STAFFDEL WEIL/LEE DISCUSSES ASSISTANCE AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 RANGOON 000604 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO EAID BM SUBJECT: STAFFDEL WEIL/LEE DISCUSSES ASSISTANCE AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN BURMA RANGOON 00000604 001.2 OF 004 (U) This document is sensitive but unclassified. Please handle accordingly. SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) professional staff members Lynne Weil, Jessica Lee, and Dennis Halpin visited Burma August 27-30 to assess USG assistance programs and public diplomacy outreach efforts. In separate meetings with officials from the Ministries of Social Welfare and Information, Weil and Lee stressed the importance of access to U.S.-funded project sites, the free flow of information in Burma, and the need for democratic reform. In meetings with all three staff members, representatives from the National League for Democracy (NLD) and ethnic political parties cited ongoing government oppression and voiced their concerns about the elections scheduled for 2010. Business contacts and foreign diplomats reported that sanctions have had unintended harm and have led to a "brain drain;" however, the business leaders noted that targeted sanctions contained in the JADE Act had caused some financial pain for regime cronies. ¶2. (SBU) UN officials and NGO contacts described the challenging operating environment in Burma but stressed that they are able to deliver aid to Cyclone Nargis-affected areas effectively. The Staffdel viewed U.S. Nargis assistance first hand, visiting recovery assistance projects in the Irrawaddy Delta and speaking with recipients and aid workers. Staff from the American Center in Rangoon described their efforts to empower and train community groups nationwide. At a public diplomacy roundtable, contacts from local organizations described their efforts to strengthen civil society inside the country and thanked the USG for its support. End summary. Staffdel Members -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The HFAC Staffdel was comprised of Lynne Weil (Communications Director, Rep. Berman, D-CA); Jessica Lee (Professional Staff Member, Berman); and Dennis Halpin (Professional Staff Member, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, R-FL). They visited Burma from August 27-30, focusing primarily on U.S. assistance and public diplomacy programs, as well as political and economic conditions in the country. Ministry of Social Welfare: Emergency Phase is Over -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Staffdel members Weil and Lee met with Aung Tun Khaing, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement, and other staff from the Ministry's Department of Social Welfare (DSW). Aung Tun Khaing explained that his ministry has primary responsibility for recovery and rehabilitation in the Delta. He said the ministry currently maintains memorandums of understanding (MOUs) for 48 NGOs with operations in the Delta and coordinated the delivery of more than USD 4 million in in-kind and cash contributions through the Tripartite Core Group (TCG). He expressed a desire for a closer relationship with the United States. ¶5. (SBU) Noting the importance of access to aid project sites for monitoring and assessment, Weil and Lee questioned GOB decisions to abolish streamlined TCG visa approvals related to Nargis relief and UN helicopter service to the Delta. Aung Tun Khaing explained that both the helicopter and TCG facilitation of visas were necessary for the emergency phase following the cyclone, arguing that the situation had now returned to normal. Lee explained that the U.S. Congress was considering increased assistace to the Burmese people, and emphasized that suh increases required assurances of continued acces for international NGO staff and U.S. officials i order to carry out monitoring, evaluation, and oversight responsibilities. Ministry of Information: Journalism Training and Censorship -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Staffdel members Weil and Lee met with Ye Htut, Deputy Director General of the Department of Information and Public Relations in the Ministry of Information (MOI),and Tint Swe, Director of the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department. In response to Weil's interventions on the importance of press freedom, Ye Htut said he hopes to see an expansion of press freedom in Burma in the coming years, including prior to the 2010 elections. Weil noted that a free press is critical for a democracy and free and fair elections. When asked, Ye Htut offered no details on the upcoming election law or its release date. He described the senior generals as suspicious of U.S intentions, saying they will not RANGOON 00000604 002 OF 004 "unclench their fists" unless they know they are not threatened. Small gestures, such as referring to the country as "Myanmar", will make a big difference, he said. Lee added that accurate information is critical when the U.S. Congress assesses policy matters related to Burma, including humanitarian assistance. ¶7. (SBU) Ye Htut thanked the Embassy for its active journalism training program for privately-owned publications. However, he urged the USG to include reporters from state-run media and officials from MOI in trainings and exchange programs, saying, "If you want to change us you have to train us." CDA, a.i. explained that the Embassy is prohibited from providing direct assistance to the Burmese government. Weil added that the U.S. Congress is unlikely to relax such restrictions unless Burma introduces real political reforms. Ye Htut also thanked the Embassy for providing videotapes of two English teaching VOA-TV programs to air on state-run television. This will be the first time since the 1980s that American programs have appeared on Burmese television. NLD: "Promote Democracy and Human Rights in Burma" -------------- ¶8. (SBU) In an hour-long meeting with all three staff members, NLD Central Executive Committee members (aka the Uncles) expressed their hope for a democratic Burma, but noted concerns about continued GOB human rights violations and the plight of political prisoners. The NLD leaders said they are not worried about the future of the party, noting a resurgence of interest in the party among youth. NLD leaders discussed the plan of Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK) to appeal her trial verdict, and told the Staffdel about recited examples of regime human rights violations. The staff members asked the Uncles to inform ASSK of Congress's intent to present her with the Congressional Gold Medal in the fall. When the staffers asked what message the NLD wanted them to take back to Washington, the NLD leaders said, "Use your liberty to promote democracy and human rights in Burma." Ethnic Groups Anxious for Change -------------- ¶9. (SBU) In their meeting with the Staffdel, representatives of several ethnic minority groups, expressed concern about recent violence in the Kokang region. China probably could act as an effective mediator in the short-term, they posited, but not in the long-term because of the fundamental dispute between ethnic groups and the government: the SPDC won't amend the constitution to explicitly outline ethnic rights. The ethnic leaders observed that recent SPDC violence against ethnic groups and monks have caused the junta to "lose face" in the international community. They believe the regime will look for ways to create space to cooperate with various ethnic groups, but they remain doubtful the 2010 elections will provide that space. They urged Staffdel members not to trust the outcome of the elections, commenting that the result will not represent a true democracy. One of the interlocutors asked that Congress support those struggling inside the country and not just exile groups, noting that exile efforts have not resulted in any appreciable change in Burma. NGOs: We Can Provide Effective Aid -------------- ¶10. (SBU) At a dinner hosted by CDA, the Staffdel met with representatives of four international NGOs operating in Burma: The Burnet Institute, CARE, International Rescue Committee (IRC),and Marie Stopes International (MSI). Participants focused on the operational challenges and opportunities in Burma, as well as the persistent humanitarian need, both in the cyclone-affected Delta and the rest of the country. The NGO representatives said their organizations have been able to provide assistance effectively despite the difficult operating environment, and offered examples of how they ensure the integrity of their provision of services and commodities to avoid misappropriation by authorities. All expressed some concern, however, about the possibility of tighter GOB restrictions on their activities in the run up to the 2010 elections. Meeting UN Agencies -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Staffdel members met with country representatives from the World Food Programme (WFP),the United Nations Development Program (UNDP),the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),and the International Labor Organization (ILO). The representatives briefed the Staffdel on their ongoing programs in Burma, including the increase in assistance efforts in the wake of Cyclone Nargis. They highlighted the challenging operating RANGOON 00000604 003.2 OF 004 environment they too face in Burma, with delayed visa issuances by the GOB leading their list of bureaucratic impediments. Like the NGO reps, however, the UN officials explained how they are able to pursue their objectives. The Staffdel emphasized that the U.S. public and their elected representatives would continue to consider reasonable access to assistance sites, necessary for proper monitoring, as a requirement for USG assistance to Burma. Business