BURMA HOSTS "ACCORD" REGIONAL DRUG TASKFORCE;

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001313

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP AND INL; DEA FOR OF, OFF;
USPACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2013
TAGS: SNAR KCRM PGOV EFIN BM
SUBJECT: BURMA HOSTS "ACCORD" REGIONAL DRUG TASKFORCE;
APPEALS FOR MONEY LAUNDERING ASSISTANCE


Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.5 (B,D)


1. (C) Summary: On Oct. 16 Burma hosted the law enforcement
taskforce of the ASEAN region's cooperative counterdrug
entity, ACCORD. Members agreed that amphetamines pose the
biggest drug threat to the region, lauded UNODC
computer-based training for law enforcement, and demonstrated
varying degrees of progress on money laundering issues. For
its part, Burma uncharacteristically kept the drug meeting
apolitical but made a last-minute appeal for assistance in
enacting a mutual legal assistance law, barely two weeks
before FATF is likely to recommend countermeasures. End
Summary.


2. (U) On October 16, the Government of Burma hosted a
one-day meeting of ACCORD, the "ASEAN and China Cooperative
Operations in Response to Dangerous Drugs." The session was
the second meeting of ACCORD's "third pillar" (law
enforcement) since the entity was established in 2000 with
the objective of pursuing a drug-free ASEAN by the year 2015.
In addition to ACCORD members (the ten ASEAN countries and
China),attendees also included observers from UNODC,
Interpol, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Italy, the
Netherlands, Japan, and the United States (Embassy DEA and
P/E chiefs represented the latter). The ACCORD meeting
followed by one day the 24th Meeting of ASEAN Senior
Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD),also held in Rangoon.


3. (U) Burmese Police Colonel Hkam Aung chaired the
taskforce, and UNODC and each of the ACCORD members gave
presentations on progress achieved with the five action steps
of the law enforcement pillar: law enforcement training,
precursor control, international cooperation, judicial drug
control, and money laundering legislation. UNODC said that
the U.N. calls ACCORD the "best counternarcotics plan in the
world" and urged members to increase multilateral
cooperation. Thailand, represented by General Chartchai
Suthiklom, Deputy Secretary-General of the Thai Narcotics
Control Board, gave perhaps the most comprehensive treatment
of all third pillar issues by any single ACCORD member.
Brunei also gave a detailed assessment of counterdrug
actions. Cambodia's presentation, though less sophisticated,
was notable for its honest assessment of a growing domestic
drug abuse problem, particularly among school children.
Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines gave mediocre
presentations that were neither comprehensive nor
forward-leaning.

4. (C) The country presentations varied considerably in their
quality and, although it was difficult to draw overall
conclusions from the diverse presentations, several
region-wide themes emerged. First, the entire ACCORD
membership considers the production and trafficking of
amphetamine-type substances (ATS) to be the fastest-growing,
and most significant, drug challenge in the region. Second,
of the law enforcement pillar's five action steps, law
enforcement training appears to be the most successful.
Members reported very positively, in particular, on efforts
to use and implement UNODC computer-based training programs
(CBT).


5. (C) Finally, the weakest action step, from our
perspective, is the development of money laundering
legislation and authorities. Only a handful of the countries
could speak definitively on this issue, and several members
(including China) ignored the topic altogether. Indonesia
reported that it is no longer a FATF "blacklisted" country,
but pressed UNODC for more training of police officers on
financial investigations. UNODC responded that training is
available, but with regard to "blacklisting" does not support
the "unilateral determination" of whether individual
countries are cooperating sufficiently on money laundering.
Indonesia, eliciting laughter from ACCORD members, especially
the Burmese delegation, urged UNODC to convince FATF to take
the same approach.


6. (C) Comment: The SPDC, Burma's military regime, which
typically uses rare opportunities to host regional meetings
as a means to enhance its legitimacy, managed to resist
hijacking the ACCORD meeting for political objectives. The
Burmese police officials who represent Burma at ACCORD were
professional during this meeting and their military minders
made only ceremonial appearances. The Burmese gave accurate
and positive reports on recent, successful efforts to reduce
opium production and cultivation. On money laundering
issues, however, the Burmese were woefully inaccurate and
unprepared. Police Colonel Sit Aye, director for
international affairs at the Central Committee for Drugs
Abuse Control (CCDAC),reported that a mutual legal
assistance law had been drafted and sent to the Ministry of
Home Affairs on October 13 for ministerial-level review.
However, he appealed before ACCORD members and observers to
the UNODC for technical assistance in finalizing the process.
When we queried Colonel Sit Aye in a pull-aside whether this
appeal appeared to be "too little, too late" to meet FATF's
November 3 deadline for enacting legislation, he demurred and
said the matter was out of his hands.
Martinez