FORMER STUDENT LEADERS DISCUSS NEXT MOVES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000738 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS; PACOM FOR FPA C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (PARA 9 CLASSIFICATION ADDED) E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BM SUBJECT: FORMER STUDENT LEADERS DISCUSS NEXT MOVES REF: A. RANGOON 516 ¶B. RANGOON 363 RANGOON 00000738 001.4 OF 002 Classified By: Poloff Dean Tidwell for Reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Former student activists and political prisoners Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi shared their views on U/SYG Gambari's visit and their own political strategies in a meeting on June 1. They praised USG efforts on Burma in the U.N., which they said would encourage the Burmese people. They faulted Gambari for meeting only with people whom the GOB selected and failing to meet ethnic representatives. They described their current activities and plans to help publicize GOB human rights violations and show that the National Convention process is incompatible with the will of the people. They appealed to the USG to keep Burma on the UN agenda and to encourage regional players, especially China, to apply more pressure on the regime to reform. END SUMMARY. GAMBARI'S MISSION FOUND WANTING ¶2. (C) Former student activists and political prisoners Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi (PROTECT) met on June 1 with visiting EAP/MLS Director Scot Marciel and Emboffs. They lamented that UN Under-Secretary General Mr. Ibrahim Gambari had met only with people the GOB selected and failed to meet with former student leaders and ethnic party representatives. They viewed his visit as a "fact-finding mission" and said he may have obtained incomplete information, or misinformation, due to his lack of broader exposure. They appreciated USG efforts to keep the Burma issue before the U.N. Security Council and said that passing a UNSC resolution is not only important because the GOB would take notice, but also because it would encourage the Burmese people. PULLING IN THE SAME DIRECTION ¶3. (C) Despite stepped up scrutiny by the authorities, both student leaders noted recent progress in their 88 Student Generation pro-democracy movement. While admitting that differences of opinion among members of the movement are natural, they are focusing on issues held in common by the various pro-democracy groups. After their 2005 release from prison, they have encouraged many disparate pro-democracy groups to work together. They are now seeing improved networking among veteran politicians, former student activists, the NLD, and ethnic minorities. ¶4. (C) The GOB apparently knows it can no longer scare battle-hardened former prisoners, so it uses "indirect threats" instead to intimidate their contacts and thus isolate the activists. Ko Ko Gyi said the authorities decided to demolish a row of 29 shop houses because he lived in one of them, so he moved to prevent hardship to many innocent people there. ¶5. (C) Ko Ko Gyi outlined the 88 Student Generation's three key principles or goals: 1) Political dialogue between the SPDC and opposition groups, 2) A political solution based on the 1990 election results, 3) Basic human rights for the Burmese people. They desire, he said, to achieve these objectives only through non-violent methods. FOCUS ON HUMAN RIGHTS ¶6. (C) Min Ko Naing said they are trying to raise awareness among the people of relevant laws and teach them to use the legal system to defend themselves against human rights abuses, rather than resorting to violence. Min Ko Naing said RANGOON 00000738 002.4 OF 002 that even if Burmese people use the legal process and lose, at least they have demonstrated to the world that they are following the law. ¶7. (C) Min Ko Naing noted continued GOB oppression of ordinary people. He said the GOB is forcing many farmers to grow physic nuts in place of their usual crops, with negative effects on the farmers' income (ref B). (Note: On a recent trip to northern Shan State, Emboffs observed many previously productive fields converted to physic nut cultivation. End Note.) In other areas, local villagers are forced to guard railway lines at night, allegedly to prevent sabotage. Anybody who falls asleep while on guard duty is punished. The 88 Student Generation plans to expand efforts to publicize the GOB's myriad human rights violations. They also want to find ways to demonstrate that the regime's National Convention process goes against the wishes of the Burmese people. ¶8. (C) Both activists agreed that the priorities for the USG should be to keep Burma on the UNSC agenda and to persuade regional players, especially China, to exert more pressure on the regime to establish a dialogue with the opposition and begin reforms. They stressed that all sectors of Burmese society must be involved in the reconciliation process for the Burmese people will never accept a unilateral decision by the regime. COMMENT: THE SOUND OF MUSIC ¶9. (C) At a recent Embassy-sponsored concert by an American string quartet, Min Ko Naing revealed that during his fifteen years in prison, he was never allowed to hear music, or even sing. He and Ko Ko Gyi know the authorities are watching closely for any misstep that would give them an excuse to mute their voices and send the former political prisoners back to prison. The activists recognize that they need to act prudently and be content with incremental results, so they are focusing their efforts on bringing pro-democracy groups closer together to work for common goals. We will continue to encourage their brave efforts to help expose human rights abuses by the regime. END COMMENT. STOLTZ