CAPITAL MOVE UPDATE: ON A ROAD TO NOWHERE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001325 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS; PACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2015 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BM SUBJECT: CAPITAL MOVE UPDATE: ON A ROAD TO NOWHERE REF: A. RANGOON 1295 AND PREVIOUS ¶B. RANGOON 1294 Classified By: P/E Chief W. Patrick Murphy for Reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The regime's absurd relocation of Burma's capital to remote Pyinmana continues apace, three weeks into "Phase I" of the move. Evidence that the GOB has constructed a massive capital complex belies foreign press speculation that Pyinmana is a mere village. The new capital city, however, lacks essential infrastructure; relocated government offices can not function normally; and thousands of civil servants who have been ordered to move face considerable personal hardships. The armed forces, however, have ensured that their relocated soldiers are comfortable. Oddly, the man behind the move, SPDC Chairman Than Shwe, remains ensconced in Rangoon with no apparent plans to relocate, raising questions about the sustainability of this bizarre and illogical relocation. End Summary. ROAD TRIP THERE, "EXPRESS" TRAIN BACK ¶2. (U) The Burmese military regime's bizarre and sudden relocation of the country's administrative capital from Rangoon to remote Pyinmana has continued apace, nearly three weeks after commencing on November 6. Embassy personnel have witnessed numerous GOB convoys, loaded with civil servants and government furniture, heading north on an almost daily basis. ¶3. (U) Myanmar Railways, a division of the Ministry of Rail Transportation, announced in mid-November that it had launched a daily service between Rangoon and Pyinmana (which formerly served as a way station on the Rangoon-Mandalay train route). The new "express" train takes nine hours each way. The railway office's deputy director general, U Chit Maung, told a local newspaper that about 130 passengers ride the daily train from Rangoon to Pyinmana, while "return trains are carrying about 330 passengers." He did not explain why more than twice the number of passengers return to Rangoon than depart for the new capital. ¶4. (U) The regime's official media have all remained entirely mute on the relocation. Several local newspapers, independently owned but subject to GOB censorship, have reported on the move, but with no details nor coverage of events in Pyinmana. Information Minister Brig Gen Kyaw Hsan explained the move to the press by saying, "With the expansion of the government's national development activities to border regions and remote villages, it was necessary to move the government's administration to a location which is more centrally located and placed strategically on major transportation networks." Such networks, however, do not appear to exist at this time. A HELL OF A LOCATION ¶5. (C) According to Embassy sources, the move to Pyinmana has been rocky, at best, and relocated government offices have almost no ability to function. Contrary to foreign press reports, the new capital site is hardly a tiny village. The regime had quietly constructed a massive complex of ministry and military buildings, with a capacity to house the entire GOB, and additional construction is underway. The new capital town, however, lacks essential infrastructure to absorb the sudden arrival of thousands of civil servants. It suffers from insufficient housing, poor communications, limited water and sewer networks, and scarce food supplies. No schools exist for family members. ¶6. (C) The GOB has not provided any new telephone numbers for relocated offices and the entire Pyinmana region reportedly has less than a dozen phone lines to the outside world. Authorities instructed government workers to avoid complaining about conditions in Pyinmana and warned they would monitor phone calls to ensure compliance. As a result, the frequency of phone calls back to families in Rangoon has reportedly slowed to a trickle. ¶7. (C) The regime threatened to impose harsh prison sentences on, or deny pensions to, civil servants who refused to relocate; there have been reports of several arrests. Yet it appears the lack of basic infrastructure in Pyinmana may force the GOB to reassess its initial plan for relocating government workers. Some offices will permit early retirement in lieu of relocation or not require the eldest workers to make the move. Roughly one third of the civil service is female, but the GOB has to date instructed very few women to relocate. In fact, one week after the relocation got underway, over 100 women were allowed to return to Rangoon due to a lack of sanitary conditions in Pyinmana. ¶8. (C) Civil servants face considerable personal hardships as a result of the relocation. Malaria and other diseases are prevalent in Pyinmana. Rumors of snakebites abound. Minister of Home Affairs Maj Gen Maung Oo fell ill there during a recent inspection visit and was medevaced to Singapore. Government workers must now, at considerable personal cost, maintain two households, one in Pyinmana and one in Rangoon for family members prohibited from relocating. There are reports that GOB subsidies for the Rangoon housing will soon cease. Living quarters for rank-and-file civil servants in Pyinmana consist of dormitories and military-style barracks segregated by gender; even tandem GOB couples can not co-habitate at this point. TAKING CARE OF THE TROOPS ¶9. (C) The armed forces have provided generous housing for their own relocated troops and have constructed vast recreation facilities exclusively for military use, including ubiquitous military golf courses. Local sources claim that the SPDC has created a new military command in Pyinmana, bringing to 13 the number of regional military commands in Burma. Although an MOD official would neither confirm nor deny the existence of a new command when queried by an Embassy military attache, Rangoon's regional commander, Lt Gen Myint Swe, told the Charge on November 9 that he would relocate to Pyinmana in his capacity as Chief of Military Affairs Security, the regime's military intelligence branch (ref B). The SPDC will reportedly name the new regional command, and the capital area, "Naypyidaw," which means "Seat of the Royal Kingdom" in Burmese language. COMMENT: THAN SHWE STAYS PUT ¶10. (C) Although genuine motives for the capital relocation remain unclear and thus subject to wide speculation (ref A), Senior General Than Shwe's role in making the final decision is indisputable. Oddly, however, despite talk that the regime has created a new War Office in Pyinmana, there are no signs that the SPDC Chairman has plans to move soon to the remote town. To the contrary, Than Shwe has been conducting business as usual in Rangoon, chairing routine SPDC meetings and receiving new ambassadors and other visitors. That he may choose not to move to malaria-infested Pyinmana raises the question of sustainability of the absurd relocation. It will take months, if not years, for the GOB to resume basic functions at its new location. If, in the interim, Than Shwe loses power for any reason, we wouldn't be surprised to see the GOB relocate -- back to Rangoon. End Comment. STOLTZ