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Air KBZ engineer dies in prison after being accused of tampering with passenger planes

October 22, 2021/in News

Min Min Soe’s father says his son was innocent and that Air KBZ had made ‘senseless accusations’ A man died in Yangon’s Insein Prison on Sunday after he was detained for allegedly tampering with three passenger planes owned by Air KBZ, where he worked as an avionic engineer. Min Min Soe, 34, was arrested on […]

Weekly Update on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar: Post-Coup (11-17 October 2021)

October 18, 2021/in HR Situation

The decades of lies, denials and fabrications of the truth are catching up with the Myanmar junta. What the people on the ground have known and vocalized to the international community is being amplified in all diplomatic chambers. On October 15th, Southeast Asian foreign ministers met for an emergency meeting on potentially barring junta-military chief, Senior General […]

Air KBZ engineer dies in prison after being accused of tampering with passenger planes

October 22, 2021/in News

Weekly Update on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar: Post-Coup (11-17 October 2021)

October 18, 2021/in HR Situation

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Air KBZ engineer dies in prison after being accused of tampering with passenger planes

October 22, 2021/in News

Min Min Soe’s father says his son was innocent and that Air KBZ had made ‘senseless accusations’

A man died in Yangon’s Insein Prison on Sunday after he was detained for allegedly tampering with three passenger planes owned by Air KBZ, where he worked as an avionic engineer.

Min Min Soe, 34, was arrested on September 11 and accused of being part of a group of people who put leaves into the planes’ pitot tubes, an act of sabotage that could have caused the planes to crash. The tubes are used to measure an aircraft’s speed at altitude.

The man’s family learned of his death on Monday when they travelled to the prison after hearing a rumour that he would be released as part of the junta’s amnesty.

Authorities told his father, Soe Paing, that he died while being treated at the prison hospital’s intensive care unit after fainting suddenly, and that he had high blood pressure at the time of death. Min Min Soe did not have any known health conditions.

“We were told that he died from heart and kidney conditions,” said Soe Paing, citing a statement given to him by the prison doctor and a prison officer.

The prison authorities also told him that Min Min Soe was treated on October 9 for “having spots on his lungs” but did not give any other details, Soe Paing added.

The family retrieved the body on Monday and cremated him at the Yay Way cemetery the following day. Soe Paing said there were no signs of abuse or torture on his body.

“He didn’t do anything wrong,” Soe Paing said. “They broke him psychologically.”

Min Min Soe worked for Air KBZ for 11 years (Supplied)

On the day of his arrest, Min Min Soe was invited to a meeting at an Air KBZ office and arrived to find soldiers waiting for him.

“He was lured there… we haven’t seen our son since he was taken to the interrogation center,” said Soe Paing.

Min Min Soe spent 24 days at the Aung Tha Pyay interrogation center in Yangon’s Mayangone Township before being transferred to Insein Prison on October 5. Air KBZ were uncommunicative and unhelpful throughout the family’s ordeal, Soe Paing said.

“The company does not even answer our calls sometimes. Everyone there keeps passing responsibility to each other,” he said.

On August 12 one of Air KBZ’s ATR 72-600 planes was grounded before its scheduled departure to Heho from Yangon after the leaves in the pitot tube were found during a pre-flight inspection, junta-controlled media reported.

A second ATR 72-600 was used for the flight instead, but had to turn back to Yangon after the autopilot system failed. Once it had landed it was found to also have leaves in its pitot tubes. The airline allocated a third plane for the journey but once again found leaves in the pitot tubes.

The September 24 report in junta-controlled media said that the leaves were put there by Thein Lin Htaik, a line maintenance manager for the airline, with the help of four other staff members under the directions of a janitor. The story did not mention Min Min Soe.

Up to 21 Air KBZ staff members, including Min Min Soe, were later detained at Insein Prison in connection to the case, Soe Paing said. Min Min Soe worked at the company for 11 years, he added.

Soe Paing blames Air KBZ for his son’s death, saying the airline displayed a “lack of responsibility.”

