The late Leo Nichols--I met him and his wife once at a dinner party for "Timber friends." I left Burma in 1980s and heard of his death while working at RFA.

AI Overview

The Danish (and Norwegian, Finnish, Swiss) honorary consul in Burma (Myanmar) during the 1990s who was arrested and died in prison was

James Leander Nichols (Leo Nichols) in June 1996, a prominent British-Burmese businessman and close friend of Aung San Suu Kyi, arrested for operating unlicensed fax machines but widely believed to be targeted for his pro-democracy support and links to the opposition, as detailed by Amnesty International and The Independent.

Key Details:

Name: James Leander Nichols (Leo Nichols). Role: Honorary Consul for Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Switzerland in Myanmar.

Arrest: April 1996.

Charge: Operating unlicensed fax machines and a telephone switchboard.

Sentence: Three years imprisonment.

Death: Died in custody in a Rangoon prison in June 1996, officially from a heart attack, but many suspected foul play or lack of medical care due to his health issues (diabetes, hypertension) and support for Suu Kyi.

Significance: His death strained relations between these Scandinavian nations and Myanmar's military government (SLORC).

Denmark–Myanmar relations - Wikipedia Burmese Consul Incident In 1996, the consul in Myanmar for Denmark, James Leander Nichols, was sentenced to three years in jail. T... Wikipedia M

EDICAL CONCERN - Amnesty International Death in custody of Leo Nichols. MYANMAR. Amnesty International is concerned about the death in custody of James Leander Nichols, ... Amnesty International

EUROPEAN DIPLOMAT DIES IN PRISON - Chicago Tribune Jun 23, 1996 — Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Denmark, Norway and Sweden's shared consul in Burma, a supporter of pro-dem... Chicago Tribune Show all