BURMA -- INDONESIA CONSIDERS STRONGER ACTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 001419

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP
NSC FOR D.WALTON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/27/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV ID BM
SUBJECT: BURMA -- INDONESIA CONSIDERS STRONGER ACTION

Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: President Yudhoyono is considering stronger
Indonesian action in response to the Burmese regime's recent
extension of Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest. As he has done
in the past, Yudhoyono may write to Burmese leader Than Shwe
or dispatch a special envoy to urge reforms. Separately, the
ASEAN Secretariat is quietly pressing Indonesia to appoint an
envoy. Yudhoyono has long believed that Indonesia, with its
own history of democratic transformation from a
military-dominated autocracy, could play an important role in
promoting change in Burma. END SUMMARY.

SBY SAID TO BE "OUTRAGED"


2. (C) The recent decision to sentence Aung San Suu Kyi to
an additional eighteen months of house arrest has "outraged"
President Yudhoyono (SBY),according to Astari Daenuwy, an
international affairs adviser at the Presidential Palace.
Daenuwy told Pol/C on August 26 that Yudhoyono believed the
Burmese action had embarrassed ASEAN in front of the entire
world. As a result, she said, SBY was looking for ways that
Indonesia could play a stronger role pressing for reform in
Burma. Yudhoyono had previously written to Burmese leader
Than Shwe to urge reforms and had sent a special envoy to
make the case personally to Burmese officials. While he
could return to these options, Yudhoyono is reportedly
considering other possibilities as well, Daenuwy remarked.

ASEAN OFFICIALS ENCOURAGE INDONESIAN ENVOY


3. (C) In the meantime, ASEAN officials are quietly
encouraging Indonesia to play a more assertive role on Burma.
This, according to William Sabandar, the Secretary General's
Special Envoy for Post-Nargis Recovery. Sabandar--an
Indonesian national--told POLOFF on the margins of a briefing
at the ASEAN Secretariat (see septel) that he had urged
senior officials in President Yudhoyono's office to appoint
an Indonesian special envoy to Burma. The proposed envoy
would focus first on humanitarian issues and subsequently
address more sensitive matters such as military reform.


4. (C) Sabandar said General (ret'd) Agus Widjoyo is the
leading candidate for the position. Widjoyo, a long-time
advocate for military reform in Indonesia, has previously
traveled to Burma on Yudhoyono's behalf to encourage the
regime to undertake reforms. He is personally close to the
president and was a key figure in the Indonesia-Timor Leste
Commission on Truth and Friendship. Sabandar cautioned,
however, that from what he understood SBY had not yet decided
whether he would appoint an envoy.

NOW MAY BE THE TIME


5. (C) Now may be a good time for Indonesia to take stronger
action on Burma. Yudhoyono, a former general who has now
twice been elected president of Indonesia, believes his
country has a special role to play promoting democracy in
Burma. He believes that Indonesia's transition from a
military-dominated authoritarian government to a
democracy--without widespread reprisals against the
military--could serve as a model for Burma. Indonesia's
success addressing ethnic separatist conflicts in regions
like Aceh could also help show Burma how to tackle similar
problems. Reelected to the presidency with a clear mandate
in July, Yudhoyono--based on our soundings--seems to be
looking for an opportunity for Indonesia to show leadership
on this high-profile international and regional issue.

HUME