Contacts Discuss Sanctions -------------- ¶12. (SBU) In a meeting with Staffdel member Halpin, two leading Burmese economists and a businessman said that while earlier general sanctions adversely affected "regular" people, the more targeted JADE Act has caused some financial pain for regime cronies. However, Chinese investment and trade undermine the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions overall. Sanctions push Burma into China's "camp" by making partnerships with China the only viable option for the regime, said one participant. Two industries where U.S. sanctions have caused collateral damage are garments and seafood products, according to the economic experts. Sanctions are circumvented by repackaging Burmese seafood in Bangladesh for re-export to the U.S. and sending garments to other Asian countries or even Mexico for re-export to the U.S. The contacts also said that young and motivated Burmese are going abroad as refugees, migrant workers, and students to avoid the economic wreck wrought by the junta. Diplomats Discuss Sanctions and ASEAN -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Staffdel member Halpin also met with Rangoon-based diplomats from the UK, Singapore, and Australia to discuss sanctions and Burma's future in ASEAN. Some of the participants said that sanction have damaged the export-oriented middle class in Burma and encouraged an illegal underground economy. Participants urged Staffdel members to look for areas of mutual interest in which to cooperate with the regime (e.g., avian influenza, counter-narcotics, and other humanitarian issues),noting that other undemocratic countries in the region have progressed economically with this type of cooperation. In response to Halpin's comments concerning the priority Congress places on Burma, the Singapore diplomat said, "Burma is a sideshow." She argued that ASEAN member-countries have far greater interests elsewhere in the region, highlighting Thailand's political situation, Vietnam's economic situation, continued ASEAN integration, and Muslim extremist groups in Indonesia. Participants commented to Staffdel that the 2010 elections could be an event that changes the political landscape. Delta Visit -------------- ¶14. (SBU) The Staffdel, accompanied by CDA and other Embassy officers, traveled by car and boat to USG-funded project sites in the Irrawaddy Delta. The delegation visited three villages in Kungyangon Township, located approximately 50 miles south of Rangoon. Escorted by Debbie Aung Din Taylor of U.S.-funded International Development Enterprises (IDE),the staff members participated in a community meeting in a cyclone-affected village with a large landless population, toured family homes rehabilitated through small shelter grants for cane walls and thatch roofing materials, and observed local small-hold (1 acre) farmers using IDE-developed irrigation systems. Beneficiaries universally expressed gratitude for U.S. assistance and asked that it continue. For their part, the staff members ensured the Burmese that the Congress and people of the United States remained concerned for their welfare. The American Center -------------- ¶15. (SBU) The Staffdel visited the American Center (AC) in Rangoon and met with staff, students, teachers, and public diplomacy (PD) contacts. The staffers toured the AC, which has 18,000 current members, observing the library, internet labs, and classrooms. PD staff briefed on the range of courses taught to approximately 1,000 students each year, and described plans to move the AC from its current leased location to the USG-owned former Marine Security Guard Quarters near the Embassy. PD staff also briefed the staff members on the Jefferson Center reading room in Mandalay, which is housed in a former U.S. Consulate building and opened to the public in 2008; it has 2,000 members. ¶16. (SBU) The Staffdel met with students from the AC's Community Empowerment Training (CET) program, which provides intensive courses on project development, communication, grant writing, and other important skills for community organizers. The Staffdel also met RANGOON 00000604 004 OF 004 two World Learning staff, who run programs at the AC on teacher training, "training of trainers," and online distance learning. Both the CET and World Learning programs have expanded their reach during the past year to all parts of the country with the aim of creating a network of local, self-sustaining trainers. The Staffdel also attended a roundtable with PD contacts from local organizations, including the Myanmar Institute of Theology, the Myanmar-U.S. Friendship Exchange Association, and the Access Microscholarship program. The contacts, many of them beneficiaries of USG exchange programs, described the difficulties of working in Burma and expressed thanks to the USG for providing assistance and support inside Burma. ¶17. (U) Lynne Weil has cleared this cable. VAJDA