BURMA: WORLD VISION MOVES FORWARD AGAIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000138 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS; PACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2016 TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM PREL BM SUBJECT: BURMA: WORLD VISION MOVES FORWARD AGAIN REF: A. RANGOON 79 ¶B. RANGOON 56 ¶C. 05 RANGOON 1001 ¶D. 05 RANGOON 949 RANGOON 00000138 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Poloff Dean Tidwell for Reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Six months ago, the future of World Vision International (WVI) aid programs in Burma looked bleak. The GOB had ordered WVI to close some projects and restricted expatriate staff from conducting field visits. In the past three months, however, the GOB's cooperation has measurably improved--in sharp contrast to increasing restrictions the regime has placed on many other INGOs and UN agencies. Despite making accommodations to suit regime whims, WVI maintains that it is still able to operate independently and deliver humanitarian assistance. WVI's trials and tribulations over the past year reveal the GOB's arbitrariness and unpredictability in its dealings with the international community, and the creativity that each INGO and UN agency must rely upon in order to deliver vital humanitarian assistance to the Burmese people. END SUMMARY. COLLECTING MOUs ¶2. (C) Poloffs met recently with local officials of World Vision International (WVI) to discuss NGO's activities and challenges it faces in Burma. In contrast to increasing restrictions that the GOB placed on many other INGOs and UN agencies (refs A and B),several government ministries have actually expanded their cooperation with World Vision. The Ministry of Health (MOH),which originally permitted WVI to work only in Rangoon and Mandalay, now allows the INGO to operate in Kawthoung in Burma's far south. WVI recently signed new MOUs with the Ministry of Border Affairs and the Ministry of Education that permit WVI to work in 10 of Burma's 14 states and divisions. ¶3. (C) World Vision officials now speak optimistically about their ability to operate, but the INGO faced many regime roadblocks in 2005 (ref D). WVI local staff said that the regime's mass member organization, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA),instigated GOB restrictions by accusing WVI of attempting to convert Burmese Buddhists to Christianity, violating foreign exchange regulations by paying its staff in U.S. dollars, following the priorities of "foreign leaders," and using its Mandalay street children project to "promote terrorism." According to WVI, USDA also viewed the thousands of community-based volunteers WVI trained throughout the country as a threat to USDA's own efforts to recruit local "volunteers." THE PERILS OF POOR TRANSLATION ¶4. (C) After six months of what WVI officials describe as "a terrible time" in relations with the GOB, things began to improve in November 2005. WVI country director Roger Walker (PROTECT) attributes some of these problems to a poor translation of WVI's "area development program" by a Burmese official in a letter to SPDC Vice Senior General Maung Aye, which referred to it as "area liberation program." After clarification by WVI staff, the GOB seemed satisfied and the working relationship had improved significantly. THE WAY FORWARD ¶5. (C) WVI now submits its work plans directly to local authorities and obtains approval from regional military commanders, who have forwarded favorable reports to regime authorities. As a result, WVI has been able to send its six Rangoon-based expatriate staff on project monitoring visits over the past three months without trouble. The GOB routinely permits WVI's foreign staff to travel to the field RANGOON 00000138 002.2 OF 002 for up to two weeks at a time. Nonetheless, WVI still has trouble obtaining visas for temporary foreign consultants to visit WVI's projects (ref B). Walker attributes this primarily to the GOB's move to the new Pyinmana capital and the resulting communications logjam. ¶6. (C) World Vision still encounters some authorities who believe the GOB "does not need outside assistance." However, WVI's ethnic Karen deputy director, Dr. Ivan (PROTECT),has noticed a change in recent years among younger regional military commanders. He said they better understand development principles, so there is less top-down "development by command." The current commanders seem to recognize that public input is important to developing local communities. In a recent meeting, SW regional commander Gen. Thura Myint Aung told Dr. Ivan, the military is "poor and cannot fulfill all the community's needs." He endorsed the value of the GOB and INGOs working together, and urged WVI to expand its activities in his region. ¶7. (C) Despite increased scrutiny by the GOB and accommodations World Vision has made to comply with burdensome and ever-changing regulations, WVI affirms it has not compromised its core principles. WVI staff maintain that the INGO is still able to operate independently and deliver vital assistance to Burmese people through support for trafficking victims, HIV-AIDS awareness projects, and area development programs. ¶8. (C) COMMENT: World Vision's trials and tribulations over the past year underscore the GOB's arbitrariness and unpredictability in its dealing with the international community -- and the creativity that each INGO and UN agency must apply in order to deliver much-needed humanitarian assistance. Collaborating with multiple ministries and regional commanders may help WVI to implement its programs in the short-term, but the current cooperation could cease at any time. Essentially, WVI must depend on the whims of local military commanders, whom the regime transfers frequently. It also remains to be seen whether the local military commanders will retain their authority or whether WVI will fall within plans outlined in Ref B to consolidate oversight of all INGO and UN activities under the Ministry of Planning. END COMMENT. VILLAROSA