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| Identifier | Subject | Date | Office | Classification | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01RANGOON1171 |
CHINESE QUIETLY SUPPORT REFORM? [...] (C) SUMMARY. THE CHINESE DCM TOLD US THE PRC CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE ONGOING POLITICAL DIALOGUE, AND BELIEVES THE MILITARY REGIME IS SINCERE IN ITS DEALINGS WITH AUNG SAN SUU KYI (ASSK). WHILE HE STATED HIS BELIEF THAT OUTSIDE PRESSURE IS COUNTER- PRODUCTIVE, HE GAVE SOME REASON TO BELIEV [...] |
2001-07-27 11:03:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM PGOV CH BM |
| 02RANGOON1159 |
NLD "UNCLES" APPRECIATE CONTINUED U.S. SUPPORT [...] (C) National League for Democracy Central Executive Committee members ("the uncles") told Chief of Mission on September 9 that they appreciate continued U.S. support for their party and encourage increased pressure on the regime for democratic change. COM Martinez agreed with the uncles that [...] |
2002-09-10 07:32:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM NLD |
| 02RANGOON1167 |
PATRIOT DAY IN RANGOON [...] (U) Some 325 invited guests, including high-ranking GOB military and civilian officials, Aung San Suu Kyi and the senior NLD leadership, Muslim representatives, ethnic leaders, and about 100 resident American citizens gathered September 11 in downtown Rangoon to observe Patriot Day. COM Marti [...] |
2002-09-12 05:43:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PGOV KPAO BM ASSK NLD |
| 02RANGOON1185 |
EU TROIKA IN BURMA [...] (C) Summary: The EU Troika will not recommend any change in the EU's common position on Burma. That is the conclusion of British diplomats who accompanied the team on all of their visits in Yangon. Foreigners were uniformly concerned about deteriorating economic conditions, while Aung San Suu [...] |
2002-09-13 10:04:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL BM |
| 02RANGOON1211 |
ROHINGYA REFUGEE UPDATE [...] (SBU) Summary: The Government of Burma has unofficially told UNHCR that it would accept 5,000 of the remaining 22,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. That would leave a residual 17,000 people in Bangladesh to be locally settled or otherwise accommodated. UNHCR Rohingya repatriation assist [...] |
2002-09-20 00:08:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREF PREL BM BG IN UNHCR |
| 02RANGOON1218 |
RUMORED PROMOTIONS IN THE SPDC [...] (C) Summary: News services are reporting that the State Peace and Development Council has promoted some of its top generals. Although the SPDC has not officially announced the promotions, rumors in Rangoon appear to indicate that at least four of the top Generals may have been promoted. If [...] |
2002-09-20 10:21:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINR BM |
| 02RANGOON1219 |
UNDP BURMA SETTLES IN FOR NEW PHASE [...] (C) Summary: The UNDP is in a holding pattern in Burma as it awaits both UNDP board and Burmese government approval for its ongoing efforts in the countryside. UNDP has no new major projects on the drawing board, but wants more flexibility in its mandate. UNDP's relations remain somewhat roc [...] |
2002-09-20 10:22:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID ECON BM UNDP |
| 02RANGOON1233 |
PREMIER DIVESTS, PETRONAS DIGS IN [...] (C) Summary: Premier Oil's decision to pull up stakes here seems based more on financial necessity than the pressure of boycotts. Petronas, Premier's partial owner and business partner in Burma, agreed to sell back its shares in Premier in exchange for the British firm's position in the Yetagu [...] |
2002-09-25 05:35:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EPET EINV BM |
| 02RANGOON1248 |
BURMESE INVESTMENT CLIMATE STILL HOSTILE [...] (U) As a companion to the recently submitted Burma investment climate statement, we want to summarize the key problems that plague the country. The full text of the investment climate statement will be posted on the National Trade Data Bank and is available via email from wohlauerbv@state.gov [...] |
2002-09-27 05:53:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EINV ETRD BM |
| 02RANGOON1250 |
REGIME FEEDS ON ITS OWN [...] (SBU) Summary: On September 26, the regime sentenced ex-dictator General Ne Win's son-in-law and three grandsons to death by hanging for attempted treason. The son-in-law, one of the grandsons, and some business associates were also sentenced to varying lengths of hard labor for economic cri [...] |
2002-09-27 08:29:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PINS BM |
| 02RANGOON1253 |
IMF: TAKE YOUR ADVICE AND... [...] (C) Summary: IMF proposals for marginal economic reforms in Burma have been brushed aside by the government. Japanese efforts to stimulate interest in reform in return for limited adjustment aid will likely get a similarly cold reception. Nonetheless, international financial bodies and donor [...] |
2002-09-27 09:14:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN ECON BM |
| 02RANGOON1254 |
STRONG ETHNIC SHOWING AT NLD'S 14TH ANNIVERSARY [...] (SBU) Summary: Amidst strong support from Western diplomats and ethnic representatives the NLD celebrated its 14th anniversary on September 27 in downtown Rangoon. NLD leaders called for the SPDC to enter into dialogue without delay for the benefit of the country. An array of leaders from e [...] |
2002-09-27 10:27:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM NLD |
| 02RANGOON1274 |
JAPANESE AMBASSADOR RAISES POLITICAL TRANSITION [...] (C) Summary: Japanese Ambassador Yuji Miyamoto delivered a message from Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi when he presented his credentials to Than Shwe on September 16. According to sources at the Japanese Embassy, Miyamoto also went into some detail about political transition, Japanese aid, an [...] |
2002-10-01 10:35:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL BM JP |
| 02RANGOON1277 |
UPDATE ON RECENT ARRESTS IN RANGOON [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: THIRTY PEOPLE, INCLUDING SEVERAL RELATIVELY WELL-KNOWN POLITICAL ACTIVISTS AND AT LEAST ONE FORMER NLD MEMBER, WERE ARRESTED IN RANGOON ON SEPTEMBER 25. IT IS NOT CLEAR YET WHAT CHARGES HAVE BEEN BROUGHT AGAINST THE THIRTY. THERE ARE HINTS, HOWEVER, THAT THESE ARRESTS MAY BE P [...] |
2002-10-02 04:55:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PHUM PINS BM |
| 02RANGOON1291 |
BURMESE GOVERNMENT REPORTS TO THE USG ON [...] (SBU) Summary: The GOB is prepared to act on human trafficking, but has not put together programs that will fully treat the problem. In a report presented to the Embassy in August, the GOB acknowledges the problem facing Burma and lays out the legislative, enforcement, training, and preventi [...] |
2002-10-04 08:32:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | ELAB PHUM PREL SMIG BM |
| 02RANGOON1292 |
BURMA: BREADBASKET AND BASKET CASE [...] (C) Summary: Persistent reports of unrest at food warehouses and distribution points in Burma suggest the government ration system may be breaking down. If true, then food problems will only become worse for Burma's poorest in coming months as inflation accelerates, the kyat continues its fre [...] |
2002-10-04 09:29:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EAGR PHUM BM |
| 02RANGOON1293 |
DOWNER PUSHES REFORM DURING VISIT TO RANGOON [...] (C) Summary: Australian Foreign Minister Downer told Than Shwe and Khin Nyunt that the GOB should move convincingly to open a political dialogue with the NLD "within the next one to two weeks." He also urged the government to free all political prisoners. Khin Nyunt replied that he "fully su [...] |
2002-10-04 10:14:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM AU BM |
| 02RANGOON1304 |
BURMESE CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE SHAN RAPE CASES [...] (C) Summary: The GOB is continuing its investigation of the Shan rape cases. According to Brigadier General Kyaw Thein, a national intelligence team has investigated the first 71 of the 173 cases cited in the License to Rape report and so far found evidence of rape in five cases. The other [...] |
2002-10-08 08:39:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM BM |
| 02RANGOON1310 |
ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANIZATION CONTACTS [...] (C) Summary: Under pressure from Bangladesh, the Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO) contacted the Karenni National Progressive Party in late August 2002 regarding the possibility of relocating its bases to KNPP-controlled territory on the border between Thailand and Burma. According [...] |
2002-10-10 05:01:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PTER PINS PGOV PREL BG TH BM |
| 02RANGOON1321 |
THAI/BURMESE AGREEMENT TO REOPEN THE BORDER [...] (C) Summary: Thai Permanent Secretary Tej Bunnag told the Burmese October 7 in Rangoon that the Thai cabinet decided to prohibit any Thai-based groups from attacking neighboring countries, according to Thai embassy sources. He also reportedly said that Prime Minister Thaksin so instructed the [...] |
2002-10-11 10:07:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL TH BM |
| 02RANGOON1340 |
BURMA: DARKNESS AT NOON [...] (C) Summary: Power is flowing nearly 24 hours a day in the capital. The government is making this happen through a hodgepodge of policy proclamations, full dams at the hydropower plants, and expensive, and potentially dangerous, stopgap measures. Because of increasing agitation over food pri [...] |
