In September 2007, the village tract leader of Kun Mong village tract in Kaeng Tawng sub-township of Murng-Nai township, Burma, was summoned to the base of LIB 569 and detained by the military authorities for regularly tuning to foreign news broadcasts on his shortwave radio.
On 19 September 2007, the commander of LIB 569, based about 1 mile northwest of Kun Mong village, sent his men to tell the village tract headman of Kun Mong, Wun Mawng, aged 50, to come and visit him at the military base on the next day. The next morning, the headman together with another villager named Lung Ta went to the military base on a motorcycle. They were greeted at the base by Maj. Thein Aung who ushered them into the main office building.
Maj. Thein Aung said to the villagers that although 2 of them had come, only one of them would have to return. He then explained that the headman would have to be detained because he was suspected of some wrongdoings by the miliary authorities, and told Lung Ta to take their motorcycle and return alone.
He often listens to the news broadcasts in Burmese from foreign radio stations like BBC and RFA, and spreads the news to make people hate the Burmese military. He is also suspected of working as an informer and money collector for the Shan soldiers, so he will be detained for a while,” said Maj. Thein Aung to Lung Ta.
Although the SPDC troops could find no evidence to support their accusations against him, the headman was detained for about one month, and was released only after his relatives paid a fine of 100,000 kyat to the military authorities.
(Source: SHRF Monthly Report, February 2008)
