BRUNEI FRUSTRATED WITH BURMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000200

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS:COPE AND EAP/MTS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2018
TAGS: PGOV EAID BX
SUBJECT: BRUNEI FRUSTRATED WITH BURMA

REF: A. SECSTATE 68527

B. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 178

Classified By: CDA Justin Friedman, reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)


1. (C) Charge delivered ref A points on June 30 to Datin
Hajah Maimunah Elias, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade (MoFAT) emphasizing that a united
front by the international community had be key to the small,
and apparently short-lived behavioral changes observed from
the regime in response to the cyclone. Maimunah responded
that Brunei had delivered additional financial assistance to
the Burmese Government as it had previously pledged (ref B).
She continued that Brunei was frustrated by the regime's
response to Cyclone Nargis. Reporting from the Brunei
Embassy in Burma verified and echoed ref A concerns about the
distribution of aid and access to remote regions hit by the
cyclone.


2. (C) Maimunah said that other ASEAN members, naming
Singapore specifically, were similarly at a loss as to how
impel behavioral change by the Burma regime. She said that
Brunei would review closely the ASEAN needs assessment before
considering any further humanitarian assistance.


Visit Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan's classified web site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/bandarseribeg awan/
FRIEDMAN