2002-10-16 06:37:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ENRG EPET ECON BM |
| 02RANGOON1343 |
LATEST GOB REPORT ON SHAN RAPES FINDS FIVE OUT OF [...] (U) Summary: On October 16, the GOB presented results of its latest investigation of the allegations contained in the Shan Human Rights Foundation's "Licence to Rape." The GOB claims that it has now re-investigated all 173 cases and found that only five cases bear even any "similarity" to th [...] |
2002-10-16 10:28:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL PHUM BM TH |
| 02RANGOON1354 |
SR PINHEIRO WILL INSIST GOB AGREE TO INVESTIGATION [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: UNSR PINHEIRO BRIEFED EU, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN AND U.S. REPRESENTATIVES ON HIS PLANS OR HIS VISIT TO BURMA AND OUTLINED THREE OPTIONS: -- PLAN A - A JOINT INVESTIGATION BY SPDC, NLD AND ETHNIC REPRESENTATIVES (ALL AGREED THIS IS A NON-STARTER) -- PLAN B - AN INVESTIGATION BY I [...] |
2002-10-18 10:08:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM PREF PREL BM |
| 02RANGOON1355 |
BURMA'S COUNTERNARCOTICS REPORT CARD [...] (U) Summary: Burma has responded well to the criteria outlined in our certification demarche. It has continued to enforce its counternarcotics laws, increased pressure on cease-fire groups such as the United Wa State Army, and sharply reduced the production of opium and heroin within its terr [...] |
2002-10-18 10:10:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR KCRM BM |
| 02RANGOON1366 |
BURMA: JAPANESE UNLIKELY TO PUSH REFORM FINANCING [...] (C) Summary: Japanese experts say that Japan plans to discuss economic reform during Prime Minister Koizumi's meeting with Senior General Than Shwe at the November ASEAN 3 meeting in Phnom Penh. They have also promised to share with us a copy of their proposed program for Burmese structural [...] |
2002-10-23 09:40:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ECIN ECON BM |
| 02RANGOON1378 |
SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR PINHEIRO BRIEFS DIPLOMATS ON [...] (C) Summary: At an October 28 briefing, UN Special Rapporteur Pinheiro told diplomats in Rangoon that during his 12-day visit to Burma he strongly encouraged the SPDC to address continuing human rights abuses. He also encouraged the international community to implement programs that will pro [...] |
2002-10-28 09:22:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM |
| 02RANGOON1387 |
NLD EXPANDS RESIDUAL PARLIAMENTARY BODY [...] (SBU) On October 23 the Committee Representing the Peoples, Parliament (CRPP) announced that it was appointing four new ethnic members and inviting other political parties to join. The CRPP was created by the NLD and ethnic parties in September 1998 to represent the Parliament that was elect [...] |
2002-10-29 08:24:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM NLD |
| 02RANGOON1415 |
BURMA COUNTERNARCOTICS PROGRAM: RESULTS, RESULTS [...] (U) Summary: The GOB has provided a response to our request for additional information on Burma's performance in regard to the criteria set by the U.S. government for certification of its counternarcotics efforts in 2002. Included in the package are: -- statistics on all seizures of narcotic [...] |
2002-11-04 07:57:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SNAR KCRM BM |
| 02RANGOON1418 |
NLD STATUS REPORT: SIX MONTHS AFTER ASSK'S RELEASE [...] (SBU) Summary: Almost six months after her release from house detention, ASSK continues with a disciplined, non-confrontational strategy to rebuild her political forces while attempting to draw the regime into dialogue on national reconciliation. She has succeeded in reviving NLD leadership [...] |
2002-11-04 09:03:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PHUM BM ASSK NLD |
| 02RANGOON1468 |
BURMESE ECONOMY: YES WE HAVE NO BANANAS...OR [...] (SBU) Summary: The regime's continued mismanagement of the Burmese economy has given another push to its downward slide in recent months. The government's increasing reliance on trade restrictions, rather than fiscal and monetary policy measures, has slashed imports and halted temporarily the [...] |
2002-11-14 08:36:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON ETRD EINV EFIN BM |
| 02RANGOON1469 |
U.S. SANCTIONS: DIRECTED AT BURMA OR THE REGION? [...] This is an action message. See paragraph 9. 2. Summary: The United States is now poised to oppose an ADB regional grant for alternative development in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) on the grounds that Burma-specific legislation applies to all such regional grants. That position will [...] |
2002-11-14 09:34:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR EAID BM ADB |
| 02RANGOON1473 |
BURMA'S COUNTERNARCOTICS PROGRAM: MORE DATA, MORE [...] In response to our request (ref D), the Government of Burma has provided a third package of information on its counternarcotics program. The latest package includes an outline of measures that the GOB has taken to implement its new money laundering law, a list of members of the United Wa Stat [...] |
2002-11-15 03:18:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR KCRM BM |
| 02RANGOON1479 |
RAZALI: CAUGHT BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD CASE [...] (C) Summary: Razali told diplomats at an early evening briefing today that the dialog between the NLD and the SPDC appeared to be stalled as much by a personality conflict between Aung San Suu Kyi and Than Shwe as anything else. Each one is imperious in his own way and neither is ready to comp [...] |
2002-11-15 12:47:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL BM |
| 02RANGOON1486 |
THE ILO: SLOWLY ESTABLISHING A WORKING PRESENCE IN [...] (C) Summary: The new ILO liaison officer in Rangoon met with Secretary One General Khin Nyunt this week and received assurances that the SPDC would work with the ILO to address problems with forced labor. She was also told that she can travel freely anywhere she wants in Burma. These assura [...] |
2002-11-18 09:55:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ELAB PHUM PREL BM |
| 02RANGOON1510 |
GOB RELEASES 115 POLITICAL PRISONERS [...] (C) Summary: The GOB released another 115 political prisoners on November 21. The NLD has received the names of 50 NLD members who were released as well as one other who military intelligence mistakenly identified as an NLD member. ICRC received all 115 names. This brings the total number [...] |
2002-11-22 08:48:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV BM NLD |
| 02RANGOON1517 |
BURMA AND IRAQ [...] (S) Summary: An official Burmese delegation headed by the Minister of Forestry traveled to Baghdad in March and concluded agreements to cooperate with the Government of Iraq on trade, banking and finance, oil and gas, scientific research and technical issues, and in other areas. The agreed [...] |
2002-11-25 09:10:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PREL ETRD BM IZ |
| 02RANGOON1544 |
MORE INFORMATION ON BURMA'S COUNTERNARCOTICS [...] The GOB has recently released a bevy of information on its counternarcotics efforts, most of which we have reported in our previous cables (reftels). However, in this cable we are providing some new information as follows: UN Protocol 2. The GOB has decided to accede to the 1972 Protoc [...] |
2002-12-04 09:16:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR BM |
| 02RANGOON1547 |
OPIUM ERADICATION AND THE DECIMATION OF VILLAGES [...] Summary: The fate of Song Keh, a village that was forcibly relocated in 1999 as part of the Wa opium eradication program, illustrates what may happen more broadly in the Wa territories as the Wa push forward with their program. Left to fend for itself with only minimal supplies, almost one-q [...] |
2002-12-05 01:57:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR EAID BM |
| 02RANGOON1553 |
INITIAL MONEY LAUNDERING INVESTIGATIONS IN BURMA [...] (C) Summary: Burma has begun at least two investigations under its new money laundering law. It has frozen assets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and applied to the courts for forfeiture of a variety of property connected with two high-profile narcotics cases. End Summary. 2. (C) B [...] |
2002-12-05 08:44:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SNAR EFIN BM |
| 02RANGOON1555 |
EX-STRONGMAN NE WIN DIES WHILE UNDER DETENTION [...] (C) Summary: Ne Win is dead. The news has not yet hit the streets in Rangoon, but Ne Win's son told the DCM that reports of his father's death were true. Ne Win's death is likely to have little political impact. However, many in Burma will have trouble believing that "the old man" is fina [...] |
2002-12-05 09:48:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV BM |
| 02RANGOON1557 |
BURMA: BANKS AND CONSTRUCTION BOOMS, A BAD MIX [...] (C) Summary: The puzzling construction boom, continuing in Rangoon despite the dismal economy and an unclear demand, is being fueled by speculation by builders and investors. Unfortunately for the economy, private banks have not learned the lessons of Japan and are throwing caution to the wind [...] |
2002-12-06 03:20:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN EIND ECON BM |
| 02RANGOON1558 |
DING DONG NE WIN IS DEAD.....FINALLY! [...] (U) The regime confirmed ex-dictator Ne Win's death with a brief obituary from the family buried on the second to the last page of today's State-controlled newspapers. Tucked between the weather forecast and television schedule, the obituary was a brief statement that Ne Win died at 7:30 in [...] |
