SPDC CELEBRATES ARMED FORCES DAY, NLD HAILS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000404

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV BM NLD
SUBJECT: SPDC CELEBRATES ARMED FORCES DAY, NLD HAILS
RESISTANCE DAY

REF: A. RANGOON 206


B. RANGOON 16

C. 03 RANGOON 398 AND PREVIOUS

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


1. (C) Summary: On March 27, the SPDC celebrated the 59th
Anniversary of Armed Forces Day with a traditional military
parade, sundry speeches lauding the accomplishments of the
modern Burmese Army, and an official state dinner complete
with a now-standard depiction of Senior General Than Shwe as
a heroic Burmese king. There were no reports of security
incidents and the day passed quietly. Meanwhile, the
political opposition, absent Aung San Suu Kyi and others who
remain under house arrest, held parallel commemorative events
attended by several hundred supporters who honored Burma's
resistance fighters and founders of the independence
movement. End Summary.


2. (U) The SPDC celebrated on March 27 what is perhaps its
most significant holiday of the year, Armed Forces Day. The
day was originally known as "Resistance Day" and commemorated
Aung San's decision to throw Burmese Army support behind
international forces allied against the Japanese. Ne Win
changed the name in 1962 to "Revolutionary Day," but the
holiday has been referred to as Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) Day
since implementation of the 1974 constitution. The SPDC
makes only passing reference to the historical origins of the
holiday and now uses the occasion to glorify the exploits of
the Burmese Army and to re-emphasize the necessity of
military control as a means of ensuring national unity.


3. (U) This year's military parade was standard fare:
thousands of well-drilled troops on display for regime
leaders and invited guests, including foreign military
attaches. Senior General Than Shwe made brief remarks and,
in a thinly veiled threat directed at the democratic
opposition and their supporters, called on his "comrades" to
"repulse courageously whatever dangers that threaten the
nation." He made no reference to the SPDC's road map, but
gave the regime's generic defense of its 1988 coup, stating
that "the Tatmadaw was compelled to assume the
responsibilities of the State as the people were faced with a
generally deteriorating and extremely critical situation."
Unlike last year's celebrations, marked by several bombings,
the day passed quietly and reportedly without incident (ref
C).


4. (C) The SPDC's Big Three (Than Shwe, Maung Aye, and Khin
Nyunt) appeared to be in good shape and high spirits at an
official dinner held at the military's HQ complex in northern
Rangoon. Than Shwe chatted extensively with a visiting
Japanese veteran, Shigemoto Okuda, who had trained Aung San,
Ne Win, and the other "Thirty Comrades" early in WWII. When
the DCM commented to Than Shwe on cooperation experienced
during a recently concluded WWII remains recovery operation,
the Senior General did not wait for the translator to
interpret, but replied, "Yes, I am glad to hear that." Maung
Aye, absent during the military parade earlier in the day and
rumored by some to be ill, seemed relaxed, had a firm
handshake, walked briskly, and otherwise looked hale.


5. (SBU) Besides some members of the diplomatic and defense
attach corps, the official dinner included several hundred
senior members of the military, government, and the Union
Solidarity and Development Association (USDA). After a
hurried dinner, the guests were "treated" to the SPDC's
standard after-dinner cultural fare, including the
now-obligatory video transformation of an image of an early
heroic Burmese king into the smiling visage of Senior General
Than Shwe.


6. (C) As on recent holidays (refs A and B),the democratic
opposition held several parallel commemorative events. The
NLD honored 63 surviving war veterans who had served under
General Aung San during WWII and the subsequent independence
movement, and issued a five-page statement that called for
national reconciliation and a transition to democracy.
Several hundred party members, supporters, and U.S. Embassy
officers attended the event, which was held at unofficial
party headquarters (the modest Rangoon house of CEC member
Than Tun). Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD's other top leaders,
in attendance at a similar event last year, remain under
house arrest.


7. (SBU) Later in the day, the Veteran Politicians hosted a
dinner to celebrate Burma's resistance movement. Several
hundred veterans, NLD and other opposition party members and
leaders, and representatives of the democratic ethnic groups
(UNLD, UNA) attended the subdued affair. As during the NLD
event earlier in the day, U.S. Embassy officers were the only
members of the diplomatic community in attendance. Military
intelligence (MI) agents were on the scene and organizers
reported no unusual harassment or intimidation, although MI
officers had earlier in the week warned the NLD not to hold
Resistance (Armed Forces) Day events as they would
"jeopardize talks between the SPDC and the NLD."


8. (C) Comment: We asked several of the elderly veterans who
attended political opposition events, decked out in their
medals honoring bravery and military service, if they had
attended any of the SPDC's official functions. They chuckled
and said that in order for veterans and other national heroes
to attend the Armed Forces Day parade, they must submit
applications weeks ahead of time requesting invitations. In
the words of one NLD leader, "The Tatmadaw has attempted to
hijack our holiday; however, as we celebrate "Resistance Day"
we honor not only our past, but our present as well."
Martinez