BURMESE AMBASSADOR EXPLAINS HIS COUNTRY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 002501 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/J, EAP/MLS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2019 TAGS: PREL BM JA SUBJECT: BURMESE AMBASSADOR EXPLAINS HIS COUNTRY TOKYO 00002501 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission James P. Zumwalt for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Burmese Ambassador to Japan Hla Myint gave an underwhelming presentation on the demographics, history, and political background of his country at the Sasagawa Peace Foundation on October 9. The Ambassador sought to justify his government's brutal policies against political opposition and ethnic minorities and to portray his country as an attractive region for investment. END SUMMARY ¶2. (C) Burmese Ambassador to Japan Hla Myint gave a 60-minute bare bones, statistics-laden power point presentation on the demographics, history, and political background of his country in front of a full crowd at the Sasagawa Peace Foundation on October 9. The Burmese Ambassador was dull and wedded to his talking points but clear and straightforward in his objectives. He sought to justify his government's brutal policies against political opposition and ethnic minorities and to portray his country as an attractive region for investment. ¶3. (C) Hla Myint started the presentation with a lesson in basic Burmese geography and demographics. He provided total population and square area figures, names of littoral and terrestrial borders, and ethnic, racial, and religious numerical breakdowns. He pointed out that Burma comprises more than 130 minority groups and eight distinct major national ethnic races. ¶4. (C) Many of these groups, he claimed, were the source of domestic tension and instability. Since independence in 1948, Burma has been "overwhelmed" with national insurgency stemming from minority ethnic groups and has teetered on "disintegration." Burmese leaders have had to take responsibility and safeguard the nation against "general discontent," "anarchy," and "panic," the Burmese Ambassador explained. He repeated the government refrain that 17 out of 18 armed insurgent groups have "returned" to the "legal fold" and are now "cooperating" with the ruling regime. ¶5. (C) Hla Myint described the mission of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC),the official name of the Burmese military junta. Established in 1997, the SPDC promotes 1) political objectives focused on stability, law and order, national reconsolidation, and building an enduring State Constitution and a modern developed nation; 2) economic objectives focused on agricultural development, improving the nation's market-oriented economic system, and attracting foreign and domestic investment; and 3) social objectives, including uplifting the morale of the nation, safeguarding the nation's cultural heritage and character, and protecting the health, fitness, and education standards of the country. ¶6. (C) The Burmese Ambassador guided his audience through the seven-step Road Map by which his government has sought to build a developed and democratic nation. He highlighted such steps as the drafting of a new Constitution in 2007 and the adoption of the Constitution through a national referendum in ¶2008. He claimed that more than 92 percent of eligible voters approved the new State Constitution. He also mentioned his government's plans to hold free and fair elections at some time in 2010. The Union, he claimed, practices "genuine, disciplined, multi-party democracy." ¶7. (C) The Burmese Ambassador provided a breakdown of the People's Assembly, where one-third of the members of both the House of Representative and House of Nationalities must consist of Defense Services personnel nominated by the Commander-in-Chief. He also provided a slide listing the requisite qualifications of the president and vice president, including restrictions against prospective candidates whose family members are a "subject" or citizen of a foreign country. ¶8. (C) Hla Myint attempted to put a positive spin on his country's economic, trade, and investment climate. He briefly traced the history of Japan-Burma relations, from Japan's wartime regional involvement, to the establishment of TOKYO 00002501 002.2 OF 002 diplomatic ties in 1954, to current cooperation in forums such as ASEAN 3, ASEAN Japan, and ASEAN-Mekong dialogues, including the Second Japan-Mekong Foreign Minister's Meeting in October 2009. Japan is the 13th largest investor in Burma (behind Thailand, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Malaysia, to name a few),according to statistics provided by the Ambassador. The country hosts more than 422 foreign enterprises from 29 countries in 12 economic sectors. Investment opportunities exist in areas such as forestry, tourism, agriculture, gems and mining, energy and hydro-power, livestock breeding, and industry, he explained. Burma also includes 19 "industry zones," 833 government factories, 42,707 private factories, and a 33 million "productive workforce." Seventy percent of Burma's total exports go to Asia, while 90 percent of imports arrive from Asia, he concluded. ROOS