2002-12-06 07:27:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV BM |
| 02RANGOON1567 |
RAZALI HEARS THE SAME TUNE ON ECONOMY, UNDP [...] (C) Summary: UN Special Envoy for Burma Razali Ismail, during his November visit to Rangoon, paid a call on the SPDC's Minister for National Planning and Economic Development, and focal point for SPDC-UN relations, U Soe Tha. As he did during Razali's previous visit in August, the Minister pl [...] |
2002-12-09 09:15:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID ECON BM UNDP |
| 02RANGOON1570 |
ONLY 75 OF 115 POLITICAL PRISONERS RELEASED [...] (C) On November 19, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) announced the release of 115 political prisoners, and the UN Secretary General immediately welcomed the announcement. As of December 10, however, it appears that only 75 of these 115 political prisoners have been released. N [...] |
2002-12-10 08:39:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM BM NLD |
| 02RANGOON1571 |
KACHIN ETHNIC BUSINESSES: JADE, GOLD, AND LIQUOR [...] (C) Summary: Ethnic Kachin cease-fire groups have benefited significantly from semi-autonomous economic control of their areas of influence. The commercial arms of these armies turned political groups are involved in everything from jade and gold mining to sugar milling and liquor production [...] |
2002-12-11 00:17:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EMIN PINS BM |
| 02RANGOON1580 |
ASSK TALKS BIG PICTURE WITH NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR [...] (C) Summary: Following meetings with several SPDC officials, former Ambassador Morton Ambramowitz met at the EMR with NLD Secretary Aung San Suu Kyi on December 5th. The COM and the PAO were also present. In a discussion that lasted nearly two hours, Ambramowitz checked his impressions and [...] |
2002-12-11 09:14:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL EAID BM TH ASSK |
| 02RANGOON1585 |
KACHIN JADE MINING: THE ROAD TO RICHES AND RUIN [...] (SBU) Summary: Jade mining and smuggling are big business in Kachin State. Concession sales provide revenue for both the government and the Kachin ethnic cease-fire groups. However, little trickles down to the average citizen. End summary. Jade Mining Ain't What it Used to Be 2. (SBU) [...] |
2002-12-12 06:44:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EMIN ECON PHUM BM |
| 02RANGOON1587 |
USDA TO IMPLEMENT SENIOR GENERAL,S PLAN [...] Summary: The Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA) finally held its annual general meeting on November 15, about two months after it was initially expected. Apparently Senior General Than Shwe had to overcome resistence by some members before the event could be staged. The strong rh [...] |
2002-12-12 09:08:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PHUM PINS BM |
| 02RANGOON1589 |
BURMA'S ECONOMIC PROSPECTS: HOW LOW CAN THEY GO? [...] (U) The full text of the Burma Country Commercial Guide is available on the internet or via email from wohlauerbv@state.gov. The following is a summary. 2. (U) The U.S. Government has an official policy to neither encourage nor discourage trade with Burma. Since May 1997, the U.S. Governm [...] |
2002-12-12 10:15:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD ECON BM |
| 02RANGOON1592 |
DRUGS, THUGS AND FACTS [...] (C) Summary: Embassy Rangoon wants to provide clarification and counterpoint to reftels reporting on Burma counterterrorism and counternarcotics issues. When discussing drugs and thugs, accurate information is absolutely crucial to framing USG counternarcotics stategy in the context of Burma-T [...] |
2002-12-13 09:13:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SNAR PTER PINS BM |
| 02RANGOON1609 |
2002 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY [...] No summary [...] |
2002-12-16 09:22:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR KCRM BM |
| 02RANGOON1616 |
WAR AND PEACE IN KAREN STATE [...] (U) Summary: In a recent visit to the small border town of Myawaddy in eastern Karen State, Poloff found some residual conflict between regime forces and Karen National Union (KNU) forces. Although the KNU appears to have been reduced to hit and run, guerilla-type attacks, the rugged mounta [...] |
2002-12-17 07:46:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM |
| 02RANGOON1628 |
ICRC ACTIVE IN KAREN STATE BUT STILL SEEKING ACCESS [...] (C) Summary: On a recent visit to Karen State, Poloff was told by an International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) representative that the agency is making progress on establishing a meaningful presence in the area. While progress has been slow, the ICRC has had some success in providing [...] |
2002-12-19 08:48:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM |
| 02RANGOON1631 |
UNHCR CONTINUES TO PRESS BURMA ON FORCED LABOR IN [...] (C) Summary: UNHCR says that forced labor continues in northern Rakhine State, but maintains that there has been no significant new outflow of refugees from Burma. According to UNHCR's Resident Representative, he has pressed the government hard regarding forced labor, but may need additional [...] |
2002-12-20 05:10:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREF ELAB BG BM UNDP UNHCR |
| 02RANGOON1632 |
NOTES ON THAI, BURMESE, AND INDIAN COOPERATION [...] (C) Summary: India, Thailand, and Burma will do a survey of the proposed road link from India to Thailand through Burma. Work of the Kaladan road/river network from Mizoram to Sittwe in Burma's Rakhine State is also moving forward. A Thai/Burmese border committee meeting from December 26 to [...] |
2002-12-20 06:54:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ELTN TH IN BM |
| 02RANGOON1633 |
AUTHORITIES ATTEMPT TO BLOCK ASSK IN RAKHINE STATE [...] (C) Summary: Authorities have attempted to block citizens from greeting Aung San Suu Kyi over the last four days as she toured Rakhine State in western Burma. ASSK has commended those who have turned out for their bravery and scolded authorities for threatening instead of serving the people [...] |
2002-12-20 09:10:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM ASSK |
| 02RANGOON1644 |
A WA SELF-PORTRAIT [...] Summary: A paper prepared by the Wa for international visitors to their territories portrays their region as a relatively poor, but developing part of Myanmar that is struggling to rid itself of opium. The Wa describe their Special Region as an indivisible part of Burma, though they also und [...] |
2002-12-24 03:40:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR KCRM BM |
| 02RANGOON1648 |
NGOS HARD AT WORK IN KACHIN STATE [...] (SBU) Summary: International NGOs (INGOs) are working well in Kachin State. Though few in number, they are providing urgently needed programs for HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and rural health care. There are some types of aid programs, and geographic regions, that remain out of reach fo [...] |
2002-12-26 08:50:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID SOCI ECON BM NGO |
| 02RANGOON1663 |
ASSK HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE; CONDEMNS HARASSMENT [...] (C) Summary: At a press conference December 31, Aung San Suu Kyi continued to express "cautious optimism" about the possibility of political change in Burma in 2003, but complained about harassment during her recent trip to Rakhine State. Post recommends that the Department support her comme [...] |
2002-12-31 08:36:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM ASSK |
| 02RANGOON1664 |
BURMESE FOREIGN MINISTER ON GOB COUNTERNARCOTICSS [...] (SBU) Summary: Taking the opportunity of remarks before the assembled Rangoon diplomatic corps on New Year's Eve, the Burmese Foreign Minister digressed for ten minutes from his set speech to make very reasoned comments on the GOB's desire to prove the credibility of its efforts against narc [...] |
2002-12-31 09:45:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV SNAR BM |
| 02RANGOON576 |
THAI/BURMESE RELATIONS - MAUNG AYE'S VISIT AND [...] (C) SUMMARY: THE THAI GOVERNMENT WAS PLEASED WITH BURMESE ARMY COMMANDER MAUNG AYE'S VISIT. ACCORDING TO THE THAI EMBASSY'S POLITICAL COUNSELOR, THE THAI GOVERNMENT NOW SEES HIM AS A "PRAGMATIC" MAN OF RISING INFLUENCE IN BURMA WITH WHOM THEY MAY BE ABLE TO WORK SUCCESSFULLY. WHILE IN THAILAND [...] |
2002-05-07 01:28:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL TH BM |
| 02RANGOON916 |
REGIME RELEASES 32 POLITICAL PRISONERS [...] (SBU) Summary: The regime announced yesterday that it had released 32 political prisoners; 14 NLD members and 18 others, mostly students. The NLD was told of only 24 releases, its 14 members and 10 students the regime said were arrested for supporting NLD activities. Despite the discrepanc [...] |
2002-07-29 11:02:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1000 |
FIRST CYBER CAFES IN BURMA: "VIRTUAL" ACCESS [...] (SBU) Summary: With the government's support and prodding, several select private sector computer firms are testing the uncharted waters of public Internet access. GOB support for information technology and the country's nascent IT sector is encouraging, if a bit precocious considering the cou [...] |
2003-08-20 02:42:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECPS SCUL ECON PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1001 |
