KALADAN NEWS

Dated: Saturday, March 19, 2005

Burmese Junta Arrested Two MPS

Rangoon, March 19: U Kyaw Min(a) U Anwar and U Kyaw Hsan, the two MPs were picked up from their Rangoon homes by the Burmese military ruling junta on 17^th March 2005, said a relative of U Kyaw Min from Rangoon on condition of anonymity.

Unique police agents went to U Kyaw Min’s house at around midnight and told him to follow them for some questions, and then he was carried away by car.

U Kyaw Min, 55, is an ethnic Rohingya who is the elected representative (MP) of No.1 Constituency of Buthidaung township, Arakan State, and a member of National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPH),led by ethnic Rohingya people. He is also a member of Committee for Representing People’s Parliament (CRPP), he further added.

According to his colleagues, he did not have any significant political activities expect the member of CRPP.

U Kyaw Hsan, 73, is also an elected MP, Sagaing Division NLD Chairman and retired Lieutenant Colonel and who has been detained several times since he was elected in a 1990 election.

Both of their relatives didn’t know the whereabouts of the MPs and the reason for their arrest.

After the sack of Prime Minister and military intelligence chief General Khin Nyunt in October last year, the SPDC has released more than 14,000 prisoners in which only around 80 of these have been political prisoners.

However, the releases have also coincided with the arrest of several prominent Shan ethnic minority leaders, NLD members, CRPP members and democracy activists, dampening hopes that Rangoon’s isolated generals are considering abandoning their seize on power.

On the other hand, some of the Burmese student activists such as Ko Min Ko Naing, Ko Saw Min, and Ko Ko Gyi were set free. ##

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