“Their senseless accusations cost him his life,” Soe Paing said.

Air KBZ could not be reached for comment on the case.

Myanmar Now News

Weekly Update on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar: Post-Coup (11-17 October 2021)

October 18, 2021/in HR Situation

On October 15th, Southeast Asian foreign ministers met for an emergency meeting on potentially barring junta-military chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing for failing to adhere to commitments made to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc at a summit meeting in Jakarta on 24 April earlier this year. Myanmar civil society organizations have called for the junta to not be invited to the ASEAN Summit on 25 to 28 October because of the regime’s proven unwillingness to cooperate with domestic, regional and international accountability mechanisms intended to curb and end the indiscriminate violence which Myanmar is engulfed in.

To ASEAN’s credit, at the meeting, member countries decided not to invite the military junta, and opted to instead invite a ‘non-political representative’ from Myanmar. The decision emerged to ‘uphold ASEAN’s credibility,’ despite longstanding criticisms that ASEAN’s policy of ‘non-interference’ failed to hold the junta accountable. In response, the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs attempted to defend their commitment to the Five-Point Consensus by outlandishly declaring that they were working to preserve ‘peace and tranquility,’ and ultimately accusing ASEAN of not being flexible or showing understanding to their situation.

Tensions between ASEAN and the junta appear to be growing, especially as the Special Envoy, Erywan Yusof, postponed his trip to Myanmar because he was not allowed to meet with all political parties. He was specifically denied any interaction with National League for Democracy leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who has been detained since the attempted coup. A timeline of ASEAN’s interactions with the junta indicate the hesitation of countries such as the Philippines, Thailand and China to condemn the coup for fear of protecting their own authoritarian interests in their respective states. However, as the months have passed it has become abundantly clear to the bloc that the junta’s lack of will or interest in cooperating through progressive dialogue has amounted to more frustration.

Internally, the Tatmadaw has shown increasing signs of fragmentation. Record numbers of soldiers are defecting. The People’s Soldiers is a new group of defected Myanmar military soldiers who have joined the resistance movement in various forms. This week they issued a statement which said that the Generals committed treason and breached military law by forcing the President of Myanmar to forcibly resign.

CHIN STATE

Civilians in Chin State are living in a state of ongoing panic and fear due to the increased junta presence. The Tatmadaw is exercising all efforts to weaponize their response to the Chinland Defense Forces and local armed resistance groups. As reported by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, on October 11, a 29 year old and 34 year old from Falam Township, Chin State were killed by the junta. On the 13th, their bodies were discovered with bullet wounds to their faces and upper bodies.

In Kanpetlet, residents say that they are living in constant fear: Everything is uncertain and clashes can happen at any time.” Intensified offensives have forced the majority of the town to flee to safety. Religious minorities are also being targeted. Chin rights groups say there have been at least 20 cases of Christian churches, leaders and volunteers being caught in the crossfire of attacks.

KAYAH STATE

In Kayah State, human rights abuses are increasingly rampant. Civilians have been targeted and as a result, their livelihoods are in grave threat amid their desperation for survival. As reported by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, two brothers who had been displaced by violence were arrested while returning to their village in Demawso Township, Kayah State to take food. The junta soldiers shot both brothers, Kyaw Hein died and Daw Minit was injured on his head.

Displaced villagers in Hpruso township are in dire need of emergency aid and support. The junta has denied the flow of aid, and life-saving materials such as food, water and medicine.

SHAN STATE

Civil society organizations in Shan State have expressed the vulnerabilities being protracted from ongoing fighting has led to gaps in urgently needed food and medicine for displaced populations. Clashes between the Restoration Council of Shan State and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army have made it nearly impossible for villagers forced to flee to return home. The Tatmadaw is also arresting youths and targeting them for alleged ties to detonations on military businesses, including Mytel communication towers. According to reports, the junta has been shooting indiscriminately at people on the street, which has only contributed to growing fears throughout the state.

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ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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