BURMA: THAI AMBASSADOR SKEPTICAL ABOUT CURRENT [...] (C) Summary: According to the Thai Ambassador to Burma, the Burmese regime has yet to offer any official or substantive reaction to the Thai "roadmap." Although the Thai Embassy here has not been included in RTG efforts to garner support for the roadmap, the Thai ambassador believes that the [...] |
2003-08-20 03:50:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL BM TH |
| 03RANGOON1019 |
JAPANESE OFFICIAL VISITS RANGOON, PURSUES SPDC-NLD [...] (C) Summary: The Japanese Embassy in Rangoon is quietly pursuing a proposal, apparently endorsed by a senior GOJ MOFA official who visited Burma on August 20, that would require Aung San Suu Kyi's commitment to turn a blind eye to the violent May 30 attack on her convoy in exchange for her re [...] |
2003-08-22 10:34:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | BM PGOV PREL NLD |
| 03RANGOON1025 |
BURMA: PEOPLE'S MILITIA TO THE RESCUE? [...] (C) According to local military and civilian contacts, the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has ordered the formation of a "People's Militia" ("Pyi-thu-sit" in Burmese) in the administrative division of Rangoon. Military commanders allegedly issued written instructions orderin [...] |
2003-08-25 10:35:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | MARR PGOV PREL PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON1029 |
BURMESE GENERAL KHIN NYUNT AS PRIME MINISTER: [...] (C) SUMMARY: SPDC Chairman Senior General Than Shwe's unexpected August 25 realignment of Burma's military and government hierarchy may undercut SPDC Secretary-1 General Khin Nyunt, the regime's number three leader. Khin Nyunt's new assignment as Prime Minister is expected to be largely cer [...] |
2003-08-26 11:50:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1031 |
BURMA: CABINET'S SECOND STRING SHUFFLE [...] (C) SUMMARY: On August 26, for the second day in a row, the SPDC announced additional cabinet changes, retiring eight Deputy Ministers, assigning nine new ones, and appointing two new cabinet level positions. This latest cabinet adjustment includes a new Deputy Defense Minister and the addi [...] |
2003-08-27 12:32:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1055 |
CHINA'S AMBASSADOR TO BURMA: "NON-INTERVENTION [...] (C) Summary: The Chinese Ambassador to Burma provided us on August 27 with an overview of the purpose and results of SPDC Vice Chairman General Maung Aye's recent "routine" China visit, China's negative view of U.S. sanctions and their implications for regime change, the rationale behind recen [...] |
2003-09-02 09:35:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV MOPS CH BM |
| 03RANGOON1057 |
PM KHIN NYUNT'S SPEECH: THE BURMESE ROAD TO [...] (C) Summary: On August 30 General Khin Nyunt delivered his first speech as Prime Minister (and perhaps the first such policy address from Burma's military regime in over ten years), promising a seven-step transition to a "disciplined democracy." However, his "Road Map of Myanmar" offers noth [...] |
2003-09-02 12:08:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1058 |
JAPANESE EMBASSY ADVOCATES ENGAGEMENT WITH BURMESE [...] (C) Reftel A conclusion that there is a discrepancy between MOFA Tokyo and the Japanese Embassy in Rangoon matches our assessment that Japanese Ambassador Miyamoto and his senior staff strongly oppose their headquarters on Burma policy. As we noted in refs B and C, Miyamoto, and his political [...] |
2003-09-02 12:35:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL BM JA |
| 03RANGOON1075 |
UNDP BURMA'S ANNUAL ASSESSMENT READOUT [...] (U) SUMMARY: COM and PolOff attended the UNDP,s Annual Assessment Mission debriefing for the diplomatic corps on August 28 to hear observations of, and recommendations for, UNDP,s Burma operations. The assessment team reported that UNDP,s Burma programs have all been properly designed to ha [...] |
2003-09-04 09:32:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | EAID ECON BM UNDP NGO |
| 03RANGOON1093 |
FORCED MARCH ON THE BURMESE ROAD TO "DEMOCRACY" [...] (C) SUMMARY: On Sunday, September 7, SPDC Chairman Than Shwe made new appointments to the five top jobs in the National Convention Convening Commission, the first step in implementing the Burma's "roadmap" to democracy. Significantly, for the first time a member of the ruling military junta, [...] |
2003-09-08 09:49:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON1114 |
BURMA: UNODC MAKES A PITCH FOR KOKANG/WA [...] (SBU) Summary: The UNODC has been making a quiet pitch for support among donors for a new counternarcotics intervention in the Wa and Kokang areas of Burma's Shan State (dubbed the "KOWI" project). UNODC Burma resident representative Jean-Luc Lemahieu recently conducted a round of bilateral [...] |
2003-09-12 07:18:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SNAR BM |
| 03RANGOON1117 |
INDIA'S AMBASSADOR TO BURMA: FINDING A BALANCE [...] (C) SUMMARY: During a September 10 meeting with COM, Indian Ambassador to Burma Rajiv Kumar Bhatia described India's Burma policy as having two pillars: engagement with the regime and support for democracy. India will continue to move forward on both fronts simultaneously, he said, striking [...] |
2003-09-12 10:00:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM IN |
| 03RANGOON1118 |
SANCTIONS FORCE GOB TO LOOK FOR DOLLAR SUBSTITUTES [...] (C) Summary: Following the recent application of new U.S. trade and financial sanctions on Burma, the GOB has faced considerable difficulty in utilizing U.S. dollars for official foreign trade transactions. Third country entrepreneurs are unable, or unwilling, to issue letters of credit in U. [...] |
2003-09-12 10:12:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ETRD ECON EINV KFPC PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1134 |
BURMA: NEW ARRESTS ON CAMPUS [...] (C) SUMMARY: Post has received information that Rangoon police arrested seven university students on July 14 for attempting to reopen the Rangoon University Student Union and are holding them in Insein prison The Junta's repressive actions at the smallest signs of student political activity [...] |
2003-09-16 07:46:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PINS BM |
| 03RANGOON1159 |
GOB GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO INDONESIAN ENVOY [...] (C) According to U Thaung Tun, MFA Director General for Political Affairs, the GOB has agreed to a visit within the next week by Indonesian Presidential Advisor Ali Alatas. The DG told us on September 18 that the specific dates for the visit are "under negotiation," due primarily to the immine [...] |
2003-09-18 09:06:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM ID |
| 03RANGOON116 |
BURMA SEEKS CLOSER CHINA TIES [...] (C) SUMMARY: BILATERAL TIES BETWEEN THE CHINESE AND BURMESE GOVERNMENTS SEEM TO BE STRENGTHENING AT ALL LEVELS AND ON MANY FRONTS. FROM THE BURMESE SIDE, THE RECENT EXCHANGE WITH THE PRC OF HIGH-LEVEL VISITS EMPHASIZES THE FACT THAT BURMA IS BANKING ON DEVELOPING AN ENDURING SPECIAL RELATIONS [...] |
2003-01-29 08:47:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON1160 |
ASSK HOSPITALIZED [...] No summary [...] |
2003-09-18 10:17:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON1164 |
BURMA'S PRIVATE BANKS FACE FINAL ORDEAL TO RESUME [...] (C) Summary: The Burmese government seems poised to allow private banks to resume operations if they meet seven financial conditions. The government has severely limited private banking operations since a run and subsequent crash in February. Even without the authorities' blessing, many smal [...] |
2003-09-19 03:52:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON1167 |
ASSK UNDERGOES "MAJOR" SURGERY [...] (SBU) On September 19, Aung San Suu Kyi's surgeon told several diplomats and assembled reporters that ASSK had undergone a "major" three hour surgery from noon to 3:00 p.m. The surgeon, Dr. Tin Myo Win, who is also ASSK's personal physician, declined to discuss the reason for the operation, [...] |
2003-09-19 10:08:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON1171 |
ASSK WILL REMAIN HOSPITALIZED FOR AT LEAST A WEEK [...] (C) Summary: According to Aung San Suu Kyi's personal physician, the detained leader is "doing extremely well" after three days of post-operative recovery, although he expects her to remain in the hospital for at least another seven days. He has cleared her medically to receive visitors, and [...] |
2003-09-22 08:43:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON1183 |
BURMA: REGIME STEPS UP MILITIA TRAINING [...] (C) SUMMARY: The SPDC is moving forward with its country-wide militia training program, particularly in the capital city of Rangoon (reftel). In early September, ward-level Peace and Development Council bosses in Rangoon began the process of ordering individual families to provide one perso [...] |
2003-09-23 07:58:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | MARR PGOV PREL PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON1184 |
BURMA SANCTIONS: BUSINESSES ADAPTING IN A FROZEN [...] (C) Summary: Many businesses have adapted fairly well to the July economic sanctions on Burma, though overall economic activity has dropped notably. Many have embraced trade in euros, while some have sought to move their traditional dollar-based business to the Thai and Chinese borders. Still [...] |
2003-09-23 09:18:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN ETRD ECON PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1187 |
