposition activists for plotting to create 
unrest in Burma.  The report did not provide many details on 
the arrests but it did note that 7 low-level members of the 
National League for Democracy (NLD) members and the Secretary 
General of the Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD), Sai 
Nyunt Lwin, were among those arrested. 
 
2. (C)  By late afternoon on February 10, NLD Secretary U 
Lwin told Poloff that the regime's internal security branch, 
Military Intelligence (MI), had alerted him to only two 
recent arrests of NLD members, both on February 6.  He said 
that earlier on February 10, MI had contacted him again to 
say that one of these members had been released but that the 
other, Khin Win from Kamayut township in Rangoon, was going 
to be charged with conspiring with exile groups against the 
State.  U Lwin said MI had not mentioned the additional 
arrests reported by Reuters but he had heard on Radio Free 
Asia that there had been 20 new political arrests. 
 
3. (C)  During the meeting with U Lwin, reports came in of 4 
more NLD members arrested that day in Rangoon townships. 
Two, Thein Gyi and Thaung Gyi, were regular party members, 
while two others, Tun Nyin and Tin Htut, were township NLD 
secretaries.  Tin Htut was arrested just minutes before, when 
 
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he and another NLD member were walking to the headquarters 
office.  The companion told Poloff that MI did not state why 
Tin Htut was being arrested and warned the companion that it 
was no concern of his.  (Note:  Later, NLD headquarters 
contacted the Embassy to report that Tin Htut had been 
released; MI had apparently arrested the wrong person.  End 
Note) 
 
4. (C)  DCM met with SNLD Chairman Khun Htun Oo, who said 
that the party's General Secretary (who was arrested on 
February 7, which happens to be Shan State Day) was still 
under arrest.  KHO said he had spoken to MI and was told that 
there had been 14 arrests, 7 NLD and 7 others.  Among the 
others were the General Secretary's nephew (who had since 
been released), students, fortune tellers and people involved 
in the informal banking sector.  The reason for the arrests 
according to KHO's MI contact was a plot by students to 
collaborate more closely with monks.  There was supposedly 
approximately USD 1,500 associated with this "plot." 
 
5. (C)  Comments:  While the details of these new political 
arrests are obviously still sketchy, it appears that there is 
a new crackdown underway against political activists.  The 
final number of arrests and the junta's reasons for the 
arrests should be clarified over the next few days.  End 
Comment. 
Martinez