AMB. REES RAISES RAPE IN BURMA WITH ASEAN SYG ONG

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

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2017
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL ASEAN BM ID
SUBJECT: AMB. REES RAISES RAPE IN BURMA WITH ASEAN SYG ONG

REF: A. A) STATE 20000


B. B) JAKARTA 429

Classified By: POLITICAL OFFICER SANJAY RAMESH FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) and
(d)


1. (C) Summary: On Feb. 19, Special Representative for
Social Issues, Amb. Grover Joseph Rees, conveyed the USG
concern over Burma's use of rape as an instrument of policy
to ASEAN Secretary-General (SYG) Ong Keng Yong. Amb. Rees
pushed for ASEAN support of a UN Human Rights Council (HRC)
resolution on Burma, and asked ASEAN to press the Burmese
junta to stop this intolerable practice. Ong believed ASEAN
could have some influence over Burma, and promised to try to
get leaders to focus on the issue. He continued, however,
that ASEAN always acted by consensus, reducing its ability to
be tough. Courted by both China and India, Burma acts as if
it could do without ASEAN. Nevertheless, Ong suggested
several useful approaches to influence the regime, including
raising rape in the ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting, and
engaging the ASEAN Conference on Women and the ASEAN Social
Welfare and Development Committee. End Summary.

Delivering the Message
--------------


2. (C) On February 19, Special Representative for Social
Issues, Ambassador Grover Joseph Rees, told ASEAN SYG Ong
that Burma and Sudan are the only two countries whose
governments systematically use rape as an official instrument
of violence exclusively against vulnerable minorities. The
Burmese junta used rape to oppress, demoralize, and control
restive minorities. Pointing out that a "gradual roadmap
approach" and incremental measures such as strengthening the
justice system or law enforcement were totally insufficient
to stopping rape in Burma, Amb. Rees urged ASEAN to take
action to push the Burmese junta to stop this gross violation
of human rights. He noted that though the recent UN Security
Council (UNSC) resolution censoring Burma had failed to pass,
it received nine of fifteen votes, and that all the UNSC
members acknowledged the problems that existed within Burma.
He said the USG would provide SYG Ong with several credible
reports documenting widespread rape targeted at minorities
such as the Karen, Shan, and Chin.

ASEAN focused on "grand strategy"
--------------


3. (C) Ong said that "no one in ASEAN condones institutional
rape." While Ong believed that ASEAN needed to act quickly
on such reports, he regretted that with regard to Burma,
ASEAN leaders tended to focus on "the strategic level,
without ever getting into the details." In the past Ong had
tried, without much success, to get ASEAN leaders to focus on
pressing human rights issues in Burma such as forced labor
and HIV, but discussion "always remained stuck at the
strategic level of the roadmap." Ong also said that ASEAN's
ability to decisively tackle controversial issues was limited
by its institutional mandate to proceed by consensus. Ong
noted that while in theory the SYG did not have the ability
to place items on the ASEAN agenda, he would do his best to
get leaders "to focus on this issue by whispering in a few
important ears."

ASEAN "flabbergasted" by Burmese regime
--------------


4. (C) Ong told Ambassador Rees that ASEAN was often
"flabbergasted" by the Burmese regime's attitude that "they
could easily do without ASEAN." He attributed this to China
and India's courtship of Burma without regard to human rights
violations and lack of democracy. As a result, Burma was
really focused on its bilateral relationship with these two
countries. ASEAN was trying to get China and India to help
promote change "at least in functional areas such as
education or disease control because even in these areas the
Burmese government does not engage with ASEAN." Ong argued
that the Chinese and Indian role in Burma and reluctance to
push for change significantly reduced ASEAN's leverage over
the regime.

SYG suggests tactics to influence Burma
--------------


5. (C) Ong believed that an HRC resolution would not hurt
Burma because the junta "already believed the HRC was
politicized and unfriendly." Rather, he recommended that the
USG engage other unspecified UN bodies to focus on rape in
Burma. Ong also suggested that the ASEAN senior official
meeting, composed of foreign ministry directors-general, was
a potentially useful forum in which to try and raise the

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issue. He advised the USG try to approach the ASEAN
Conference on Women and ASEAN Social Welfare and Development
Committee to consider rape in Burma because ASEAN dialogue
partners - including Japan and South Korea, countries with
influence over Burma - actively participated in these bodies.
Ong noted that a few years ago ASEAN had passed a
declaration on violence against women and children, which
could possibly be used as a basis to raise the rape issue in
these bodies. Despite his earlier assertion on the limits of
ASEAN influence, Ong said "I still believe we can get
somewhere if we in ASEAN focus on this issue."


6. (C) In addition to working through international
organizations like the UN or ASEAN, Ong also advised the USG
to raise rape with Burma parliamentary caucus groups in Asia.
He noted that many Asian parliaments included such caucuses
which were deeply concerned about the dismal state of human
rights in Burma. Another useful strategy, he suggested,
involved collaborating with international and regional human
rights NGOs to embarrass the Burmese junta. He noted that
the Burmese regime had taken some positive steps to address
child labor due to pressure from the International Labor
Organization (ILO) and civil society.


7. (U) This message has been cleared by Ambassador Rees.

HEFFERN