BURMA REFERENDUM: DEMARCHE TO LAO GOVERNMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENTIANE 000183

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM LA BM
SUBJECT: BURMA REFERENDUM: DEMARCHE TO LAO GOVERNMENT

REF: STATE 26677

Classified By: Mary Grace McGeehan, Charge d'Affaires a.i. Reason: 1.4
b and d.


1. (C) Summary: Charge delivered Reftel demarche to Deputy
Director General for Asia and the Pacific Viroth Soundara on
March 19. Mr. Viroth said that the GOL supports the roadmap
process and will assess its success in creating a more
representative system once it concludes. The Charge urged
the GOL to press quietly for a more representative process
even if it does not speak out publicly. Mr. Viroth said that
the GOL expects the Burmese government to carry out its
commitments to ASEAN (which include cooperation with Special
Adviser Gambari). He said that Laos, as a neighboring
country, has a special interest in ensuring that Burma does
not become increasingly unstable and has urged Burmese
authorities to accelerate efforts to reconcile with the Shan
state, which borders Laos. End summary.


2. (C) The Charge met with MFA's Deputy Director General
for Asia and the Pacific Viroth Soundara on March 19 to
deliver Reftel demarche on Burma. The Charge emphasized that
Laos, which shares a border with Burma and maintains a close
bilateral relationship, is in a good position to quietly
press the Burmese government to cooperate with Special
Adviser Gambari and begin a credible dialogue on a transition
to democracy.


3. (C) Mr. Viroth said that the Lao government has been
closely following the situation in Burma from its embassy
there. He noted that Laos and Burma are "good neighbors" and
that they frequently exchange high-level visits. Mr. Viroth
said that Laos's landlocked position makes it particularly
important for it to maintain good relations with neighboring
countries. Laos, he said, continues to support the basic
principal of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN),i.e., non-interference in each other's internal
affairs. Mr. Viroth said that the GOL supports the Burmese
government in its efforts to implement the roadmap and
believes that the Burmese government needs time to carry out
the roadmap process. The GOL will wait until the election
and then see to what extent the government has changed. Only
at that point will it be possible to assess whether the
Burmese authorities have carried out their commitments.


4. (C) The Charge said that, even if the GOL does not speak
out publicly on Burma, it can play a constructive role by
engaging in quiet dialogue with the Burmese authorities aimed
at achieving a representative process that includes a broad
range of organizations and ethnic groups. Laos, she said,
will be among the countries most affected if Burma descends
into greater instability following an illegitimate process.
She noted that Laos already faces a growing drug addiction
problem as a result of methamphetamine trafficking from Burma
and that there was an ongoing avian influenza outbreak along
the Lao-Burma border.


5. (C) Mr. Viroth said that the GOL expects the Burmese
government to implement all of its promises to ASEAN,
including cooperation with Special Adviser Gambari. He told
the Charge that the Lao Embassy in Burma had reported that
Burmese authorities cooperated with Gambari during his recent
visit. Laos, he said, understands the situation in Burma
better than other ASEAN countries. (Comment: This was an
apparent reference to those ASEAN countries that have
publicly criticized the referendum process. End comment.)
Mr. Viroth said that the GOL understands the importance of
national reconciliation in Burma. It does not want to see
the country split into warring ethnic factions and become
"another Iraq." If this happens, Laos, with its proximity to
the Shan state, will feel the effects. For this reason, he
said, the GOL has urged the Burmese government to accelerate
reconciliation with the Shan. Mr. Viroth added as a personal
aside that Laos also has an interest in a positive resolution
in Burma because the issue has impeded ASEAN's ability to
make progress in other areas.


6. (C) Comment: With its close ties to Burma and its own
non-democratic system, the GOL is highly unlikely to speak
out publicly on Burma. Quiet engagement is more probable.
While he drew from standard GOL talking points on
non-interference and provided a disappointingly upbeat
assessment of Gambari's recent visit, Mr. Viroth was also
frank in discussing the GOL's concerns about instability in
Burma and its impact on Laos. End comment.
McGeehan