BURMA -- PRESSING GOI ON THE REGIME'S LATEST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002108 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS (SCHEIBE),EAP/RSP, IO NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV UNGA ID BM SUBJECT: BURMA -- PRESSING GOI ON THE REGIME'S LATEST CRACKDOWN REF: A. STATE 121418 ¶B. JAKARTA 2066 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Mission delivered Ref A message regarding the Burmese regime's latest crackdown to Indonesian officials and a key parliamentarian on November 17. Mission underscored the need for continued international pressure in the wake of the harsh sentences imposed on democracy advocates. Indonesian officials took our points on board. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY (Con'd): Mission also reiterated USG points re the Burma resolution in the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee. In the meantime, Indonesian civil society remains engaged on the Burma situation, with a key labor group protesting the regime's actions. END SUMMARY. REITERATING USG CONCERNS ¶3. (C) On November 17, poloff reviewed Ref A message with Kusuma Pradopo, Deputy Director for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU),and with Cicilia Rusdiharini, DEPLU's Deputy Director for North American Affairs. Poloff underscored that the harsh sentences meted out to pro-democracy activists signaled that the regime was continuing the crackdown it began following the September 2007 protests. He also stressed that the regime has failed to work with UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari. These developments and others demonstrated the urgent need for the international community to keep pressure on the regime. ¶4. (C) Pol/C also reviewed the points with Djoko Susilo, the head of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Myanmar Caucus. Susilo--a long-standing advocate of human rights and democracy in Burma--said he would be in contact with fellow parliamentarains and with the GOI on the matter. (Note: Susilo is taking the lead in organizing a series of USG-funded seminars at universities to discuss the Burma situation. The seminars are slated to take place in the next couple of months.) UNGA THIRD COMMITTEE ¶5. (C) Poloff also urged the GOI to oppose a no-action motion on the upcoming Burma resolution in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Third Committee and to support that same resolution when it came to a vote in the full UNGA. (Note: Mission has previously pressed the GOI on the Burma Resolution in the Third Committee--see ref B.) ¶6. (C) Pradopo responded that Indonesia was following the matter closely and agreed that the recent sentences were very harsh. He agreed to review our views on the matter at length with other DEPLU officials. Regarding the UNGA Third Committee resolution, Pradopo noted that last year Indonesia opposed the no-action motion and abstained on the resolution. This, he added, brought a strong protest from the Burmese ambassador in Jakarta. Pradopo said Indonesia remained concerned about the matter but had not yet decided how it would vote this year as GOI officials were still reviewing the draft text of the resolution and discussing the matter with other delegations in New York. ¶7. (C) Pol/C also urged Susilo and his DPR colleagues to press the GOI to take a firm stand on the issue and press for positive Indonesian action in the UNGA Third Committee. INDONESIAN LABOR ENGAGED ¶8. (SBU) On the civil society front, human rights and labor JAKARTA 00002108 002 OF 002 groups remain engaged on the Burma issue. Most recently, the Indonesian Seafarers' Union protested the regime's latest actions in a letter to the GOI and the Burmese Embassy in Jakarta. Union officials also pointed to the regime's continued refusal to adhere to international standards re workers' rights. To press this point further, the union organized a protest in front of a visiting Burmese merchant ship. HUME