BURMESE GOVERNMENT DEPORTS TWO AMERICAN JOURNALISM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000266 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2018 TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL CVIS CASC BM KPAO SUBJECT: BURMESE GOVERNMENT DEPORTS TWO AMERICAN JOURNALISM TRAINERS REF: A. RANGOON 260 ¶B. RANGOON 264 RANGOON 00000266 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: APAO Drake Weisert; section 1.4 (b) and (d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Burmese Police and Immigration officials ordered two Embassy-sponsored journalism trainers to depart the country on Thursday, May 7. Officially, authorities accused the two of violating the terms of their tourist visas but provided no details concerning the alleged illegal activities. Contacts within the police Special Branch (SB) told us that the two had visited anti-regime comedians The Moustache Brothers and interviewed monks in Mandalay, but the trainers deny the claims. One possible explanation is that the government decided to deport the trainers due to sensitivities about the presence of U.S. journalists in country following the arrest of an Amcit who reportedly swam to Aung San Suu Kyi's house (Ref B). Before the trainers departed, they signed a privacy act waiver for family and friends but did not authorize discussion of their case with the press; see para 7 for proposed press guidance. End summary. Forced to Leave the Country -------------- ¶2. (C) On the evening of Wednesday, May 6, officers from SB and Immigration met Amcits Karen Coates and Jerry Redfern (who are married to each other) in the lobby of their hotel in Mandalay as they returned from dinner. Coates and Redfern had just completed their final day of training on feature writing and photography in Mandalay, after finishing two weeks of similar workshops in Rangoon. The officials told an Embassy locally employed (LE) staff member, who was also at the hotel, that Nay Pyi Taw had sent orders for Coates and Redfern to travel to Rangoon that evening on the next train. The officials provided no explanation for the decision and did not question the Amcits or search their belongings. Two immigration officers accompanied the journalists on the overnight train ride to Rangoon. ¶3. (C) Embassy APAO met the two at the Rangoon train station the following afternoon, where several SB and Immigration officials were also waiting. APAO had a chance to speak with Coates and Redfern for about 10 minutes before the officers drove the pair to the airport, then to a downtown Immigration office, then back to the airport (the ;officers couldn't seem to decide what to do with Coates and Redfern - at one point they were arguing amongst themselves over who would have to deal with them). Finally, the officials put Coates and Redfern on an evening flight to Bangkok. Privacy Act Waiver -------------- ¶4. (SBU) An Embassy Consular officer met with Coates and Redfern while at the downtown Immigration office. The two signed Privacy Act Waivers allowing us to contact family and friends, but not the media. Few Details Concerning Grounds for Expulsion -------------- ¶5. (C) According to Coates and Redfern, they did nothing out of the ordinary during their time in Mandalay. Apart from conducting three days of training, they did not visit any tourist sites nor meet with outside individuals other than an owner of a pickled tea leaf distributorship, who they met to discuss Burmese cuisine (Coates is a food writer for Gourmet magazine). The pair say GOB officials never provided any reason for their deportation, beyond a comment by one Immigration official that they had had not stated their actual professions, i.e. journalists, on their visa applications (Note: Embassy-sponsored trainers typically enter the country on tourist visas, and this has never been a problem in the past.) Beyond that, SB and Immigration officials, who were courteous to Coates, Redfern, and Embassy RANGOON 00000266 002.2 OF 002 staff throughout, said they were just following orders. ¶6. (C) Post has since followed up with SB to seek an explanation. SB contacts accused the Amcits of meeting famed comedians and government critics The Moustache Brothers, interviewing monks, and photographing monasteries in Mandalay. When we asked Coates and Redfern, they denied doing any of those things. An SB official told our LE staff member that they had no concerns about the journalism training itself, which covered feature writing and photography. Proposed Press Guidance -------------- ¶7. (C) On May 11 Post received calls from several exile media organizations, including Democratic Voice of Burma and Mizzima, plus VOA and RFA, about this incident. Post proposes the following guidance for the Department in responding to media inquiries: -- We can confirm that two American citizens were deported from Burma on Thursday, May 7. The U.S. Embassy in Rangoon met with the individuals prior to their departure. -- Due to Privacy Act considerations, we cannot provide any further details about this matter. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) During the past year, the Embassy has brought in several trainers to work with local reporters and editors. In many cases - including this one - where the subject matter is innocuous and where word would reach the government anyway (e.g., independent journals often seek the Press Scrutiny Board's okay to participate),we have alerted the authorities in advance to avoid suspicion and misunderstanding. Indeed, Coates and Redfern had been here once before, in January of this year, to conduct workshops. The real reason for their deportation this time is unclear, but might be tied to the arrest on May 6 of an Amcit who reportedly swam to Aung San Suu Kyi's house. It is possible the government did not want foreign journalists following the story. Another theory is that the authorities did not approve of a planned visit by the pair to a pickled tea leaf market in Mandalay. The market, which Coates and Redfern had planned to visit on May 7 at the invitation of the tea leaf distributor, has ties to the Mandalay Trade Union, which is overseen by the government. We will probably never know the whole story; but we intend to continue to bring in trainers to work with local journalists, since that remains an important element of the Mission's efforts here in Burma. DINGER