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