ASSK'S HOSPITAL STAY: DAY SIX [...] (C) Summary: On September 23, ASSK's doctor again briefed diplomats on her post-surgery recovery and reported that biopsy reports indicated tissue removed during the operation was non-malignant, but that surgery had been the only option to address a "pre-cancerous" condition. Over 150 NLD sup [...] |
2003-09-23 11:55:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON1197 |
NO JOY FOR BURMA'S TRADERS [...] (SBU) Summary: After claiming with much fanfare to have had a USD 700 million trade surplus last year (a claim doubted by most not dressed in a uniform), the Burmese government will not likely repeat the farce this year. Admittedly making an accurate assessment of Burma's trade balance is a f [...] |
2003-09-24 08:28:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ETRD ECON EPET PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1207 |
BURMA: ROAD(MAP) RALLIES [...] (C) SUMMARY: The Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), a mass membership organization sponsored by the ruling SPDC, staged massive rallies on September 20 in Rangoon and Mandalay as a show of support for Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt's "Road Map to Democracy." The junta will [...] |
2003-09-25 06:40:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON1213 |
BURMA: THAI FM VISIT? [...] (C) Thai Embassy officials in Rangoon deny press reports that Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai came to Rangoon for a one day visit on September 25, but said he will be coming for a visit next week. However, other local diplomatic sources and international press stringers insist tha [...] |
2003-09-25 10:43:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ECON BM TH |
| 03RANGOON1214 |
ASSK HOSPITAL UPDATE: DAY EIGHT [...] (C) On September 24 and 25, ASSK's personal physician again briefed diplomats on her post-surgery recovery. Dr. Tin Myo Win said that ASSK was doing well and "nearly normal." He removed her stitches on September 25 and said that she could be discharged "within one or two days." He re-emphas [...] |
2003-09-25 11:11:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON1215 |
ALATAS VISIT TO BURMA: "I DON'T WANT TO IMPOSE" [...] (C) Summary: He came, he saw, he left. Indonesian special envoy Ali Alitas made a four-day visit September 21-24 to deliver personal messages to the SPDC from President Megawati. In his own words, he did not want to "impose" on the regime with regard to ASSK and accepted at face value the S [...] |
2003-09-25 11:26:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON1238 |
BURMA'S MAGIC FEC: WHAT GOES DOWN MUST COME UP [...] (SBU) Summary: After following closely the gyrations of the U.S. dollar/kyat market exchange rate, the Burmese Foreign Exchange Certificate's (FEC) value has diverged significantly in recent months. Sharp dips and climbs unrelated to the greenback are very unusual, and no solid explanation is [...] |
2003-09-30 09:23:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN ECON AFIN PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1252 |
BURMA: SUMMIT FEVER [...] (C) SUMMARY: A MOFA official told us that the GOB will host a "major" (by Burmese standards) summit the first week of November. Thai, Lao, and Cambodian heads of government will meet with their SPDC counterpart to pursue the Thai-led "Economic Cooperation Strategy (ECS)." According to MOFA s [...] |
2003-10-01 08:05:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL BM CB TH LA IN |
| 03RANGOON1253 |
BURMA: NO PROGRESS ON MONEY LAUNDERING RULES [...] (C) Summary: After a promising start, Burma's efforts in 2003 to implement its year-old money laundering law have fallen well shy of international expectations. The likely culprits? The collapse of the private banking sector, persistent corrupt cronyism, and a lack of technical capacity. Si [...] |
2003-10-01 08:46:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN SNAR KCRM PTER BM |
| 03RANGOON1259 |
RAZALI'S RANGOON MEETINGS DISAPPOINT [...] (C) Summary: UN Special Envoy Razali departed Rangoon on October 2nd, calling his trip a "total failure." Though he did not achieve any tangible results, his visit was important in assessing the degree of open mindedness on all sides for the SPDC's recently announced "road map to democracy." [...] |
2003-10-02 13:03:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV KDEM PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON1264 |
SECOND NATIONAL CONVENTION COMMITTEE [...] (SBU) Summary: By reviving a second defunct National Convention planning committee, and staffing it with government officials, the Burmese regime is moving nearer to realizing step one of its seven part democracy plan. Participation of ethnic minority, and other opposition groups, is still now [...] |
2003-10-03 09:15:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV KDEM BM |
| 03RANGOON1313 |
BURMA HOSTS "ACCORD" REGIONAL DRUG TASKFORCE; [...] (C) Summary: On Oct. 16 Burma hosted the law enforcement taskforce of the ASEAN region's cooperative counterdrug entity, ACCORD. Members agreed that amphetamines pose the biggest drug threat to the region, lauded UNODC computer-based training for law enforcement, and demonstrated varying degr [...] |
2003-10-20 09:10:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SNAR KCRM PGOV EFIN BM |
| 03RANGOON1314 |
LATEST ARRESTS INDICATE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR DISSENT [...] (C) Summary: The SPDC recently arrested a former U.S. Embassy FSN and seven university students for distributing pamphlets deemed critical of the regime's "roadmap for democracy." Additional arrests of NLD supporters indicate a continued low tolerance for dissent, and the regime was likely e [...] |
2003-10-20 09:13:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON1316 |
BURMA: PAYING TAXES TO THE DMV [...] (SBU) Summary: In a nightmare bureaucratic scenario that unites tax authorities, the department of motor vehicles, and military intelligence, as of October 6th the Burmese government is using a mandatory annual car registration exercise to try and collect desperately needed tax revenue. Tax co [...] |
2003-10-20 09:20:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN ECON PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1317 |
NEW MONEY LAUNDERING SANCTIONS COULD BE USEFUL [...] (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraphs 5 and 6. 2. (C) For reasons laid out in Ref B, we think it unlikely that the Burmese government will produce adequate money laundering regulations and a draft mutual legal assistance law by the November 3 deadline set by the Financial Ac [...] |
2003-10-21 02:23:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN SNAR KCRM PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1326 |
BURMA: NEW SECRET POLICE SPECIAL UNITS [...] (C) SUMMARY: In the last few months, the SPDC created two new Office of the Chief, Military Intelligence (OCMI) special units in Rangoon to focus on monitoring and responding to political challenges to the new 7-point roadmap. The offices, Special Unit Number 1 and Special Unit Number 2, ha [...] |
2003-10-22 00:25:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON1337 |
BURMA SANCTIONS: IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM, CHEAT [...] (C) We've been hearing tales of cheating to circumvent new U.S. economic sanctions, particularly the ban on importing Burmese products into the United States. Though we don't have a sense yet of the volume of this malfeasance, it's becoming clearer that some exporters of garments and seafood, [...] |
2003-10-23 08:13:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ETRD ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON1339 |
POPPIES, AK-47S, AND WOLFRAMITE: A TRIP TO WA AND [...] (SBU) Summary: A brief visit to a major opium production region in eastern Burma, some of it well outside the writ of the Rangoon generals, presented some clear themes. The non-Burman militias and governments that hold sway in the eastern border zones govern a region that is far more reliant [...] |
2003-10-24 01:53:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | SNAR PREL PINS PGOV ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON1358 |
BURMA: KOREAN FACTORY OWNERS COMPLAIN [...] (C) SUMMARY: Since the U.S. import ban became law on July 28, 10 of the original 35 Korean-owned garment factories in Burma have closed. The remaining 25 factories are hanging on by filling European orders, but are continuing layoffs. Laid off workers have returned to their home towns and vi [...] |
2003-10-29 04:04:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON1359 |
VIEW FROM A RANGOON STREET KIDS SHELTER [...] SUMMARY: On October 21 the director of an NGO-funded Rangoon street kids drop-in shelter reported an absence of GOB impressment for portering and forced enlistment of street children compared to previous years. The shelter director believes the U.S. sanctions have increased local unemployment [...] |
2003-10-29 04:05:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON1361 |
RELIGIOUS/ETHNIC TENSIONS SPREAD TO RANGOON [...] (C) Summary: For the past four nights, October 25-28, and coinciding with the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, Rangoon has experienced low-scale religious violence between Muslims and Buddhists that originally flared up in mid-October in upper Burma. The motives for these attacks, their i [...] |
2003-10-29 10:43:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PINS SCUL PGOV KISL BM |
| 03RANGOON1362 |
