Meeting With China Leaked, Myanmar Military Detains Two Foreign Ministry Officials

JAKARTA - Two officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, based in Naypyitaw, were detained because of alleged leaks of information on an important meeting.

The meeting referred to is a meeting involving officials of the Myanmar military regime and representatives of the Chinese Government. Shortly after the meeting, related documents circulated last weekend and drew criticism from protesters.

Myanmar's military regime is moving fast. Two Myanmar Foreign Ministry officials were picked up and detained on Tuesday.

An eye witness said the minister's assistant director, U Chan Aye, was taken from the building by six plainclothes officers on Tuesday morning.

"When he got into the car, they put a hood on his head," said an eye witness, reported The Irrawaddy.

"Another assistant director, U Soe Thu Ra, was also reportedly detained that evening. He is suspected of recording the minutes during a meeting with Chinese representatives," the source continued.

The two men's families say they are being treated well and are still being questioned.

The leaked documents are said to be sensitive, because they reveal a number of matters related to China's interests, which were discussed in an emergency meeting between the Chinese delegation and staff of internal affairs and the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs in late February.

The Chinese delegation reportedly asked the military regime to increase security for a Chinese-owned oil and natural gas pipeline project in Myanmar, amid rising anti-Chinese sentiment, along with anti-military coup rallies. In addition, China asks the military regime to put pressure on the media to help reduce skepticism towards China, according to the document.