UNHCR AWAITS APPROVAL TO WORK IN THE SOUTHEAST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001423

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MLS; PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2015
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM PINS PREL BM NGO
SUBJECT: UNHCR AWAITS APPROVAL TO WORK IN THE SOUTHEAST

REF: A. RANGOON 1413

B. RANGOON 749

Classified By: Poloff Dean Tidwell for Reasons 1.4 (b, d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a December 14 meeting, the UNHCR
Representative for Burma described the UNHCR's relationship
with the GOB and UNHCR's access to the southeastern border
region with Thailand. The UNHCR has informal support to do
needs assessments, but still lacks an MOU to officially work
in the Southeast Region. Its designated GOB counterpart
ministry is known for its work relocating ethnic Burmans into
"model villages" in territories traditionally occupied by
other ethnic groups. End Summary.


2. (C) In Charge's December 14 courtesy visit to the UNHCR
Representative for Burma, Jean-Francois Durieux described
UNHCR's relationship and work with the GOB among the Rohingya
of northern Rakhine State (ref A) and in the Southeast
Region. In May the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) informed
the UNHCR that it should coordinate its work in the Southeast
Region, which includes Mon and Karen States, with the
Ministry for Progress of Border Areas, National Races, and
Development Affairs (NaTaLa) and no longer with MOHA. The
UNHCR began working with NaTaLa in September. Durieux
described NaTaLa as "reasonably open." NaTaLa agreed to help
the UNHCR re-activate its stalled projects in the Southeast
Region after the MOHA stopped the UNHCR's access there in
June (ref B). NaTaLa also agreed that the UNHCR could
operate its own radio network and allowed the UNHCR to select
its own local implementing partners. The arrangements remain
informal as NaTaLa wants to proceed on a "trial basis." This
suits the UNHCR, which has never worked with NaTaLa before,
as a useful test period.


3. (C) Since working with NaTaLa, the UNHCR has not sent
international staff to the southeast, on the advice of the
NaTaLa director-general that he could not sell the idea to
his superiors. The UNHCR's local staff are "absolutely free"
to travel in Karen and Mon States, and local people talk
freely to them, allowing for good data collection, according
to Durieux. The UNHCR would like to send mixed groups of
local and international staff, with government escorts, to
the southeast, with the eventual goal of unhindered access by
all staff. This will not happen until the UNHCR and NaTaLa
sign an MOU. NaTaLa told the UNHCR that an MOU cannot be
signed before February 2006, and UNHCR has informed NaTaLa
that they must have a signed MOU by mid-2006, at the latest.
The UNHCR cannot continue to justify use of donor funds,
absent a MOU and activities. In the meantime, local UNHCR
staff have been allowed to carry out needs assessment in
target communities, giving the UNHCR a presence in the field.

AN NGO BITES THE DUST


4. (C) In a related development, Medicins Sans Frontieres -
France told poloff on December 16 that it informed the
Ministry of Health (MOH) a week earlier that MSF France will
terminate its projects in Karen and Mon States and cease its
operations in Burma in February 2006. MSF France has been
waiting since April 2005, when the GOB ordered it to stop
further fieldwork, to re-activate its activities in the
Southeast Region. While the MOH regretted MSF France's
decision, it admitted to MSF that it lacked the authority to
permit MSF France to resume its work.

CHOOSE YOUR VOCABULARY CAREFULLY


5. (C) Durieux stressed the UNHCR works along the eastern and
western borders because that is where refugees live. The
UNHCR had earlier sought to work in Chin State with Burmese
who fled to India for refuge. The GOB denied there was a
problem, as the Chin did not live in camps, which is the same
logic they use for Shans in Thailand, calling the Shans
instead "migrant workers." To appease the GOB the UNHCR
refers to the Karen refugees in Thailand as "people of
Burmese origin who UNHCR can help to return."
KAREN REFUGEES: RESETTLEMENT OR REPATRIATION?

6. (C) Durieux called the recent agreement by the Royal Thai
Government (RTG) to allow some Burmese refugees to be
resettled in third countries as a positive sign, given the
harsh treatment of refugees by the RTG in the past. However,
he warned the Thais could crack down on refugees again, if
resettlement is seen as a "pull" factor. The attitude of the
Karen National Union (KNU) is another important factor. The
KNU, which views the refugees as its power base, might be
reluctant to see them resettled. While nobody actively
discusses repatriation of Karen refugees now, Durieux sees a
possibility of voluntary repatriation sometime in the future.
He doubted that the 140,000 refugees in Thai refugee camps
would all be resettled. Those remaining behind may think
seriously about returning; The UNHCR will not support forced
repatriation.

INTERNAL REFUGEES


7. (C) Durieux did not know how many IDPs live along the
eastern border, but concurred with the Thai-Burma Border
Consortium's figure of 600,000. He said, in the past, the
KNU made people move around, but now he blamed the GOB for
creating IDPs. According to Durieux, people moved because
the Burmese Army has burned down thousands of villages,
because they are tired of being rounded up for portering, and
because war destroyed the local economy. He said most IDPs
are tired of moving and would prefer just to remain where
they are, and not be relocated to yet another site. The
UNHCR would like to help IDPs cope in their current
circumstances.


8. (C) COMMENT: Should the UNHCR be permitted to work in the
Southeast Region -- not a given, as evidenced by MSF France's
experience in the same region -- it could provide some
improved protection for the local people. However, as in
northern Rakhine State, the UNHCR cannot directly counter
military repression, just alleviate it somewhat. NaTaLa
should also be viewed cautiously. It has not worked much
with international organizations. Instead, it concentrated
on relocating ethnic Burmans to land vacated by IDPs and
refugees (often forcibly) and establishing "model villages"
in traditional ethnic territory. End Comment.
VILLAROSA