BURMA/ASEAN -- RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT REGIME

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 002988 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS (COPE),IO, IO/UNP (WICKBERG) NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV ID BM SUBJECT: BURMA/ASEAN -- RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT REGIME PARTICIPATION IN UPCOMING MEETINGS REF: A. STATE 148528 ¶B. JAKARTA 2956 AND PREVIOUS ¶C. RANGOON 1057 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4(b)(d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Pol/C reviewed Ref A points with Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU) contacts. They said the GOI was under a great deal of pressure domestically not to treat upcoming ASEAN-related summits as "business as usual." That said, Indonesia and other member-states had not yet decided how to handle the matter of the Burmese regime,s participation. A high-level legislator told Pol/C that the GOI needed to take "a stand" re Burma at the upcoming summit meetings. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Pol/C reviewed reftel points with Giudadi Sasongko, DEPLU,S Deputy Director for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, October 25. In a separate meeting, Pol/C also reviewed the points with the North America Desk. Pol/C underscored that the Indonesian government should work with other ASEAN member-states on appropriate actions to take re Burmese participation at upcoming summit meetings. At the very least, it would be totally inappropriate to handle the matter of attendance in a "business as usual" way. The U.S. encourages Indonesia to continue to issue statements that reference the crackdown and its brutality, and to express support for UN Special Envoy Gambari,s mission. Failure by ASEAN in this area will undermine the organization's reputation, as its September 27 Foreign Ministers, statement noted. ¶3. (C) Responding, Sasongko fully agreed that matters could not be handled in a "business as usual" way. The GOI was under a lot of pressure from domestic groups, including the national legislature (DPR) and civil society, regarding Burma. Indonesia and other member states, however, had not yet decided how to handle the matter of the Burmese regime's participation in any of the meetings. When Pol/C asked when such decisions would be made, Sasongko replied that he was not sure. Pol/C noted that Indonesia--whose nationals represent about half of the population in ASEAN--had a great deal of influence in the organization and should use that to send a clear message to the regime that its actions were not acceptable. ¶4. (C) In an October 23 meeting, Theo Sambuaga, the Chief of Commission I dealing with foreign and security affairs in the DPR, told Pol/C that he and his DPR colleagues were fully aware of the ASEAN summit meeting schedule. He said he was using his influence with the GOI to emphasize the need for ASEAN to take a stand re Burma at the upcoming meetings. It would be "politically damaging" for the government, he allowed, if Indonesian officials were seen to be "too close and friendly" to high-level representatives of the Burmese regime at any such meeting. (Note: October 25 editorials in two prominent Indonesian newspapers blasted what was seen as the lack of coordinated international and ASEAN action against the Burmese regime.) HUME