Shan leaders take state-financed holiday

Politics

Shan leaders take state-financed holiday

Nine Shan leaders have been invited by state officials during the past 3 days and have yet to return home since, reports Hawkeye from Maesai at 14:00:

On 7 February, U Myint Than "Math" of New Generation (Shan State), Gen Hso Ten of Shan State Peace Council, Maj Han Aung, Capt Oo Hseng and an unidentified member of NG (SS) were summoned to the headquarters of the Taunggyi-based Eastern Region Command. They were later "asked to make themselves at home for a while," as the regional commander Maj-Gen Khin Maung Myint was still "stranded" in Loilem, 47 miles away.

On the next day, Sai Hla Aung and another unidentified member of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, who were on their way to attend the party's Executive Committee meeting in Rangoon today were detained in Toungoo.

Finally, at 17:30 (Rangoon time) yesterday, Hkun Htoon Oo and Sai Nyunt Lwin a.k.a Sai Nood, the SNLD's president and general secretary respectively, were visited by police officers at their Rangoon residences and informed they had been "invited" by Burma's police chief Khin Yi. The two of them, though next door neighbors to each other, were driven away in separate cars, said sources.

Unconfirmed reports say two more SNLD members from Kengtung, Suraphon and Hsarmtip Kenglarn also appeared to have been detained on their way to Rangoon.

Col Gaifah, General Secretary to both the SSPC and Joint Action Committee (of which the SNLD is a member), was quoted as saying, "All our leaders should be released as soon as possible to ensure the participation of our members in the upcoming session of the National Convention (that will resume on 17 February)".

Sao Gaifah had led the 8-member delegation of the SSPC to attend the Convention's 17 May - 9 July 2004 session.

Sources were as yet unable to pinpoint the reason behind the detention of their leaders. "As far as we know, Hkun Htoon Oo is to attend the Union Day ceremony at the NLD headquarters on 12 February," said one. "He is also scheduled to hold a dinner party at his home in the evening."

12 February has since 1947 been designated as the Union Day to commemorate the signing of the Panglong Agreement that had endorsed the principles of Autonomy, Democracy and Human Rights for all the member states.

Correction:

Gen Hso Ten was arrested on 9 February, NOT 7 February.