Burmese junta circulates photographs of 88 leaders; order arrests

Photographs of 88 generation student leaders, who are still at large, have been circulated and arrest warrants issued by the Burmese military junta in Rangoon.

Photographs o f Ko Htay Kywe, Ko Myo Gyi (alias) Ko Aung Myo Tint, Ma Nilar Thein, Ko Hla Myo Naung, and Ko Aung Naing (alias) Ko Than Tin have been pasted in all townships in Rangoon, in offices of ward peace and development council, and hotels. Township authorities have ordered police to search and arrest the students.

“Some photographs were given to TPDC offices in all townships, and some were given to specific townships. The TPDC offices in turn have pasted them on rickshaw gates,” an NLD member Phyu Phyu Thin told Mizzima.

Besides, more security personnel are in place near the student leader’s residents. Interestingly more rickshaw gates are also reportedly open, so as to enable security personnel to operate disguised as rickshaw drivers while looking for student leaders.

“Now they [authorities] have opened new rickshaw gates. Unlike before, security is not everywhere now. They have ordered all townships to take responsibility for security. For Su Su Nway, who is in Yankin, the Yankin Peace and Development Council office has been ordered to do the needful. This holds true for Ma Nimon, in Thingan Kyun, and for me in South Okkla. I could see that there were about three or four men on our street,” Phyu Phyu Thin said.

An NLD member, who requested anonymity, told Mizzima that security personnel are visible wherever they move and family lists are being collected by authorities. Moreover, rickshaw drivers and members of Union Solidarity and Development Association, whom the junta has given money, have been ordered to monitor activists.

Authorities in parts of Rangoon are also conducting surprise guest list checks at midnight and searching the houses of people, who are believed to be close to the student leaders.

On Wednesday midnight, about 30 policemen and plainclothes officials conducted a guest list check at a locality in North Okklapah Township, where Daw May Win, who took part in a demonstration in downtown Rangoon over the increasing essential commodity prices in April, resides.

Officials reportedly searched the houses. They even entered bedrooms of women and took off their mosquito nets, which is considered an extremely demeaning thing to do in Burmese culture.

“We have a legal family list… and they went upstairs, where my sister and my daughter were. They demand the family list once again. They even opened the mosquito nets and searched. They then looked at us and compared our photographs in the family list. But it was all in order and we had no extra person in our house. They were all drunk and stinking of alcohol,” Daw May Win told Mizzima.

Similarly, at least 20 policemen and plainclothes officials conducted a surprise check at the residence of U Myat Hla, chairman of Pegu NLD, in Pegu town at about midnight on Wednesday.

The officials claimed that they were searching for students fleeing from Rangoon and showed several photographs of the students.

“They came in to the house and called us one by one according to the family list. Then they showed us the photographs of 88 student leaders Myo Gyi and eight other people. They said the students are in this locality and they had been ordered to search for them,” U Myat Hla told Mizzima over telephone.