A VISIT TO PROJECT OLD SOLDIER 101

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001443

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2014
TAGS: SNAR EAID EAGR PREL MOPS BM NGO
SUBJECT: A VISIT TO PROJECT OLD SOLDIER 101

Classified By: CDA, a.i RONALD K. MCMULLEN FOR REASONS 1.5 (b,d)


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: INL-funded Project Old Soldier 101, a
crop-substitution program founded by WWII veterans of OSS
Detachment 101, appears to be doing an excellent job
providing farmers profitable alternatives to raising opium
poppies in the rugged hills of northeastern Burma.
Approximately 4,000 farmers, many of whom previously planted
opium poppies, participate in Project 101 agricultural
training and/or farmers cooperatives. Emboff traveled to
this isolated region in early November, the first USG
official to visit the project site in over five years. END
SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) World War Two Vets Giving Back:

Veterans of OSS Detachment 101, after fighting alongside
thousands of Kachin Rangers during WWII, initiated an
agriculture program to assist their former brothers-in-arms
and their families in escaping the downward spiral of opium
poppy production and drug addiction. Since 1996 this
projected has been funded by an INL grant to the veterans
group and has evolved into a highly successful crop
substitution program and agriculture extension service
reaching thousands of hill-tribe families in northeastern
Burma.


3. (C) Stealthy Program:

Project 101 formerly had an American director and a number of
temporary American volunteer extension agents, all of whom
were ordered out of the country by the GOB in the late 1990s.
Since then the program has managed to continue, even thrive,
thanks to the stealthy organizational skills and technical
expertise of its local director, Ms. Nang Ja. The GOB feigns
not to be aware of the ongoing existence of Project 101,
although we know that a few mid-level GOB officials have
relatives who live in the region and participate in the
program. Many of the Project 101 co-ops are formed by Kachin
Baptist and Catholic congregations that provide
organizational cover for the project,s activities.



4. (C) Kachin Dynamo:

The project,s energetic director, Nang Ja, is the daughter
of a WWII Kachin Ranger. She and her dedicated staff of 38
field agents provide training and develop farmers co-ops in
northern and northeastern Burma. Project 101 imports
high-yield seed corn, fertilizer, insecticide, and herbicide;
it then provides these relatively expensive inputs to its
trainees and sells them on a cost-recovery basis to former
trainees who organize themselves into 20-member farmer
cooperatives. The project extends a revolving credit fund to
the co-ops that allows members to purchase agricultural
inputs in bulk, repaying the loans when the crop is harvested
and sold.


5. (U) Poppy Free Pledge:

Emboff talked to many farmers who as recently as 2001 were
raising opium poppies. Project 101 requires a &poppy free8
pledge from trainees and co-op members and has been a major
factor in virtually eliminating opium poppy production from
the project region. Farmers claimed they could turn a 100%
profit on the high-cost, high-yield hybrid corn imported from
Thailand. This bright orange corn variety is commonly
referred to as &101 corn8 in northern Shan State and
fetches nearly six dollars a bushel in this grain-deficient
border region.


6. (C) Post-MI, Good Timing for Visit:

Post was very careful not to jeopardize the project by
raising its profile with the GOB; Emboff requested and
received GOB permission to travel to this sensitive border
region to, inter alia, inspect UN-supported projects in the
area. Local staff members said that the timing of the
embassy visit was fortuitous, given the (temporary?) demise
of Military Intelligence (MI) - &we are so happy the
informants are gone,8 said one 101 staffer. In fact, the
dismantling of MI structures along the Chinese border yielded
a surprisingly relaxed border-crossing atmosphere. In two
different locations Emboff sauntered over to the Chinese side
of the border, chatted with PLA officers, and returned to
Burma without any Burmese immigration official saying a word
or even looking at Emboff. Burmese Customs authorities, on
the other hand, were completely unloading scores of heavy
cargo trucks, creating six-day backlogs at some locations.


7. (C) Comment: Project 101 is thriving amid very difficult
circumstances and keeping former poppy farmers from returning
to their illegal activities. It is doing good while doing
well. Besides accomplishing its counter-narcotics goals, the
project is also helping thousands of poor farmers provide a
better life for their families; many have a father or
grandfather who risked life and limb to serve alongside U.S.
troops in World War Two. The warmth with which these old
veterans, their children, and grandchildren greeted visiting
Emboff was striking. Project 101 might serve as a model for
other programs fostering U.S. objectives in Burma - despite
operating without official GOB sanction. End Comment.

MCMULLEN