UNHCR GAINS ACCESS TO FORMER CONFLICT AREAS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 RANGOON 000172

SIPDIS

STATE ALSO FOR EAP/BCLTV; CINPAC FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/06/2014
TAGS: PREF PREL PGOV KISL BM
SUBJECT: UNHCR GAINS ACCESS TO FORMER CONFLICT AREAS IN
EASTERN BURMA

REF: RANGOON 89

Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.5 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary: On the heels of a cease-fire agreement
between the Burmese regime and the insurgent Karen National
Union (KNU),the UNHCR will sign an agreement with the GOB
o/a February 13 allowing unprecedented access to former
conflict areas along the Burma-Thailand border. UNHCR plans
to assess current conditions in Karen (Kayin) and Mon States
and in Tenasserim (Tanintharyi) Division with a view to
determining future needs for the hypothetical resettlement
and repatriation of several hundred thousand refugees and
IDPs. UNHCR and the GOB, however, are anxious to quell
rumors that repatriation or resettlement is imminent. UNHCR,
in fact, believes that conditions in the eastern border
region are currently far from conducive for the return of
displaced persons to their homes. Meanwhile, in western
Burma, resettlement of Muslim Rohingya refugees is nearing
completion, but the SPDC continues to treat this
long-suffering population as third-class citizens. End
Summary.

An Agreement in Principle
--------------


2. (C) UNHCR representative Rajiv Kapur called on COM and P/E
chief February 5 to explain recent developments that led to
an "agreement in principle" with the GOB that will permit
UNHCR unprecedented access to former conflict areas in Karen
(Kayin) and Mon States and in Tenasserim Division. Jean
Marie Fakhouri, UNHCR Director for Asia and the Pacific, will
visit Burma February 12-14 to sign the final agreement.


3. (C) Kapur said that UNHCR has been pushing for access to
the eastern border areas for the past three years. The
region, rife with insurgent activity for decades, has
produced hundreds of thousands of internally displaced
persons and refugees who have fled to neighboring Thailand.
UNHCR has been anxious to assess conditions for eventual
repatriation operations, but the SPDC has long considered
much of the region highly sensitive and strictly off limits
to diplomats, NGOs, and international organizations. Indeed,
Kayah State is still considered sensitive and will not be
included in the UNHCR agreement.

The Boss Weighs In
--------------


4. (C) According to Kapur, key senior GOB officials are
worried about rumors that UNHCR will soon close its Burma
operations upon completion of resettlement activities in
Rahkine (Arakan) State on the western border with Bangladesh.
Given the massive refugee problem on Burma's eastern
borders, these officials are keen to keep UNHCR active in
Burma and demonstrate GOB cooperation with the international
community. Rajiv confided to us that he did not discourage
the rumors of a UNHCR pullout, because he believes that it is
essential to get into the East, especially Mon and Karen
States.


5. (C) The issue of UNHCR access to the East came to a head
in mid-January, following the SPDC's substantial progress in
cease-fire talks with the rebel Karen National Union (KNU)
(reftel). Kapur said that the SPDC/GOB was split on allowing
the UNHCR short-term access, with the Ministries of
Immigration and Foreign Affairs in opposition due to their
concerns over UNHCR's leading role on protection issues.
According to Kapur, Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt made
the call in favor of UNHCR and directed the Minister of Home
Affairs to provide full support. This was followed by a late
night exchange of letters between the Home Ministry and
UNHCR, culminating in an "agreement in principle." However,
Khin Nyunt has instructed his deputies to ensure that the
arrangement with the UNHCR "does not complicate talks with
the KNU."

Don't Open the Floodgates - Yet
--------------


6. (C) Kapur stressed that UNHCR does not plan to establish
field offices, as this might entice Thailand to prematurely
"encourage" refugees to return to Burma (note: Kapur said
that the RTG is already "spreading the word" that the UNHCR
has an access deal with the GOB, giving some the false
impression that there is already a repatriation agreement in
place. "We must rein in the Thai," said the UNHCR
representative. End note). UNHCR's intentions are to send
assessment teams into the eastern border region to establish
a full understanding of current conditions, to determine
future needs for hypothetical resettlement (protection
monitoring, health centers, etc),and to develop a
repatriation plan should the GOB pursue one at a later date.


7. (C) The final agreement signed next week will give UNHCR
full access to the region, including the ability to establish
future operational bases in the population centers of Pa'an,
Tavoy, Myawaddy, and Mudon. Kapur said that UNHCR has built
a detailed database on Thailand-based refugees and has a
decent idea of where most repatriated refugees would intend
to resettle. However, he added, the situation is
particularly complex because many Karen refugees originally
fled from Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) and Bago Divisions (further
west, now predominantly ethnic-Burman areas) in which the
SPDC is highly unlikely to allow refugees to resettle.


8. (C) Kapur said that repatriation and resettlement in the
eastern region will be very difficult due to the large
numbers involved and the extremely isolated and difficult
terrain. Furthermore, much of the territory suffers from the
ravages of war and neglect, including substantial land mines.


9. (C) According to Kapur, UNHCR will make an appeal to
donors for a "supplementary operation" budget to conduct the
UNHCR assessment in the eastern border areas. He said the
refugee organization wants "to start small and just get some
people on the ground." UNHCR has not yet developed a full
budget, but he expects the initial appeal would be for about
$1 million and would target current donors who already
support operations in Rahkine (Arakan) State including the
United States, the UK, and the Scandinavians.

Meanwhile, on the Western Front...
--------------


10. (C) At the end of our meeting, Kapur briefly addressed
the situation in Rahkine (Arakan) State. He said that UNHCR
hopes to tackle the Burma-Thailand border refugee problem
with its experience in successfully repatriating over 236,000
Muslim Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to western Burma.
He said the GOB has become increasingly flexible with the
Rohingyas, noting that UNHCR has succeeded in obtaining
residency cards and Burmese language instruction for
returnees as a way to help meet requirements for future
citizenship. Very few refugees who want to return to Burma,
Kapur said, remain in Bangladesh.


11. (C) However, Kapur acknowledged there has been no
progress in establishing freedom of movement for the
returnees and, overall, the GOB continues to treat them as
third-class citizens. "The SPDC wants to keep the Muslims in
check, but they are in fact creating ripe conditions for
extremists." Furthermore, Kapur claimed, the GOB has been
actively spreading propaganda among the predominantly Muslim
returnee population, claiming that "the United States is
carrying out a plot to create tensions between Buddhists and
Muslims in Burma as a way to destabilize the country." Kapur
said that senior SPDC officials have been engaged in
perpetuating these claims, including an unnamed Major General
who recently visited northern Rahkine (Arakan) State.

Comment: Rare Access
--------------


12. (C) At the end of February, we hope to join UNHCR on a
three-day visit to the western border of Rahkine (Arakan)
State for a closer view of repatriation operations. However,
our general view is that UNHCR has been doing important work
in Burma, particularly on protection and other human rights
issues. We would encourage PRM and the Department to respond
favorably to an appeal to support an assessment of the
eastern border region. Few outsiders have had access to
these areas over past decades and UNHCR will have the
opportunity to make important recommendations on the future
of several hundred thousand displaced persons. End comment.
Martinez