BURMA: UNHCR AND WORLD VISION ASKED TO CURTAIL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000749

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2015
TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM PREF PREL BM NGO
SUBJECT: BURMA: UNHCR AND WORLD VISION ASKED TO CURTAIL
ACTIVITIES

REF: RANGOON 730 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: CDA, a.i. Ronald K. McMullen for Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary: The GOB has asked the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Burma to curtail its
activities on the eastern border with Thailand. UNHCR is not
sure why. The Minister of Home Affairs (MOHA) told UNHCR
that in the future the Ministry of Progress of Border Areas
and National Races and Development Affairs (NaTaLa) would be
its coordinating ministry. UNHCR told MOHA that if its
activities are curtailed that its budget may likely be
reallocated to other countries. UNHCR has misgivings about
working with NaTaLa and has requested to maintain the status
quo until the end of the year. INGOs, and World Vision in
particular, have been warned not to work in certain areas.
Local authorities have encouraged them to continue their
programs, but to be careful. End Summary.

KEEP AWAY FROM THE THAI BORDER


2. (C) In a recent meeting with Mr. Shivanka Dhanapala,
officer-in-charge of UNHCR Myanmar, he told poloff that the
MOHA contacted UNHCR in mid-May and orally requested it to
curtail travel to areas along the eastern border with
Thailand where UNHCR has only recently been given permission
to operate (ref B) in Karen State, Mon State, and Tanintharyi
Division. The MOHA did not give any specific reasons for its
request but UNHCR feels it may be a direct result of the May
7 bombings. (Note: INGOs that have MOUs with the Ministry of
Health were informed in a meeting in early June that
restrictions are in effect for travel to five ethnic states
and Tanintharyi Division for at least another month (ref A).
End Note.) UNHCR responded that it had already done detailed
trip planning, so the GOB relented at the last minute and let
UNHCR carry out its trips. However, the fate of future trips
is uncertain. UNHCR said that the GOB seems satisfied with
UNHCR's long-standing program in northern Rakhine State and
so far, the GOB has made no restrictions on its activities
there.


3. (C) On May 31, Mr. Dhanapala had a meeting with Maj. Gen.
Maung Oo, the Minister of Home Affairs. The minister said
that in the future NaTaLa would be the coordinating ministry
for not only UNHCR, but also "all 210 foreign organizations"
currently working in Burma. (Note: UNHCR is astonished at
the figure of 210, because it is not aware of even half that
number of foreign organizations working in Burma, unless this
includes businesses as well. NaTaLa is one of the ministries
that is involved with community development, not just in the
border areas, but in practically the whole country, excluding
Rangoon and Mandalay. End Note.)


4. (C) UNHCR is concerned about working with NaTaLa, because
this ministry has been focusing on establishing
industrial/economic zones in border areas where people are
relocated to work in factories that the Thais may set up and
UNHCR feels this is outside their mandate. UNHCR is also
worried that NaTaLa may lack sufficient experience in working
with foreign organizations and it may not have sufficient
influence within the government.


5. (C) Dhanapala told the minister that if UNHCR had to
curtail its projects in the eastern border areas its project
funds designated for Burma might be reallocated to UNHCR
programs in other countries. The minister seemed to be
concerned about the possible loss of funds for Burma. In the
meantime, UNHCR has forwarded its action plans for the next
three months to the MOHA and has requested that the status
quo be maintained at least until the end of this year to
complete their ongoing projects. To date the MOHA has not
responded to this request and all of its communications to
UNHCR have been oral, despite UNHCR's request for written
instructions.

BEWARE OF WORLD VISION


6. (C) The Country Director of World Vision Myanmar told
poloff that on February 22, World Vision Myanmar staff were
holding a routine community meeting in Kengtung, eastern Shan
State to discuss setting up small, community-based medical
emergency funds. World Vision proposed offering the
communities small grants of 5,000 kyats ($5). A government
official who was observing the meeting erroneously reported
that World Vision was going to hand out grants of $5,000.


7. (C) When the report reached Vice-Senior General Maung Aye,
he wrote a letter on March 3 to all regional military
commanders and told them that INGOs are not permitted to work
with communities and instead the community development funds
should be handed over to the government authorities and they
would do the work. The letter mentioned World Vision in
particular. World Vision was not given the letter, but local
officials have let World Vision staff read their copies. The
official who originally filed the erroneous report has
apologized to World Vision and local officials in several
townships have appealed to World Vision to continue its
activities in their communities, but just "be careful."
World Vision reports that the Ministry of Social Welfare has
told Save the Children - UK to cease operations in Shan
State, but World Vision's coordination ministry, the Ministry
of Health, has not issued the same instructions. In order to
"be careful," for the past month World Vision has not
permitted its foreign staff to travel to projects in border
areas.

WE WANT TO CLIP YOUR WINGS


8. (C) Comment: Dhanapala feels that the delay in obtaining a
written response from MOHA reflects a reticence of most
ministries to make important decisions without clearance from
the senior leadership. He thinks that Vice-Senior General
Maung Aye may be behind the move to have all foreign
organizations report to NaTaLa. Moreover, it is widely known
that Maj. Gen Maung Oo is uncomfortable working with foreign
organizations so he may also favor shifting the
responsibility to NaTaLa.


9. (C) Based on both UNHCR's and World Vision's experiences,
it appears the GOB is evaluating the future role of aid
agencies in Burma and the extent to which the GOB is willing
to permit them to work at the grassroots level. The GOB may
be thinking of turning NaTaLa into an NGO coordinating
agency, similar to the People's Aid Coordination Committee
(PACCOM) in Vietnam, and possibly trying to limit NGOs'
access to people at the community level. End Comment.
McMullen