Riot in Tokyo Concert (r)

[brelief@xxxxxxx]

Violent attack by embassy staff

These series of cultural events, several shows each day May 23 and 24, were
an official function of the embassy held at a concert hall in Tokyo.
Burmese and Japanese dignitaries, diplomats, and Japanese investors were
guests, but the hall was almost empty with attendence very low indeed.
Outside more than 200 Burmese gathered to protest the event by shouting
slogans and leafleting the dignitaries as they entered the hall. 

At the end of the first concert of the second day, Michael Collins a.k.a.
Myo Min Htut, 31, a staff member of the  Burmese Youth Volunteer
Association,  and Dr. Khin Maung Oo, 36, a veterinarian,  who had watched
the performance, stood and shouted "Restore Democracy" in Burmese.

Immediately after they shouted their slogan, six staff from the slorc/spdc
embassy attacked them, striking them with a flashlight and a camera,
pummeling them with fists and kicking them with their shod feet.  Dr. Htun
Aye, a former pro-democracy leader who later repudiated the movement, was
among the attackers. The assault took place in the pressence of several
Japanese police who attempted to restore order. 

About 20 metres from the spot, Daw Tang Ba, 36, Dr. Khin Maung Oo's wife,
aimed her video camera at her husband's attackers, but three more embassy
staff turned on her to get her video cassette. The man who actually wrestled
the cassette away from her was a son of the 1st Secretary L Gaw Gun.

After the attack, when a Japanese police officer pointed him out and asked
him where the cassette was, he denied ever having seen such cassette.

When the Japanese police officers tried to take the attackers to the police
station, the embassy personnel flashed their passports and claimed
diplomatic immunity.  The police shut the hall and attempted to negotiate
with the Ambassador for three hours.  Throughout, Ambassador Khin Maung Tin
refused to hand the attackers over to the police saying, "If you want to
interrogate them, come to the Embassy.  Our staff was doing their duty with
diplomatic immunity"  At last, the police gave up and only investigated the
site. Further action will be depend on diplomatic talks and so foreign
pressure is called for.


Demonstrating dissidents continued protesting outside the building, saying,
"We did not violate Japanese law, but the Embassy did!"  "The incident
happened in a concert venue, not inside the Embassy, therefore,  these
embassy staff members have no the right to claim diplomatic immunity"

Burmese dissidents in Tokyo are asking that the attackers be handed ocver to
Japanese authorities.  They urge all friends of Burmese democracy, in Japan
and overseas,  to join them in this request. 


At 09:22 PM 5/23/99 -0700, you wrote:

>Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 21:22:40 -0700 (PDT)
>From: john rabin <johnrabin@xxxxxxxxx>
>Sender: owner-burmanet-l@xxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: Riot in Tokyo Concert
>To: kyawkyaw@xxxxxxx, burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx
>X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by igcb.igc.org id
EAA14803
>X-Sender: strider@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

>Urgent Action:
>
>It is a conclusion that the official ambassador of  SPDC to Japan has
>full responsibility for the physical attack to the two activists. 
>
>An confirm source from Japan told to an activist in U.S. that one of
>the attackers was Dr. Tun Aye, husband of Mya Mya Win. 
>
>No matter what, the activists in Japan should report all account how
>the attacks were occurred, who involved in it, how did the ambassador
>response to it, how many were the embassy officials involving in it,
>how were the victims injured, and what the activists will do to Dr. Tun
>Aye? 
>
>Please let us know all factors?
>
>John Rabin   
>
>*******************************
>--- Kyaw Kyaw Soe <kyawkyaw@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Two pro-democracy activists were beaten
>> 
>> Two pro-democracy activists were beaten by the
>> Burmese embassy staffs and
>> its thugs today(May 23, 1999) concert in Tokyo.
>> 
>> Today, there is two schedule to perform concert in
>> Tokyo. The first to
>> start on 14:30 (Japanese Standsard Times), The
>> second to start on 17:30
>> (JST). 
>> 
>> On the first show, there are about 10 pro-democracy
>> activist and their
>> sympathies entered the concert hall. Some sympathies
>> to record what will
>> happen in concert hall.
>> 
>> When the first show ended, some pro-democracy
>> activists started to chant
>> the slogan and the embassy staffs and their thugs
>> rounded up the zctivists
>> and beated. At that time, the lights are turning on
>> but when the beaten was
>> started the lights were turned off.
>> 
>> As a result, two pro-democracy activists, Myo Min
>> Htut(a) Michale and Khin
>> Maung Oo are wounded and rush to nearest hospital.
>> 
>> So many wounded were occured on Michael's face. Khin
>> Maung Oo was more
>> serious than Michael. He was binded his head and
>> face.
>> 
>> The audience were shock and the concert was
>> cancelled and all of the actors
>> also shocked.The actors also suprised by the thugs
>> of embassy(SPDC) dare to
>> beat the pro-democracy activists .
>> 
>> At (2100-JST), over a hundred activists still in
>> front of the concer hall
>> which is located center of Tokyo. They demand the
>> police to state who
>> beated the pro-democracy activists and will sue. the
>> lawyer of Burmese

>> activists, Shogo Watanabe arrived  and control the
>> situation.
>> 
>> The embassy staffs denied to talk to police officers
>> because this is
>> deplomatic and they would like to talk to foreing
>> ministry and Kazuyuki
>> Takimi,inchargeof Southeast Asia Division
>> immediately arrived and talk to
>
>> the diplomats.
>> 
>> The embassodor occupied the 4th floor and declared
>> that 4th floor is
>> diplomatic area and nobody allowed to enter.
>> 
>> The activists dispursed 21:30.
>> 
>> Kyaw Kyaw Soe
>> Burma Youth Volunteer Association
>> 502, APTO
>> Takinogawa 7-18-1
>> Kita Ku, Tokyo
>> 
>> 
>
>_____________________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Free instant messaging and more at http://messenger.yahoo.com
>
>
>

http://www2.gol.com/users/brelief/Index.htm