EAP/BCLTV DIRECTOR'S MEETING WITH CHINA'S [...] (C) Summary: Chinese Ambassador to Burma Li Jinjun posited in a late October meeting that current efforts by the international community on Burma should be aimed at establishing a platform for stable cooperation between Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK) and the SPDC. The U.S. should consider lifting ec [...] |
2003-10-29 10:51:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV CM BM |
| 03RANGOON1364 |
A RANGOON HIV/AIDS CLINIC [...] (U) SUMMARY: This NGO clinic, in a government-developed slum, provides organized health care despite primitive conditions, thanks to the education and dedication of the doctor and the support of MSF-Holland. It provides a glimpse of the terrible health conditions faced by the vast majority o [...] |
2003-10-29 14:45:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL EAID PHUM ECON BM NGO |
| 03RANGOON1375 |
JAPAN ENCOURAGES RAZALI TO UNDERTAKE SECRET [...] (C) Summary: The Japanese Ambassador to Burma, Yuji Miyamoto, is urging U.N. Special Envoy Razali to conduct his dialogue efforts "in secret" and to replace his pro-ASSK liaison officer in Rangoon, two points the Japanese believe might lead the SPDC to be more cooperative. The Japanese also w [...] |
2003-10-31 00:47:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM JA |
| 03RANGOON1390 |
RUSSIA-BURMA NUCLEAR ISSUE [...] (S) Russian Ambassador Oleg Kabanov told EAP/BCLTV Director Judith Strotz and DCM October 22 that Russia's proposal to sell a nuclear research reactor to Burma was "basically frozen," adding that Burmese students are in Russia studying (at Burmese expense) nuclear engineering and technology. [...] |
2003-11-03 02:29:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PARM KNNP PREL BM RS |
| 03RANGOON1410 |
BURMA: PINHEIRO FRUSTRATED, BUT DETERMINED TO [...] (C) Summary: U.N. human rights envoy Pinheiro has kicked off an ambitious week in Burma during which he hopes to secure: the release of ASSK and all NLD members detained since the May 30 attack; an agreement to conduct an assessment of the attack; the reopening of political party offices; amne [...] |
2003-11-04 08:05:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1421 |
JAPANESE ON RAZALI ADVISOR DE RIEDMATTEN [...] (C) Japanese DCM Hiroshi Kawamura called on DCM November 5 to clarify his ambassador's position regarding Swiss citizen Leon de Riedmatten, Razali advisor and head of Humanitarian Dialogue in Rangoon. 2. (C) Kawamura stated that his Ambassador, Yuji Miyamoto, had not demarched or suggeste [...] |
2003-11-06 05:01:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1423 |
EVEN THE DEAD ARE OPPRESSED [...] SUMMARY: The Burmese junta on November 1 ordered the demolition of a large Christian cemetery in a Karen neighborhood of Rangoon. Graves not exhumed by family members of the deceased by December 2 will be bulldozed, as the regime plans to build a condominium on the site. Emboff witnessed [...] |
2003-11-06 08:33:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PHUM SCUL BM |
| 03RANGOON1425 |
BURMA SANCTIONS: GARMENT MAKERS CLING TO LEAKY RAFT [...] (C) Summary: Burma's private garment manufacturers claim 100 closed factories and 50,000 jobless as of the end of October -- with another 25,000 likely out of work by year's end. However, last-minute, limited garment orders from Europe will postpone the death of the Burmese garment industry i [...] |
2003-11-07 06:34:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ETRD KTEX ELAB PHUM PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1429 |
ANATOMY OF A BURMESE POLITICAL BLOOD BATH [...] (C) SUMMARY: Additional information on the May 30 Depeyin attack continues to emerge from victims and eyewitnesses, providing new context and clarity to the regime's true role in the premeditated assault on ASSK and the NLD. On November 4, NLD members smuggled to us video footage of Aung San [...] |
2003-11-07 09:59:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL PHUM BM ASSK NLD |
| 03RANGOON1431 |
AN EVENING WITH PINHEIRO: NO PROGRESS IN BURMA [...] (C) SUMMARY: Pinheiro summarized to COM on November 6 that his present visit was a bust and he sees regression in the human rights situation since his last trip to Burma. The SPDC did not concede to him any of the outcomes he'd hoped for during this visit, including releasing the May 30 pris [...] |
2003-11-07 12:02:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL PHUM BM ASSK NLD |
| 03RANGOON1432 |
PINHEIRO'S DOWNBEAT DEPARTURE [...] (C) SUMMARY: Pinheiro gave a downbeat assessment to the diplomatic corps of his visit this week to Burma. He repeated most of his themes from his November 6 meeting at the COM's residence (reftel), and he was obviously restraining himself from showing his true level of frustration with the re [...] |
2003-11-08 10:11:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PREL BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1433 |
"COME BACK TO REALITY" [...] (C) SUMMARY: Former ICRC Head and assistant to UN Special Envoy Razali, Leon de Reidmatten, briefed COM on his November 7 Bangkok meeting with Thai Foreign Minister Surakiat. De Reidmatten said that from the discussion that took place between SE Razali and FM Surakiat, it is clear the SPDC a [...] |
2003-11-10 07:14:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON1444 |
GOB RELEASES EIGHT MAY 30 POLITICAL PRISONERS [...] (C) Summary: The GOB announced on November 10 the release of eight political detainees, including six known members of the NLD arrested following the May 30 premeditated attack on ASSK and her convoy. The releases are clearly calculated to soften the blow of a damning U.N. report on the human [...] |
2003-11-12 10:55:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1452 |
INDIAN VP VISIT TO BURMA: DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS TAKE A BACK SEAT [...] (C) Summary: Indian Vice President Shekhawat's November 2-5 visit to Burma was the most senior mission by an Indian leader in 16 years and the latest in a string of high-profile visits from India and other neighboring countries. The Burmese regime pulled out all the stops for the visit, though co [...] |
2003-11-14 05:18:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM IN |
| 03RANGOON1462 |
RAZALI AND THE NLD VIDEOTAPE [...] (C) Reftel indicated that UN Special Envoy Razali had requested a copy of the NLD videotape of the May 2003 ASSK convoy in northern Burma. His intention to provide the tape to certain international journalists as a way to bring external pressure on the SPDC would fulfill a request by ASSK, as [...] |
2003-11-14 09:45:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM MY ASSK NLD |
| 03RANGOON1463 |
KACHIN STATE: AN UNEASY "PEACE" [...] (C) Summary: An Embassy trip to Burma's Kachin State secured additional support for our WWII remains recovery operations, but also revealed that the Government's ten-year old cease-fire agreement with the region's former insurgents masks deep suspicion of the SPDC and an active desire for self [...] |
2003-11-17 00:34:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV MOPS PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON147 |
RUSSIAN MIGS AND REACTORS [...] (C) Summary: Russia now has the only bilateral military and technical cooperation agreement with Burma, according to a Rangoon-based Russian diplomat. A draft agreement for the sale of a 10 megawatt research reactor was approved by the Russian government last year and is now under study by the [...] |
2003-02-04 08:53:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | KNNP PARM MARR BM IAEA BNUC RU |
| 03RANGOON1477 |
NATIONAL CONVENTION: READY OR NOT, HERE IT COMES [...] (C) SUMMARY: The Burmese regime is quietly selecting delegates for a National Convention, the first step in implementing a new constitution, and may convene a body stacked with pro-SPDC delegates as early as January. The NLD says it won't participate absent broader negotiations and Burma's [...] |
2003-11-17 10:11:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PGOV PHUM PREL BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1478 |
NLD MP-ELECT DETAILS IMPRISONMENT [...] (C) NLD MP-elect U Hla Min, 65, credits UNSR Pinheiro with winning his release from prison November 9 after the regime held him for five months without charge. Hla Min is the last of the Professional Development Program (PDP) students swept up in the post-May 30 anti-NLD crackdown to be rele [...] |
2003-11-19 01:38:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1479 |
ONWARD BUDDHIST SOLDIERS! [...] (C) Summary: In Burma, the Buddhist monkhood is a force second in size and power only to the ruling military. The Burmese government has coerced and cajoled the country's most senior abbots into political line, thus indirectly controlling the rank and file. However, the monkhood is a large a [...] |
2003-11-19 02:01:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SCUL PINS PGOV PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON1488 |
NLD DEMONSTRATIONS FAIL TO MATERIALIZE [...] (C) Summary: Burma's 83rd National Day anniversary, commemorating a 1920 student strike that accelerated the independence movement, passed quietly on November 18 with the SPDC and the NLD and other pro-democracy groups holding separate, low-key ceremonies. Broader NLD demonstrations failed t [...] |
2003-11-19 10:06:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PREL BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1489 |
