CHALLENGES IN REMOTE SOUTHERN CHIN STATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001360 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS; PACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/18/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM EAID ECON BM SUBJECT: CHALLENGES IN REMOTE SOUTHERN CHIN STATE REF: A. RANGOON 887 ¶B. RANGOON 171 ¶C. RANGOON 154 RANGOON 00001360 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: PolOff Dean Tidwell for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: One visit to Mindat District in southern Chin State is enough to confirm it is one of the least developed areas in Burma. The impoverished majority Christian population faces widespread officially sanctioned religious discrimination. Lack of employment options remains a major problem. With no solution in sight, inhabitants continue to use slash-and-burn cultivation, a major cause of deforestation in the area. Some UN agencies and international NGOs have started development projects, but poor infrastructure is a major constraint. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On a recent trip to southern Chin State, Pol/Econ Assistant studied social and economic conditions that were some of the worst he has seen in Burma. Christians Face Discrimination -------------- ¶3. (C) Father Panlimu Mang Ha Gai (PROTECT) of The Church of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Catholic) in Mindat estimated that 67 percent of the population in southern Chin State are Christian. He reported that the Department for Promotion and Propagation of Buddhism assigns "focal persons" to villages where both Christian and Buddhists reside. These are actually informers who are responsible to report on Christian activities in the villages, including any construction of new churches or parsonages. Rev. Thang Ngai Om (PROTECT) from Myoma Baptist Church in Mindat said he had to negotiate with the District Peace and Development Council after informers reported on construction and renovation of religious structures. ¶4. (C) Father Joseph Hmon (PROTECT) of St. Michael Catholic Church in Kanpetlet, Mindat District said he was required to obtain permission from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Immigration Department, the Township Peace and Development Committee, and the Ministry of Development of Border Areas and National Races (NaTaLa) before his church could construct or repair Christian-related buildings. In most cases, permission was never granted. Hmon managed to build a residence for Catholic nuns without permission by working through a construction contractor who knew how to bribe the �00A;authorities. However, when a new military commander moves to the area, he could easily order the illegal building to be torn down. ¶5. (SBU) In Kanpetlet NaTaLa opened a school that accepts only Buddhist students and then guarantees them government jobs after graduation. Christian children must agree to convert to Buddhism if they want to attend this school. Christian Churches Persevere -------------- ¶6. (C) Despite official repression of Christian activities, the Catholic priest in Mindat operates a free boarding school, where nearly half of the children are orphans. He feeds about 200 people daily despite a chronic budget deficit. He also supervises seventy young people he recruited to work as volunteers in village schools. In addition, the Baptist pastor in Mindat organized a Christian Churches Fellowship to promote awareness of the environment, forest conservation, and HIV/AIDS prevention. Most Chin people under 30 years old are illiterate in their mother tongue, so he has introduced Chin literacy training and plans RANGOON 00001360 002.2 OF 002 to reprint a basic Chin language primer that was originally printed in 1935. UN and INGO Development Projects -------------- ¶7. (SBU) UNDP area coordinator, Thein Ohn, said UNDP-UNOPS is the only UN agency working in the region. Its Community Development for Remote Township (CDRT) program has a budget of $1.5 million. CARE Myanmar, the only INGO in Mindat, implements an Improved Food and Livelihood Security project, funded by the EU and AusAID. EU Humanitarian Assistance also implements a one-year emergency water supply project. Project manager Zaw Pe Than said poor communications and severe weather are serious constraints and so far, they have been able to complete work in only five of 35 villages. UNDP said inefficiency of the government banking system frequently cause long delays in project implementation. ¶8. (SBU) UNDP Deputy Director, Akiko Suzaki also traveled to southern Chin State in late August and told us that her visit confirmed UNDP's view that Chin State has the highest percentage of people living in poverty. She said that villagers in this area suffer from food insecurity for three to nine months of the year, with the worst conditions coming just before the monsoon rice harvest in July and August. She discussed possible alternatives to the common practice of slash-and-burn agriculture, but said that poor infrastructure and educational deficiencies created significant obstacles. ¶9. (SBU) Both Thein Ohn and Shein Gay Ngai, a warden in Natmataung National Park, are hoping to set up a "tissue culture" florist laboratory in Mindat or Kanpetlet, a relatively costly investment. This would enable local villagers to use transplants from the lab to grow orchids on their own farms for later export to China. Both contacts said commercial production of orchids would be a viable income generation project for the local population, but marketing, packaging, and transportation would remain difficult challenges. ¶10. (C) Comment: Southern Chin State is one of the more difficult parts of the country to reach; diplomats cannot visit there without a travel permit issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The regime does not like outsiders to see the severe neglect and discrimination it metes on its ethnic minorities. Unfortunately, its remoteness also limits the amount of development assistance that reaches the most needy. The lack of access by UN agencies and INGOs perpetuates the religious discrimination, extreme poverty and malnutrition that keeps this region at the bottom of the regime's barrel. End Comment. VILLAROSA