NLD BASHING TRUMPS COUNTERDRUG SUCCESSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000576

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MLS; PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/2016
TAGS: PGOV SNAR BM
SUBJECT: NLD BASHING TRUMPS COUNTERDRUG SUCCESSES

REF: RANGOON 530

RANGOON 00000576 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: P/E Chief W. Patrick Murphy for Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary: According to attendees at an April 26 drug
burn in eastern Shan State, the GOB's Minister of Information
and other senior officials hijacked the law enforcement event
to pursue an ongoing political campaign to paint exile groups
as terrorists and to denigrate recent efforts by the National
League for Democracy to seek a dialogue with the regime.
Contrary to international media reports, the GOB did not link
the NLD directly to acts of terrorism, although the
Information Minister claimed the NLD has connections with
unnamed terrorists and the GOB has "firm evidence to declare
the NLD unlawful." He added that the GOB still permits the
NLD to operate as a legal party, and NLD leaders told us they
have no particular concerns about their current status. End
Summary.


2. (C) The GOB hosted a drug burn and press conference on
Wednesday April 26 in Kentung, eastern Shan State. According
to GOB sources, the Ministry of Home Affairs had planned the
drug burn to showcase several massive drug seizures and
recent counternarcotcs law enforcement successes. However,
diplomatic attendees, including the Embassy's DEA chief,
observed that Minister of Information Brig Gen Kyaw Hsan and
other senior GOB officials essentially hijacked the event,
using the opportunity to pursue an ongoing campaign to paint
exile groups as terrorists.


3. (C) Diplomats told us that the event was "a boring waste
of time" and that the GOB offered nothing new. The political
portion of the event, delivered in Burmese with a poor
English translation, prolonged the agony several hours beyond
its scheduled conclusion.


4. (SBU) In his opening statement, the Information Minister
delivered a standard regime diatribe against various
insurgents and exile groups. As the GOB has been doing for
months, he specifically cited as "unlawful associations" the
insurgent army SSA-South and the Thailand-based exile groups
NCGUB, FTUB, ABSDF, NDD, and the NLD-Liberated Areas
(NLD-LA). He accused these organizations of committing
alleged acts of terrorism, sabotage, and other "above ground
and underground" attacks.


5. (SBU) Contrary to international media reports on the press
conference, a GOB-provided copy of Kyaw Hsan's statement
revealed no indication that the GOB had directly linked the
National League for Democracy (NLD),Burma's leading
pro-democracy opposition party, to acts of terrorism.
Several media sources apparently confused the Thailand-based
NLD-LA with the NLD.


6. (SBU) Nonetheless, Kyay Hsan did not ignore the NLD. He
used the press conference as a means to denigrate the party's
February and April statements seeking dialogue (reftel),
which he characterized as "above ground attacks." He stated
that "No dialogue is possible with the NLD, which is no
longer winning the public trust and not representing the
people." As evidence of the NLD's alleged misdeeds, he
reported that "diplomats of the embassies of foreign masters"
had visited NLD headquarters 51 times in March.


7. (SBU) The GOB's New Light of Myanmar (NLM) published on
April 28 summary transcripts of a mostly scripted Q&A session
at the press conference. The transcripts underscored
confusion over the distinction between the NLD and the
NLD-LA. During the Q&A session, BG Kyaw Hsan also claimed
the NLD has connections with unnamed terrorists. NLD leaders
told us on April 27 that they have no reason to suspect that
the GOB has immediate plans to de-register the party.

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8. (U) Begin text of relevant portion of NLM transcript:

--(Question by U Ko Ko of Yumiyuri Shinbum) "Officials said
that the government has no plans to hold a dialogue with the
NLD concerning the party's special announcements issued on 12
February and 21 April. The minister also explained the NLD's
connections with foreign organizations. Recently the
government also announced the three organizations including
the NLD(LA) as terrorist groups. Has the government any
plans to take further actions against the NLD?"

--(Answer by Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan) "I have already
explained that the NLD has been continuously following the
wrong policy of defiance of authority, confrontation, utter
devastation, sanctions, and relying on aliens that never
benefits the nation. NLD has connections with expatiate
groups, terrorists and destructive groups. The government
has firm evidence to declare the NLD unlawful. But the
government assessing the situation from all view points and
exercising tolerance and patience and FARSIghtedness still
permits the NLD to stand as a legal party."

End text.


9. (C) Comment: DEA's Burmese police sources are "annoyed"
that the GOB's political message overshadowed the law
enforcement message. Authorities at the event destroyed 28
different categories of illicit drugs and chemicals,
including 126 kilos of heroin and opium and 1,523 kilos of
methamphetamine tablets. The most interesting part of the
GOB's newspaper account of the press conference was the
publication of various regime shortcomings identified by the
NLD on April 21 (reftel). Thus, the GOB credited the NLD
with making what we consider legitimate charges. One way or
the other, the truth can get out, if read carefully. End
Comment.
VILLAROSA