P 051223Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6636
INFO ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 
AMEMBASSY SEOUL 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO 
CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
USMISSION GENEVA 
NSC WASHDC
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
SECDEF WASHDC
USEU BRUSSELS
JOINT STAFF WASHDC C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 000984 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP AND IO; PACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2017 
TAGS:        
SUBJECT: BURMA: CALM APPEARANCE MASKS ONGOING ABUSES 
 
REF: A. RANGOON 977 
      B. RANGOON 972 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Pol Officer Sean O'Neill for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) 
 
 1. (C) Summary.  Raids and arrests continued in Burma despite 
the appearance of normalcy in the streets.  Authorities 
publicly claimed to have detained 2,093 persons since 
September 25.  Separately the Deputy Foreign Minister told 
Charge 2,787 people had been released and only 1,034 remain. 
The NLD reported authorities have arrested 210 NLD members in 
the past 10 days.  UNDP reported police are attempting to 
confiscate computer hard drives from the Japan International 
Cooperation Agency offices in downtown Rangoon.  Through a 
spokesman, the NLD said Aung San Suu Kyi should be released 
before she can respond to the government's accusations 
against her or consider a meeting with Than Shwe.  UNDP 
officials confirmed its local employee and three others were 
released unharmed on October 4.  Other sources reported a 
Japanese Embassy local employee was released yesterday.  End 
Summary. 
 
 2. (C)  Speaking on behalf of his party, NLD Spokesman U Nyan 
Win told us that Aung San Suu Kyi must be released before she 
can properly respond to the regime's latest accusations 
against her or consider their offer for her to meet with Than 
Shwe.  He pointed out that as the government's statements 
referred only to Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD Central Executive 
Committee would not respond on her behalf but hoped instead 
that she could respond on their behalf as a free woman. 
 
 3. (C)  Rangoon appeared normal again today.  Businesses and 
schools were open and traffic flowed freely.  While still 
present, security forces maintained a low profile throughout 
most of the city.  DAO reported it did not see any 
significant presence of the 66th or 77th Light Infantry 
Battalions in Rangoon today and is seeking to confirm reports 
the 77th has already returned to its base outside Bago (DAO 
Rangoon septel). 
 
 4.  (C)  Despite the appearance of normalcy, arrests and 
raids continue.  According to the NLD, authorities have 
arrested over 200 NLD members, including 15 MP's elect, in 
the past ten days.  Many of these persons were reportedly 
seized from their homes at night.  Party spokesman Nyan Win 
reported two party members were arrested in Rangoon the night 
of October 4 and three more were detained in Bago Division 
today.  Other Embassy sources reported raids continued in 
Rangoon last night although details could not be confirmed. 
The government-run New Light of Myanmar reported authorities 
had detained 2,093 persons since September 25 of whom it 
claimed 692 have been released.  The Deputy FM told Charge 
another 2,000 would be released today leaving only 1,034 
persons remaining in detention (their math). 
 
 5. (C)  UNDP Resident Representative Charles Petrie told P/E 
Chief that as of 1800, officers from the Police Special 
Branch (SB) were attempting to confiscate computer hard 
drives from the downtown Rangoon offices of the Japan 
International Cooperation Agency (JICA).  According to 
Petrie, SB acted on the belief that JICA employees had 
downloaded photos and videos taken during last week's 
crackdown onto the office's computers.  Petrie said JICA is 
trying to prevent the seizure of its property and UNDP will 
intervene on its behalf.  JICA is located in Sakura Tower, an 
office building overlooking downtown Rangoon and Sule Pagoda, 
the site of the largest of last week's demonstrations and 
subsequent crackdown. 
 
 6. (C)  UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Sanaka 
Samarasinha confirmed authorities released a detained UNDP 
employee and her husband, brother-in-law, and driver the 
evening of September 4.  All four are reportedly emotionally 
shaken but in good physical condition and are resting with 
family.  Samarasinha personally drove to Kayaikasan Race 
Course to pick her up while another UNDP official retrieved 
the three men from Government Technical Institute (GTI) near 
Insein prison.  Samarasinha reported he saw at least 50 other 
detainees at Kayaikasan waiting to be released and observed a 
large number of family members waiting in the parking lot to 
 
retrieve them.  Without citing his source, Samarasinha told 
us several of the detainees at Kayaikasan had been 
transferred there after brief stays in Insein prison. 
Samarasinha commented he believed Kayaikasan and GTI are 
being used as temporary holding facilities rather than 
long-term detention centers.  While UNDP did not provide any 
details regarding how their employee's release was obtained, 
Phone Win, another Embassy contact with established 
connections with the police, claimed he helped broker the 
deal (septel). 
 
 7.  (C) UNDP also confirmed two World Food Program employees 
and a former UNDP employee were released earlier this week 
after having been detained for several days.  UNDP said none 
of these detained employees had been actively engaged in any 
demonstrations or protests. 
 
 8. (C)  Embassy sources told us that on October 4, a local 
employee from the Japanese Embassy was released after 
spending seven days in custody.  While the Japanese Embassy 
has not yet confirmed this, earlier in the week, the Japanese 
DCM told our DCM authorities had acknowledged his detention 
and agreed to release him within the week if his case was not 
made public (reftel B). 
 
 9. (C)  In an October 5 meeting, acting Singaporean DCM Mark 
Low told DCM Singapore is trying to take the lead in 
preparing the ASEAN position on Burma because Indonesia is 
not being very assertive in the process.  Low said 
approximately one quarter of the Singaporean community in 
Burma left the country last week and that only 300 
Singaporeans remain behind.  He did not specify if or when he 
expected these people would return.  Low noted however that 
the Singaporean Embassy believed the situation in Rangoon was 
more stable and was no longer actively considering 
evacuation. 
 
 10.  (C)  Australian DCM Simon Starr told DCM the Government 
of Australia is considering imposing a visa ban based on the 
EU list of officials and government cronies.  He said that 
while the Australians do not yet have legislation to allow 
them to seize the Burmese officials' existing assets in 
Australia, they would block future transfers into the 
country.  According to the Australian Embassy, there are only 
two Australian investment projects in Burma, both of which 
are being strongly encouraged to divest by Canberra. 
VILLAROSA