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Trial of strength in
Myanmar
By Larry Jagan
BANGKOK - Myanmar's internationally
best-known army general, former prime minister
Khin Nyunt, is due to be tried this week, and he
can expect to be put away for the rest of his
life, say exiled leaders.
Once regarded as
the "moderate" face of the military junta which
has ruled the country for close to 17 years, he
was arraigned in the country's notorious Insein
prison last week on eight charges, including
bribery, corruption and insubordination, according
to government sources, who said that his trial was
slated to begin on Tuesday.
Just as the
regime prepares to put him on trial, Myanmar's
military rulers released hundreds of political
prisoners. Some key political activists, including
several elected to parliament, were among those
freed.
Diplomats in Yangon believe this
may be the junta's way of distracting
international attention from the trial.
At
the same time, domestically, the trial of so
powerful a man will send signals down the ranks
that it does not pay to push democracy too hard,
Soe Myint, a New Delhi-based exile leader told
Inter Press Service (IPS). "The irony is that Khin
Nyunt was very much the army man and only
relatively more moderate than his peers," Soe
Myint said.
Khin Nyunt's trial may also
signal that a struggle for power between Myanmar's
top generals - Senior General Than Shwe and
General Maung Aye - is still unresolved since the
two combined to topple Khin Nyunt, the third-most
powerful general nine months ago.
Massive
security and secrecy surrounds his trial. A
special tribunal has been established inside
Insein prison, with three Supreme Court judges on
the bench.
The former premier may now face
the death penalty, according to Myanmar legal
experts who were going by the long list of charges
brought against him and the fate of those who were
arrested with him. But others believe that a death
sentence will not be carried out and that the man
who once served as the country's intelligence
chief is more likely to be kept in prison for a
very long time.
"The trouble is that Khin
Nyunt is not only the man who knew too much [as
intelligence chief] but also that too many people
knew him internationally," said Soe Myint.
Khin Nyunt was appointed prime minister in
August 2003 and almost immediately announced a
seven-point roadmap to democracy. The points
included drafting a new constitution, putting it
to a referendum, holding free and fair elections
and forming an interim coalition civilian
administration. But Khin Nyunt and the country's
top general, Than Shwe, could not agree on the
participation of incarcerated pro-democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy
in the government's handpicked National
Convention, which is drafting the guidelines for
the new constitution.
When Than Shwe
finally tired of Khin Nyunt, he was arrested last
October but allowed to retire because of poor
health.
Khin Nyunt's military intelligence
setup was disbanded and thousands were sacked.
More than 50 senior military intelligence officers
were recently sentenced to hundreds of years of
imprisonment collectively on charges of economic
crimes and corruption.
Government
ministers close to the former premier and his
supporters in government were all purged. In the
past week, three other former Myanmar government
ministers, including the ex-foreign minister Win
Aung, were arrested and are expected to stand
trial for economic crimes and corruption in the
near future.
The former agriculture
minister, Nyunt Tin, and his son, Thar Gyi, were
arrested because of the family's involvement in a
foreign exchange and import license scam which
allegedly netted more than US$10 million, mainly
from government ministries and economic agencies,
including the Myanmar Economic Bank and the Union
of Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited. More than 30
businessmen also fell for the fraud. Many of the
top generals' children, including Than Shwe's
sons, the number two general Maung Aye's daughter
and Myanmar's top businessman and Than Shwe's
closest confidante, Tay Za, were cheated.
When Nyunt Tin was arrested, authorities
seized more than 30 unlicensed cars smuggled into
the country and boxes of gold and jewelry. The
agriculture minister was sacked last September
when Than Shwe launched his campaign against Khin
Nyunt. Nyunt Tin was sacked for excessive
corruption, according to government sources.
The former agriculture minister and his
family were notorious for their involvement in
corruption. Last year the minister built a new
house in a plush area in the capital and his
neighbors say large amounts of gold bars, rubies,
pearls and precious stones were plastered into the
walls.
Former home minister Tin Hlaing and
former foreign minister Win Aung were also
arrested and may be facing charges. Information
collected during the interrogation of the two
ministers, among Khin Nyunt's closest confidants,
may be used in the trial against the former
premier.
The day after Khin Nyunt was
moved to Insein, the regime began to release
hundreds of jailed political activists. Several
leading figures were freed in what was probably
the biggest single release of political prisoners
since the military seized power.
Diplomats
in Yangon believe this to be an attempt to create
cover for Khin Nyunt's trial. It may even be part
of the accusations against the former intelligence
chief. The replacement as prime minister, General
Soe Win, has suggested that many prisoners were
falsely jailed during Khin Nyunt's premiership by
over-zealous military intelligence officers.
Last November and December more than
20,000 prisoners were freed, but there were very
few political activists among them, except
prominent student leader Min Ko Naing.
"It
may be part of a strategy to blame the country's
problems on Khin Nyunt," an Asian diplomat based
in Yangon said over the telephone to IPS.
The campaign against Khin Nyunt's
supporters has angered many in the army and there
is growing frustration and disillusionment within
the ranks. "We would have died for [former leader]
General Ne Win, but not these generals - all they
are interested in is holding onto power at all
costs," said a retired military officer.
Many middle-ranking officers are now
openly criticizing their superiors, said an Indian
trader who has significant dealings in Myanmar.
To try to allay fears within the military
and restore morale, Than Shwe has started a major
restructuring of the army. The power and authority
of the regional commanders has been increased and
the number of key officers under their command has
been doubled, with three extra colonels attached
to each regional command, in charge of military
intelligence, inspection, public relations and the
militia.
Regional commanders have had
restored to them the power they enjoyed in
pre-2001 days when Khin Nyunt reined them in as
part of streamlining the army.
The
restructuring, though, is largely the result of
the struggle between the top two generals for
power over the army command, Soe Myint said. With
Than Shwe's health deteriorating, the battle for
succession is also beginning to heat up. Khin
Nyunt's trial may be a way of preparing the ground
for the next generation of Myanmar's military
rulers, according to observers.
(Inter
Press Service) |
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