Former Burmese military intelligence officials jailed after the fall of their boss, Gen Khin Nyunt, in October 2004 are reportedly nurturing contacts, and even making friends, with political prisoners.
The imprisoned former military intelligence officials include men responsible for arresting and prosecuting dissidents,When two top military intelligence officers, Brig-Gen Thein Swe and Col Khin Aung, were admitted to Myingyun Prison, dissident prisoners debated how they should behave towards the representatives of the repressive regime.
“When the MIS [Military Intelligence Service] officers were put into the separated cell block where political prisoners are detained, we discussed whether we should not talk with them by sanctioning them or whether we should be friendly to them by helping each other in prison,” said a former political prisoner at Myingyun Prison.
“Finally, political prisoners decided to be friendly toward the MIS officers,” he said. “We are human, so we cannot take revenge against them when they are in trouble.”
Thein Swe, who was the head of the MIS international relations department, was also known for permitting the publication of the semi-official Myanmar Times weekly.
After the MIS was abolished in 2004, he was arrested along with several brigadier colleagues: Myint Aung Zaw, Hla Aung, Kyaw Han, Than Tun, Myint Zaw and Kyaw Thein. Khin Aung was a deputy with the MIS administration department.
Thein Swe and Khin Aung were among 38 Burmese military intelligence officers sentenced in April 2005 to terms of imprisonment ranging from 20 years to more than 100 years on charges including bribery and corruption.
Like political prisoners, many intelligence officers were sent to serve their sentences in remote prisons scattered far from Rangoon. Thein Shwe and Khin Aung were sent to Myingyun Prison in middle Burma, notorious for ill-treating political dissidents.
Two Aung San Suu Kyi aides—Win Htain and Khin Maung Swe—and Karen rebel leader Mann Yin Sein were jailed in Myingyun Prison.
According to family members of political prisoners held at Myingyun, two intelligence officers are now learning about meditation methods from student activists who were victims of the MIS. In exchange, the former MIS men are teaching English to the imprisoned activists.
“I thought this is quite a human story when I heard from my son about their relationship with former intelligence officers,” said a member of the family of a political prisoner in Myingyun Prison. “Those who put my son in prison were cruel. But now they are my son’s friends.”
The former spy chief Khin Nyunt is now serving a 44-year suspended sentence under house arrest.
One of his former aides, ex-Foreign Minister Win Aung, died last week in prison, where he was serving a seven-year sentence. No government officials attended his funeral on Sunday.
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