STAFFDEL YEO FOCUSES ON REFUGEES, IDPS AND BURMESE POLITICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CHIANG MAI 000010

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE PASS HFAC (YEO, RICHARDSON)
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, IO, DRL AND H
GENEVA FOR RMA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/10/2018
TAGS: PREL PREF PHUM PGOV SOCI TH BM
SUBJECT: STAFFDEL YEO FOCUSES ON REFUGEES, IDPS AND BURMESE POLITICAL
GROUPS

REF: 07 CHIANG MAI 179 (REFUGEES BEMOAN BURMESE EXILES); 07 CHIANG MAI 160 (BURMA BORDER CROSSING QUIET)

CHIANG MAI 00000010 001.2 OF 003


CLASSIFIED BY: alex barrasso, Chief, pol/econ, chiang mai.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) In meetings with Staffdel Yeo, some politically active
Burmese exile groups requested stronger U.S. sanctions against
Burma, claimed to play a significant role in organizing recent
protests inside Burma, and asked for U.S. support for a
constitution they drafted as an alternative to the Burmese
regime's National Convention. Humanitarian assistance groups
highlighted an ever-increasing workload. The Staffdel - during
a three-day trip to the Thai-Burma border in early January -
conveyed strong Congressional support for change in Burma,
described Congressional efforts to enhance sanctions, and
praised the efforts of groups on the border. End Summary.


2. (SBU) The six-member delegation from the House Foreign
Affairs Committee was led by Deputy Staff Director Peter Yeo,
and included professional staff members Eric Richardson, Douglas
Anderson, Dennis Halpin, Manpreet Anand, and Cobb Mixter. They
traveled to Mae Sot, Tak Province from January 4-6 for meetings
with UNHCR, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners,
the Mae Tao Clinic, Political Defiance Committee, National
Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB - an umbrella organization
of Burmese exile groups),the Palaung Women's Organization,
National League for Democracy Liberated Areas, and Human Rights
Watch. They also visited Mae La Refugee Camp and met with
politically-active Burmese who recently migrated to Thailand.
Initially, Thai security officials intrusively photographed the
delegation during meetings, but the unwelcome attention stopped
after discussions with the Foreign Ministry and local
authorities.

--------------
Refugees - Still Only a Trickle
--------------


3. (C) About 200 Burmese have crossed the border into Thailand
and approached UNHCR seeking protection due to their
participation in the protests last August and September,
according to Mae Sot UNHCR delegation head Yoshimi Saita, who
briefed the Staffdel over lunch on January 4. Saita said that
initially, UNHCR issued Provincial Admission Board (PAB) slips
to all Burmese claiming to have participated in the
demonstrations, but stopped issuing these slips at the end of
November when the credibility of the applicants became
increasingly suspect. Saita noted, however, that UNHCR intended
to resume processing this caseload the week of January 7. He
stressed that UNHCR could not make final status determinations
in these cases due to the lack of an agreement between it and
Thailand, and that this responsibility would fall to the PABs,
which he said should begin operating again in the near future.


4. (C) In response to a question from the Staffdel, Saita
speculated that the population of the nine camps in Thailand
housing Burmese refugees could be halved to approximately 70,000
within three years. He also stated that approximately half of
all Burmese refugees in the camps were interested in
resettlement to a third country. He said that number would
probably be higher were it not for provisions in U.S. law
preventing combatants from the Karen National Liberation Army
(the military wing of the Karen National Union - KNU) and other
armed groups from resettling that had scared some away. Yeo
pointed out that legislation recently signed into law had
changed these provisions, extending the option of resettlement
to former combatants who were previously ineligible.


5. (C) After lunch with Saita, the group visited Mae La refugee
camp, which is home to approximately 41,100 refugees from Burma,
most of whom have lived there since 1995. According to Camp

CHIANG MAI 00000010 002.2 OF 003


Commander Akkarapan, the camp was established to consolidate
refugees into one secure area and prevent Democratic Karen
Buddhist Army (DKBA - a pro-regime KNU splinter group) troops
from crossing the border and kidnapping refugees, as happened
repeatedly when the refugees were more spread out. He said the
camp's population is approximately 50 percent Christian, 35
percent Buddhist, and 15 percent Muslim. The biggest challenges
he faces include crime resulting from drug and alcohol use,
sanitation, the presence of unauthorized family members on camp
grounds, domestic violence, and a lack of family planning, he
asserted. Additionally, Akkarapan noted that Thai residents in
surrounding villages are resentful of the fact that Burmese
refugees in the camp receive international aid while they
receive absolutely none. Camp committee members told the
delegation that when the U.S. resettlement program was first
announced, 20,000 residents of Mae La Camp applied, of which
approximately 9,000 have since been resettled. Since then, they
said, some have withdrawn their applications, and others whose
applications are pending have yet to receive a response. Some
families that have resettled tell them they are happy, committee
members said, while others speak of difficulties assimilating,
particularly linguistically.

