Sentences a reminder of unhealthy relationship - Burma & North Korea

Several international media organisations are verifying a report first aired on Thursday on The Irrawaddy website that two Burmese men have been sentenced to death by a court in Rangoon's Insein Prison under the State Emergency Act III for leaking military secrets to the media.

The two men are Win Naing Kyaw, a former personal staff officer assigned to the State Peace and Development Council's Secretary-2, the late Lt Gen Tin Oo, and Thura Kyaw, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office. Win Naing Kyaw also received a 20-year sentence for violation of the Electronic Act, which prohibits sending information, photos or videos damaging to the regime abroad via the internet, and holding illegal foreign currency. Pyan Sein of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a 15-year sentence for violation of the Electronic Act.

The reports say the charges stem from the leaking of information and photos pertaining to government visits to North Korea to procure military equipment and assistance and also to a network of tunnels reportedly being built in Burma with assistance from North Korea. There is speculation that this cooperation may include steps to Burma acquiring nuclear capabilities.

It is also reported that following the leaks there was a reshuffling at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that affected more than 70 officials, some of them high-level positions, including two directors, four deputy directors and eight assistant directors. It cannot be confirmed that the reshuffle was directly related to the leaks.

Stories of the tunnel and of the Burmese leadership's forays to North Korea first appeared on The Irrawaddy website and have since been published in several other media outlets, including the Bangkok Post's Spectrum magazine.

It took considerable courage to blow the whistle on the full extent of the regime's military manoeuvring with North Korea and the men who took the chances to expose it deserve respect and sympathy, along with their families.

The harsh punishment is not surprising given the nature of the military regime, nor is it surprising that news of it apparently comes our way through yet another leak. The Burmese government has made no official acknowledgement of the sentencing of the three men or the charges against them, and it is a good bet that it would rather this had not been made available to the international media either.

Be that as it may, this judicial action serves to highlight once again the unhealthy relationship between Burma and North Korea at a most inconvenient time. Burma's leaders clearly want to gain a semblance of legitimacy through the general election which has been promised for this year, but it is much less clear that they are willing to demonstrate a willingness to make more than cosmetic changes in the structure of power. As it stands now there is not even a date set for the election, although the Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun is reporting that a Burmese military source has confirmed the election will be held on Oct 10.

It is expected that the junta will be represented by as-yet unformed proxy parties in the election, but the key to legitimacy is whether or not Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy will join in the election, and if so, whether it will be allowed to compete fairly. If that happens to any appreciable extent _ no one expects a completely transparent election _ it will be a major milestone in Burma's long road to reconciliation and could result in the lifting of sanctions by the West.

Admittedly the possibility of the Burmese generals relinquishing their totalitarian grip seems unlikely at this time, especially against the backdrop of their secretive military dealings with the North Koreans. On the contrary, in digging the labyrinth of tunnels in the mountains surrounding Naypyidaw it appears that they are determined to hold on to power at all costs.