FOREIGN-OWNED NEWSPAPER FEELS THE POST-KHIN NYUNT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001544

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2014
TAGS: ECON EINV PGOV PREL BM
SUBJECT: FOREIGN-OWNED NEWSPAPER FEELS THE POST-KHIN NYUNT
HEAT

REF: A. RANGOON 1522 AND PREVIOUS

B. RANGOON 1518

Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary: The Australian co-owner and editor of
Burma's only non-GOB English-language newspaper, under
serious pressure from the regime, has appealed to
Rangoon-based ambassadors for statements of support should
his publication "be closed down for any reason." Like many
others who enjoyed the protection of the Khin Nyunt empire,
his company is paying the price for having relied exclusively
on connections to the ousted Prime Minister. We would not
view any U.S. interests at stake should The Myanmar Times and
its editor, a regular apologist for the SPDC, go down in
flames. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On December 3, Ross Dunkley, the Australian CEO and
Editor-in-Chief of Myanmar Consolidated Media, circulated an
open letter "for the information of all ambassadors in
Yangon." Dunkley, who oversees several local publications
and allegedly owns 49 percent of an English-language weekly,
The Myanmar Times, appealed for foreign governments to issue
statements of support in the event that his newspaper "were
to be closed down for any reason."


3. (SBU) On November 29 authorities arrested U Myat Swe (aka
"Sonny Swe"),Dunkley's business partner, and detained him
under section 5(j) of the Emergency Provisions Act. Sonny
Swe is the son of Brigadier General Thein Swe, formerly a
senior military intelligence (MI) official under ousted Prime
Minister Khin Nyunt. BG Thein Swe himself was a victim of
the post-Khin Nyunt purge of MI and is reportedly detained at
Insein Prison.


4. (SBU) In his December 3 letter to Rangoon ambassadors,
Dunkley claims that Sonny Swe is accused of "using his
father's influence to bypass the censorship process" by
seeking GOB approval for each edition of The Myanmar Times
through MI, rather than through "normal channels" at the
Ministry of Home Affairs and its Press Scrutiny Board.
Dunkley also claimed that the GOB has in recent days
requested that he turn over detailed documents on the
company's financial and legal affairs.


5. (SBU) Dunkley has claimed at various international venues,
most notably in Bangkok and Washington, that his newspaper is
fully independent and that he uses the publication to "push
the envelope" and press for free speech and other political
changes in Burma. The Myanmar Times does, on rare occasion,
publish limited news about events generally considered off
limits by state media (e.g. natural disasters inside Burma,
international meetings that discuss Burma developments,
etc.). However, as Dunkley freely admits, his publications
are subject to government censorship and "sensitive" articles
routinely hit the cutting floor. The Myanmar Times never
criticizes the military regime and each week prints a robust
assortment of articles that praise GOB officials and the
achievements of the SPDC.


6. (SBU) In the December 3 and 6 editions of the Burmese and
English language editions, respectively, The Myanmar Times
published an article detailing encounters between diplomatic
missions, including the U.S. Embassy, and members of the NLD,
a legal political party. The article also gave an account,
with many factual errors, of an encounter between Emboffs and
a recently released political prisoner. The article, which
accused diplomats participating in these meetings of
"interfering in the internal affairs of Myanmar," is
identical to a string of recent articles which publishers
claim they were forced by the GOB to print (ref A). An
expatriate reporter for The Myanmar Times approached the COM
on December 2 and told her that the article was being
published at the direction of the Press Scrutiny Board.


7. (SBU) In his appeal for support, Dunkley states that The
Myanmar Times has "never once in five years embarrassed the
government or Myanmar." He continues, "In line with the
policies of the government we have always wholly encouraged
the development of the road map" and "we are...a very visible
example of a successful Myanmar-Foreign cooperation."
Dunkley concludes that "I hope your government would defend
The Myanmar Times..and see it as an integral part of the
progression of the SPDC on its road map and transition to
democracy."


8. (C) Comment: Dunkley enjoyed a cozy relationship with MI
which allowed him to publish the only English-language
newspaper in Burma outside of official media. Like many
others who once enjoyed the protection of the Khin Nyunt
empire, his company is paying the price for having relied
exclusively on connections to the ousted Prime Minister (ref
B) and he feels particularly vulnerable now that his once
well-connected Burmese business partner, and the partner's MI
father, are behind bars. We would not view any U.S.
interests at stake should The Myanmar Times go down in flames
and/or Dunkley meet the fate of his business cohorts. The
expatriate community might lament the loss of a rare source
of English-language local entertainment and social news and
the Australian Embassy may have a sticky citizen case on its
hands. However, the political impact would be close to nil,
other than giving pause to foreigners engaged in or
contemplating joint ventures with the Burmese regime. End
Comment.
MARTINEZ