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

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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