Two foreigners working as volunteers at a private school in Rangoon run by a prominent local businessman have reportedly been arrested on suspicion of being CIA agents, according to official sources in Burma's former capital.
Sources from Military Affairs Security (MAS), the Burmese regime's military intelligence agency, said that the two foreigners were arrested in the third week of February. No further details about their identities or nationalities were available.
The MAS sources said that the pair worked as volunteer teachers at a school run by Dr Sai San Tun, the owner of the Alpine Drinking Water Company and the Yadanarbon Soccer Club.
When contacted by The Irrawaddy on Monday, Alpine Drinking Water's head office in Rangoon declined to comment on the case. The US embassy in Rangoon was also not available for immediate response.
Foreigners working in Burma, including diplomatic staff and aid workers, are viewed with suspicion by the Burmese authorities, who maintain strict surveillance of their activities in the country.
Since a crackdown on protesting Buddhist monks in 2007, the regime has stepped up its efforts to keep an eye on foreigners. Foreign NGO workers traveling outside of the cities for field research report that they are routinely followed by government agents.
In December 2009, a female teacher with the American Center in Rangoon was deported from Burma after she gave a talk on environmental issues to members of the opposition National League for Democracy in Mandalay, the second largest city in Burma.
Source : http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20845
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