By MIN LWIN Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Maung Waik, one of the richest men in Burma and a powerful crony of the country’s ruling military regime, was arrested and detained in late May on charges of drug abuse and involvement in a trafficking ring run by the son of one of the junta’s leading generals, according to a former business partner.
The arrest was part of a crackdown on associates of Aung Zaw Ye Myint, son of the chief of the Bureau of Special Operations No. 1, Lt- Gen Ye Myint.
Aung Zaw Ye Myint was arrested on May 29 for alleged drug trafficking. When police and military intelligence agents raided his office at Yetagun Tower in Rangoon’s Kyeemyindaing Township, they reportedly found illegal drugs and six guns in his possession.
Aung Zaw Ye Myint is widely known among wealthy Burmese and celebrities as a drug dealer, according to sources in Rangoon. At the time of his arrest, he was in the company of Nawarat, a well-known movie actress.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, a police sergeant from the Kyeemyindaing Township Police Station confirmed that the anti-narcotics division of the police force carried out a raid on Yetagun Tower, but declined to provide further details.
“Maung Waik and Aung Zaw Ye Myint used to take drugs together and sell them to movie stars,” said a former business partner of Maung Waik.
“They often held parties at their offices or homes and invited celebrities,” said one of the partygoers, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They got people hooked on drugs and then started selling them to the addicts.” According to sources in Rangoon, Aung Zaw Ye Myint owns Yetagun Construction Company, which has its head office in Yetagun Tower on Pan Hlaing Street. The company relies heavily on subcontractors to do most of its work, the sources added.
Following Aung Zaw Ye Myint’s arrest, military intelligence went after Maung Waik and several others, including a number of celebrities. Maung Waik, the founder of Maung Weik & Family Co., is believed by some to be the richest person in Burma.
The Irrawaddy contacted the company’s head office in Rangoon’s Lanmadaw Township on Tuesday, but senior staff declined to discuss Maung Waik’s arrest.
Maung Weik is known as a generous donor to projects sponsored by the Burmese junta, once giving 270 million kyat (nearly US $235,000) for restoration work on Shwedagon Pagoda, Burma’s most famous religious site.
Maung Waik has also attempted to strengthen his ties to the regime through marriage. According to a relative of Snr-Gen Than Shwe, the most powerful figure in the junta, Maung Waik has recently been courting the general’s daughter, Khin Pyone Shwe.
According to members of Rangoon’s business community, Maung Weik recently divorced his wife, Yin Min Khin, in the hope of marrying Than Shwe’s daughter.
When Maung Waik was arrested in late May, his mother and ex-wife fled to Singapore.
Maung Waik was released on June 7, and several celebrities associated with Aung Zaw Ye Myint, including actresses Nawarat and Phoe Kyaw, have also been freed. However, Aung Zaw Ye Myint is believed to still be in detention.
Sources said that while under interrogation, each detainee was asked to name five persons he or she knew in connection with Aung Zaw Ye Myint and drug trafficking, indicating that the investigation was ongoing.
But some observers said that the authorities were less interested in pursuing the whole network than in finding a scapegoat so they could release Aung Zaw Ye Myint.
Meanwhile, Rangoon-based journals and magazines have been forbidden to publish news of the arrests.
A Rangoon-based journal editor said: “Burmese journals don’t have the right to publish anything concerning the military or cronies of the generals, but some journals have published their messages indirectly to reach the readers.”
Maung Waik, one of the richest men in Burma and a powerful crony of the country’s ruling military regime, was arrested and detained in late May on charges of drug abuse and involvement in a trafficking ring run by the son of one of the junta’s leading generals, according to a former business partner.
The arrest was part of a crackdown on associates of Aung Zaw Ye Myint, son of the chief of the Bureau of Special Operations No. 1, Lt- Gen Ye Myint.
Aung Zaw Ye Myint was arrested on May 29 for alleged drug trafficking. When police and military intelligence agents raided his office at Yetagun Tower in Rangoon’s Kyeemyindaing Township, they reportedly found illegal drugs and six guns in his possession.
Aung Zaw Ye Myint is widely known among wealthy Burmese and celebrities as a drug dealer, according to sources in Rangoon. At the time of his arrest, he was in the company of Nawarat, a well-known movie actress.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, a police sergeant from the Kyeemyindaing Township Police Station confirmed that the anti-narcotics division of the police force carried out a raid on Yetagun Tower, but declined to provide further details.
“Maung Waik and Aung Zaw Ye Myint used to take drugs together and sell them to movie stars,” said a former business partner of Maung Waik.
“They often held parties at their offices or homes and invited celebrities,” said one of the partygoers, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They got people hooked on drugs and then started selling them to the addicts.” According to sources in Rangoon, Aung Zaw Ye Myint owns Yetagun Construction Company, which has its head office in Yetagun Tower on Pan Hlaing Street. The company relies heavily on subcontractors to do most of its work, the sources added.
Following Aung Zaw Ye Myint’s arrest, military intelligence went after Maung Waik and several others, including a number of celebrities. Maung Waik, the founder of Maung Weik & Family Co., is believed by some to be the richest person in Burma.
The Irrawaddy contacted the company’s head office in Rangoon’s Lanmadaw Township on Tuesday, but senior staff declined to discuss Maung Waik’s arrest.
Maung Weik is known as a generous donor to projects sponsored by the Burmese junta, once giving 270 million kyat (nearly US $235,000) for restoration work on Shwedagon Pagoda, Burma’s most famous religious site.
Maung Waik has also attempted to strengthen his ties to the regime through marriage. According to a relative of Snr-Gen Than Shwe, the most powerful figure in the junta, Maung Waik has recently been courting the general’s daughter, Khin Pyone Shwe.
According to members of Rangoon’s business community, Maung Weik recently divorced his wife, Yin Min Khin, in the hope of marrying Than Shwe’s daughter.
When Maung Waik was arrested in late May, his mother and ex-wife fled to Singapore.
Maung Waik was released on June 7, and several celebrities associated with Aung Zaw Ye Myint, including actresses Nawarat and Phoe Kyaw, have also been freed. However, Aung Zaw Ye Myint is believed to still be in detention.
Sources said that while under interrogation, each detainee was asked to name five persons he or she knew in connection with Aung Zaw Ye Myint and drug trafficking, indicating that the investigation was ongoing.
But some observers said that the authorities were less interested in pursuing the whole network than in finding a scapegoat so they could release Aung Zaw Ye Myint.
Meanwhile, Rangoon-based journals and magazines have been forbidden to publish news of the arrests.
A Rangoon-based journal editor said: “Burmese journals don’t have the right to publish anything concerning the military or cronies of the generals, but some journals have published their messages indirectly to reach the readers.”
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