Detained Shan leaders' fate still in limbo

Politics

Detained Shan leaders' fate still in limbo

Reporter: Hawkeye

The fate of Shan party and ceasefire leaders taken into custody earlier this week is still obscure, according to sources from the border.

"It is still a mystery on whose order and why they were detained," said a member of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, the second largest party in Burma after Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. "We are deeply concerned about their safety and well-being".

He was referring to the custody of Hkun Htoon Oo, the SNLD Chairman; Sai Nood, its General Secretary; Maj-Gen Hsoten, Chairman of the Shan State Peace Council (SSPC) and their colleagues between 7-9 February. Their detention took place while the country has been gearing up to resume the military-organized National Convention next Thursday, 17 February.

A ceasefire source in northern Shan State said two of the ceasefire officers, Maj Han Aung and Capt Oo Hseng, were released yesterday evening. However other sources expressed skepticism about it saying the two were still out of reach. "But we heard the Eastern Region Commander (Maj-Gen Khin Maung Myint) meeting Sao Hsoten yesterday before flying him off to Rangoon afterwards," said an SNLD source.

Meanwhile, Sai Nood's home that also serves as the Zalatni printing press in Rangoon's Mayangon township was ransacked by the police.

"They departed, apparently satisfied, after coming across copies of Hkun Htoon Oo's prepared speech in English and Burmese for the Union Day's dinner party," reported the source in eastern Shan State.

As for the Shan State Army "North", a ceasefire member of the SSPC, its earlier request to the National Convention Convening Commission to replace some of its delegates, including Col Gaifah, its former head of the delegation at the 17 May - 9 July session, has been turned down. "They said they wanted everyone who participated in the last round back at the Nyaunghnapin (where the Convention is to be held)", said the source.

Rangoon appears to be getting the jitters about activities and statements by the ethnic parties and armed groups, especially Shans, coming ahead of the Convention and wanted to avoid them, according to all the sources.

Related report: No: 09 - 02/2005, 10 January 2005, Shan leaders take state-financed holiday