EXPOSING RISKS OF HIV/AIDS IN BURMA [...] SUMMARY: The Ministry of Health held Burma's second annual HIV/AIDS exposition in Rangoon, attracting 70,000 visitors, raising HIV/AIDS awareness, and administering on-site HIV/AIDS tests to those interested. However, whether the expo successfully reached Burma's high-risk populations is un [...] |
2003-11-20 07:55:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | TBIO SOCI PGOV EAID PHUM PREL BM NGO |
| 03RANGOON1509 |
BURMA'S MUSLIM LEADERS, FOREIGN DIPLOMATS FETED [...] (SBU) Summary: Two Iftaar dinners hosted recently by the Embassy community made great strides in improving already good relations with the Burmese and Diplomatic Muslim communities. There were good exchanges on religious diversity, the role of Islam in the United States, religious tensions in [...] |
2003-11-21 07:19:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | KISL SCUL KPAO PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON1512 |
ANOTHER REGIME SHOWCASE: BURMA HOSTS REGIONAL [...] (C) Summary: Burma hosted a four-country economic summit in mid-November, producing few tangible results but delivering another public relations coup for a military regime in the hunt for international legitimacy. The Thai Embassy in Rangoon says that their delegation pressed the generals in [...] |
2003-11-21 07:46:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV ETRD ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON1516 |
BURMA'S BUSINESSWOMEN KNOCKING ON TEAK CEILING [...] (SBU) Summary: While striving to retain its political independence, the Myanmar Women's Entrepreneur Association (MWEA) has had some success helping established Burmese businesswomen climb the business ladder. Though it has had less success building economic capacity at the lower rungs of the [...] |
2003-11-24 05:06:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON KWMN PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1518 |
SPDC LIFTS HOUSE ARREST RESTRICTIONS FOR FIVE NLD [...] (C) Summary: On November 23 and 24, the SPDC lifted house arrest restrictions imposed upon five senior NLD leaders. NLD members welcome the news that five of the "Uncles" have been released; however, the party's four core leaders, including ASSK, remain under SPDC-imposed isolation. The Depa [...] |
2003-11-24 10:04:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1519 |
RANGOON INCIDENTS/ANOMALIES [...] (U) The following are incidents of hostile intelligence service activity reported by Embassy officers in recent weeks. 2. (S/NF) On November 11 the Deputy Chief of Mission hosted an event at his residence for the official Amcit community. Military Intelligence (MI) officers questione [...] |
2003-11-25 04:28:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | ASEC PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON1529 |
BURMA: 2003 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT [...] (SBU) Letters below correspond to questions in ref A, para 2. A. Burma's solid position against international terrorism continued in 2003. Burma has ratified, acceded to, or signed six of the twelve international counter-terrorism conventions and indicated it is considering fast action on [...] |
2003-11-25 09:45:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PTER BM |
| 03RANGOON1534 |
RELEASED NLD OFFICIAL BACK ON THE JOB [...] (C) Summary: Senior NLD leader U Nyunt Wei, newly released from house arrest, says his pro-democracy party will refuse to participate in the regime's reconvened National Convention. He expressed surprise at his own release and pondered whether ASSK and other CEC members might also get a surpr [...] |
2003-11-26 09:37:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1552 |
BURMA'S COCKROACH ECONOMY [...] (C) Summary: Considering the dismal state of the Burmese economy, it is surprising that the Burmese state remains both viable and stable. How is that people are able to quietly endure and survive? How can the ruling military regime be in a stronger position than ever? We see three major fact [...] |
2003-12-03 01:35:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1562 |
WAITING FOR GODOT: NLD LEADERS IN A HOLDING [...] (C) Summary: Recently released senior leaders of the NLD indicate they will remain politically active and press ahead with the challenge of reviving the democracy movement and protecting the survival of their political party. However, the "Uncles" admit that they find it difficult to form a p [...] |
2003-12-03 10:17:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1564 |
WORLD AIDS DAY IN BURMA [...] SUMMARY: The GOB, close on the heels of its well-attended HIV/AIDS Exposition (reftel), on World AIDS Day held ceremonies and HIV/AIDS activities in Rangoon and other cities. According to two government-controlled weeklies, the GOB ranks HIV/AIDS as the number three national health concern. [...] |
2003-12-04 08:07:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV TBIO EAID PHUM PREL SOCI BM NGO |
| 03RANGOON1566 |
ALLEGED COUP PLOTTERS SENTENCED TO DEATH [...] (C) SUMMARY: According to Embassy sources, a secret SPDC court on November 28 sentenced to death nine persons, including a magazine editor and several individuals actively involved with opposition movements, for allegedly planning to assassinate regime leaders and bomb key government installa [...] |
2003-12-05 00:35:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON1572 |
BURMA: REGIME RELEASES ADDITIONAL MAY 30 DETAINEES [...] (C) Summary: The SPDC acknowledged on December 5 that it had recently released up to 16 NLD party members who had been detained in connection with the May 30 Depeyin attack. By the regime's own admission, 14 individuals associated with the attack remain in detention. The regime's decision to [...] |
2003-12-05 10:17:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PREL PGOV PHUM BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1574 |
NLD LEADERSHIP ON NATIONAL CONVENTION PROCESS [...] (U) The following refers to questions raised in reftel A. 2. (C) NLD Central Executive Committee members detailed to the Chief of Mission and Emboffs (reftel B) the minimum steps necessary for the party to resume participation in a National Convention process. (NOTE: In 1995, when the SPDC [...] |
2003-12-08 09:12:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM PGOV BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1595 |
BURMA FLOATS MONEY LAUNDERING RULES AND [...] (SBU) Summary: As if from thin air, the Burmese government has issued long-awaited regulations to accompany a money laundering law passed in June 2002. Simultaneously, the government launched an investigation into two banks pinpointed by the United States as linked to narcotraffickers. While [...] |
2003-12-12 07:45:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | SNAR PGOV EFIN BM |
| 03RANGOON1598 |
A VISIT TO CHINA'S BURMESE PROVINCE: MONGLA AND [...] (C) Summary: Some clear themes emerged from a trip to the Burmese corner of the Golden Triangle. The area's cities are relatively affluent, thanks to border trade. However, this affluence, combined with low education levels, poor healthcare, and very little international attention, has helpe [...] |
2003-12-15 04:46:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SOCI EAID SNAR ECON SCUL PHUM KHIV KWMN PREL PGOV BM CM NGO |
| 03RANGOON16 |
BURMA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY; THE NLD CALLS FOR [...] (C) Summary: Burma's January 4 Independence Day celebrations produced no new gestures of reconciliation and perhaps a slight hardening of positions on both sides. The National League for Democracy called for an end to political oppression, the release of all political prisoners, and the initi [...] |
2003-01-06 07:24:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON1606 |
UN TRIES AGAIN TO MAP BURMA'S PROBLEMS [...] (SBU) Summary: A new UN resident representative for Burma is attempting to complete a humanitarian needs assessment and strategy report that his predecessor failed to extract from the UN bureaucracy. The report is intended to come alongside an ambitious data collection project, which should he [...] |
2003-12-17 03:02:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAID SOCI ECON PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON161 |
UNHCR TO CLOSE IN BANGLADESH [...] (C) Summary: UNHCR tells us it plans to close down its refugee operations in Bangladesh at the end of 2003. In 2004, it will look at the possibility of closing its operations in Burma's northern Rakhine State. Whatever the merits of the decision in Bangladesh, in Burma, premature closure of [...] |
2003-02-06 07:57:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREF BG BM |
| 03RANGOON1616 |
SPDC MUM ON SUCCESSFUL THAI "ROAD MAP" FORUM [...] (C) A multilateral meeting on Burma, held December 15th in Bangkok, appears to have been a political victory for Burma's ruling regime. Readouts of the meeting from Tokyo (ref A), Washington, and Bangkok indicate that there were some tough questions put to the Burmese representative, Foreign M [...] |
2003-12-19 06:19:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON1623 |
BURMA: 2003-2004 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL [...] Burma is the world's second largest producer of illicit opium and the second largest cultivator of opium poppy. The gap between Burma and the number one producer of illicit opium and number one cultivator of poppy, Afghanistan, increased considerably in 2003. Burma remains the primary sourc [...] |
2003-12-22 09:44:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | EFIN KCRM PTER BM TAGS |
