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