DEMARCHE TO LAO MFA: URGING AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENTIANE 000227 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS (EMERY AND SCHEIBE) E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/13/2019 TAGS: BM LA PGOV PHUM PREL SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO LAO MFA: URGING AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S RELEASE REF: SECSTATE 46562 Classified By: Ambassador Ravic Huso for reasons 1.4 (b and d) ¶1. (SBU) A/DCM met with MFA ASEAN Department Deputy Director General Kham-Inh Khitchadeth May 14 to deliver subject demarche. Neither DDG Kham-Inh nor his Director General had been available earlier in the week. By the time the meeting took place, media reports had begun to circulate that Aung Sang Suu Kyi had been taken to Insein Prison. ¶2. (C) DDG Kham-Inh first cited the difficulty of ASEAN countries interfering in the internal affairs of other ASEAN members but immediately went on to say that Laos has been trying to play a positive role with Burma for a number of years. He admitted Laos was in a "dilemma," with close relations to Burma as well as being close to the international community and the United States. Kham-Inh cited the fact that Laos and the United States did not break diplomatic relations in 1975 as Vietnam had -- and confirmed Lao officials understand both the U.S. position regarding Burma and ASSK and "the emotion" with which the United States views this issue. ¶3. (C) Kham-Inh asked about U.S. views of a possible election in Burma. A/DCM responded that any process to resolve the future of Burma that did not include ASSK's participation would not be credible to the international community. Releasing her from house arrest at the end of May would be a major step forward. Continuing the house arrest for another year or moving her from house arrest to prison would be very negative steps. ¶4. (C) DDG Kham-Inh noted that the 27-member ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) would be held in Phuket, Thailand, May 18-20. He predicted many countries will raise the issue of ASSK's future at the SOM. Kham-Inh also pointed out that the ten ASEAN countries would likely discuss the situation at a pre-SOM coordinating meeting. He promised to share the discussion within the ASEAN coordinating meeting with the U.S. delegation to the SOM. HUSO