-------------- --------------
--------------
IDPS and Migrants: Humanitarian Needs Growing
-------------- --------------
--------------


6. (C) In separate meetings at the Mae Tao Clinic and Palaung
Women's' Organization (PWO),interlocutors spoke openly about a
number of problems they face, including high rates of HIV
infection, malaria, TB, an increasing number of school-aged
children crossing from Burma into Thailand, and trafficking in
persons. Dr. Cynthia Maung, Director and Founder of the Mae Tao
Clinic, told the group that last year, approximately 1,500
people voluntarily underwent HIV testing, with nearly 30 percent
testing positive. Malaria and TB remain significant problems,
she noted, comprising a substantial portion of the Clinic's case
load. (Note: According to Ref A, the Clinic treats
approximately 8,000 cases of TB and 300 of malaria each year.
End Note.) Of the estimated 150,000 Burmese residing in Mae Sot,
Dr. Cynthia speculated that as many as 30,000 were of school
age. Right now, the number served by Burmese-language schools
in the community is only 8,000, meaning that only roughly one
fourth of Burmese school-aged children living in the Mae Sot
area actually attend classes.


7. (C) Though Mae La Camp Committee members told the
delegation that trafficking in persons was not a problem inside
the camp, they noted that Burmese outside the camp were indeed
at risk. The Palaung Women's Organization discussed its efforts
to combat the problem, highlighting its programs to educate
women about their rights and family planning. The PWO provides
training on gender-based violence, including rape, domestic
violence, sexual harassment, trafficking in persons, and
capacity-building training on democracy and political awareness.
It also provides adolescent and reproductive health training to
Palaung women in Burma, including through a mobile health
clinic, and in China in areas such as human trafficking and
women's rights.


8. (C) The organization conducts an internship and
capacity-building program for young Palaung to gain skills in
computer literacy, English language, office management, and
income generation. In a separate meeting with these women on
January 7, they told Pol/Econ Chief and visiting Rangoon PolOff
that after this training, women understood it was not right for
their husbands or brothers to beat them and were able to
advocate for their rights. They related one incident in which a
Palaung woman's brothers beat her regularly if they did not like
the food she cooked for them, intimating that this was not
uncommon. In another case, they told us that a former Palaung
State Liberation Army soldier realized that he beat his wife
daily simply because that is what his father did, but that after
women in his village went to the training, he realized it was

CHIANG MAI 00000010 003.2 OF 003


wrong and stopped.

-------------- --------------
--------------
Political Groups Embellish Their Role in Protests
-------------- --------------
--------------


9. (C) In separate meetings with NCUB Secretary General Maung
Maung and NCUB member groups such as the Political Defiance
Committee and National League for Democracy Liberated Areas,
exiles spoke of a significant role for their groups in the
August-September protests, though they were unable to specify
exactly what activities they had undertaken. They spoke in
general terms about assisting activists inside the country to
communicate with each other, but did not elaborate on their
networks. Maung Maung told the group that the Burmese regime is
"in chaos," and strongly urged the delegation to strengthen U.S.
sanctions. Particularly, he opined that legislation forcing
Chevron to divest from its projects in Burma was key, asserting
that oil and gas revenues had allowed the regime to consolidate
power in 1988.


10. (C) Yeo noted that this provision might not be included in
the final version of the Jade Act. He expressed much greater
optimism about passage of provisions restricting the import of
gems and teak, stating that he hoped they would be enacted into
law early this year. Maung Maung also requested USG support for
a constitution drafted by NCUB groups that he viewed as an
alternative to the regime's National Convention. Though Yeo
demurred on that point, he made sure to emphasize strong
Congressional support for sanctions against Burma in general and
for change in Burma. He emphasized that both the President and
First Lady were engaged, and that support from Congress was
bipartisan.

--------------
Comment
--------------


11. (C) Exile groups' claims to have played a significant role
in the August-September protests directly contradict what
participants now residing in Thailand have told us. Septel will
report on meetings the Staffdel held with three monks and
several other politically-active Burmese now in Thailand, all of
whom told us the demonstrations were organized from the inside,
with exile groups playing a minor supporting role.
Additionally, the exile groups' inability to specify exactly how
they supported the demonstrations further detracts from their
claims.


12. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassies Rangoon and
Bangkok.


13. (U) The Staffdel did not have an opportunity to clear this
message.
MORROW