| 03RANGOON1644 |
CEASE-FIRE ETHNICS VIEW ASSK DIALOGUE AS ROAD MAP [...] (C) Summary: A leading coalition of ethnic minority political parties, associated with Burma's cease-fire groups, insists that the SPDC must engage with ASSK and other political leaders before reconvening a National Convention. The coalition also demands that the country's ethnic groups must b [...] |
2003-12-29 10:01:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON165 |
BURMA'S TOURIST SECTOR: LIES, DAMN LIES, AND [...] (SBU) Summary: Can there really have been 500,000 foreign tourists, including 15,000 Americans, in Burma last year? Despite the GOB's triumphant claims, we think not. Evidence from the local tourism industry, the Embassy's Consular Section, and a measure of plain common sense, suggest a much [...] |
2003-02-07 02:23:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EIND CASC ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON1653 |
NLD LEADERS FORMING LEGAL CASE TO RELEASE ASSK [...] (C) Summary: According to NLD sources, released CEC members are consulting with party lawyers on building a possible legal case to press for the release of ASSK and other NLD officials. Using Burma's opaque court system is unlikely to get the SPDC to budge, but legal action could generate re [...] |
2003-12-30 10:13:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM ASSK NLD |
| 03RANGOON167 |
WIN AUNG IN INDIA AND OTHER RECENT GOB TOURS OF [...] (C) Summary: The SPDC's recent trips to India, China, and Bangladesh, together with its exchanges with Thailand, are intended to shore up regional support for Burma in anticipation of a possible deterioration in Burma's relations with the West. According to the Director of MFA's Southwest and [...] |
2003-02-07 03:15:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL BG IN BM |
| 03RANGOON168 |
REGIME NAMES CHANGE, GAME REMAINS THE SAME [...] (SBU) Summary: The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) announced on February 1 the selection of a new "Secretary 2" and the rotation, including two retirements, of several regime ministers. The outgoing ministers won't be missed. The incoming Secretary 2 may eventually establish hi [...] |
2003-02-07 03:47:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PINR PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON178 |
BURMA'S ENERGY POLICY: BETTER LUCKY THAN GOOD [...] (C) Summary: Burma may have found a patch for its energy problems in 2003. A slower decline at the aging A'Pyauk gas fields (about 50 miles north northwest of Rangoon), unexpectedly large finds of gas in the recently developed Nyaungdon field (about 20 miles northwest of the capital), and bet [...] |
2003-02-10 02:52:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ENRG ECON EINV BM |
| 03RANGOON185 |
A NEW WAVE OF POLITICAL ARRESTS [...] (C) Reuters reported on February 10 that the regime had arrested 12 opposition activists for plotting to create unrest in Burma. The report did not provide many details on the arrests but it did note that 7 low-level members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) members and the Secretary [...] |
2003-02-10 10:11:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON190 |
JAPANESE VIEWS OF RAZALI'S MISSION [...] (C) Summary: According to Japanese Embassy sources in Rangoon, at the upcoming UN meetings in Tokyo, Japan will argue that the current sanctions-based western approach to Burma has failed and should be revised to allow for a more gradual process of transition, more direct aid support and more [...] |
2003-02-11 07:53:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL BM UN |
| 03RANGOON194 |
UN SEES LOOMING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN BURMA [...] (C) Summary: The UN country team in Burma has painted a stark picture of the nation's humanitarian situation. It has also forecast dire consequences for Burma's poor, and for regional stability, if the situation is not addressed quickly. The UNDP Resident Representative in Rangoon will prese [...] |
2003-02-13 08:32:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID SOCI ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON195 |
NLD CEREMONY PROVIDES PLATFORM FOR PEOPLES' [...] (SBU) Summary: The National League for Democracy and other opposition parties represented by the Committee Representing the People's Parliament (CRPP) celebrated Burma's Union Day on February 12 at NLD headquarters. In this first ever CRPP public celebration of a national holiday, the growi [...] |
2003-02-13 10:14:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON203 |
REGIME PRESENTS EVIDENCE ON POLITICAL ARRESTS [...] (C) Summary: The SPDC presented its evidence against political activists arrested over the last month in a February 10 press conference. The activists were allegedly conspiring with "insurgent and terrorist" groups in Thailand. While one of those arrested was allegedly planning some explosi [...] |
2003-02-14 10:08:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON213 |
BURMA'S BANKS CRASH [...] (C) Summary: Burma's expected banking crisis is no longer pending; it's here. According to bankers in Rangoon, depositors withdrew more than one-quarter of their deposits with Burma's private banks during the week ending February 14, following revelations of connections between the private ba [...] |
2003-02-19 04:46:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN BM |
| 03RANGOON214 |
BANKING CRISIS CONTINUES; STILL NO EFFECTIVE [...] (C) Summary: Burma's banking crisis has continued to build in the absence of government action. Several private banks have effectively closed, while the Myanmar Bankers Association has agreed to further reduce the limits on withdrawals to only 200,000 kyat (i.e., $200) per account per week. [...] |
2003-02-19 09:16:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN BM |
| 03RANGOON225 |
BURMA'S BANKS: GOB TAKES ACTION, BUT IS IT ENOUGH? [...] (C) Summary: The GOB has agreed to extend loans beginning next week to the country's beleaguered private banking sector. However, the regime blames the banks for their predicament, and has apparently decided to let the crisis run its course without trying any extraordinary new steps to reassu [...] |
2003-02-21 09:52:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN PREL ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON228 |
AUNG SAN SUU KYI AVOIDS JAIL, CALLS REGIME'S [...] (SBU) Summary: Aung San Suu Kyi was found guilty of wrongful restraint February 21 in a civil suit brought by her cousin. The NLD Chairman says the court's judgment was "definitely politically motivated," and her lawyer outlined several procedural irregularities. Daw Suu reportedly objected [...] |
2003-02-24 00:40:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON235 |
BURMA'S BANKS: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST [...] (C) Summary: The GOB has finally made a public statement (on February 21) and committed to a strategy that will hopefully spark a turnaround and begin to reshape the private banking sector. As the crisis enters its second week, we can only await the effect of the GOB's strategy on depositors, [...] |
2003-02-24 10:48:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN PREL ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON236 |
BURMA'S DUAL BANKING CRISES: WHO'S PAYING THE [...] (C) Summary: The simultaneous crash of the formal and informal banking sectors in Burma starting February 14 led many to expect the worst. Although day laborers and small depositors have been hit the hardest, thus far calm has dominated. People are frustrated, but not angry enough to take po [...] |
2003-02-24 11:16:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN PREL ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON248 |
USG HUMAN RIGHTS STRATEGY FOR BURMA [...] (SBU) The following draft report is provided in response to tasking contained in reftel. The text of the report has also been sent by e-mail to EAP/BCLTV. 2. (SBU) Begin report text: Embassy Rangoon Human Rights Strategy for Burma The United States has staked out a position in Burma [...] |
2003-02-26 09:09:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KDEM PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON249 |
CHINESE BANKS ARE GOATS, BUT WON'T BE SLAUGHTERED [...] (C) Summary: Mounting public frustration with the country's disgraced, largely Chinese-owned, private banks has led to fears among the Chinese business community and others of an anti-Chinese backlash. Though this remains a possibility, particularly if SPDC decides it needs a convenient scape [...] |
2003-02-26 09:56:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON258 |
MUSLIM REPRESSION AND RESENTMENT NEAR BURMA'S [...] (C) Summary: The Burmese regime's repression of the mostly Muslim population of northern Rakhine State, located along the border with Bangladesh, is breeding resentment and poverty. DCM visited the area in mid-February as part of a trip to the region organized by UNHCR for diplomats. UNHCR [...] |
2003-02-27 08:47:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PINS PREF KISL BM UNHCR |
| 03RANGOON261 |
NEW HEALTH MINISTER PROGRESSIVE ON VCT [...] (U) This is an action request for EAP/BCLTV. Please see paragraph 7. 2. (SBU) Summary: The COM had a productive courtesy call on the new Health Minister, pressing him on expanded VCT, discussing an expected private health care law, and presenting the case for visits to Burma by Orbis and [...] |
2003-02-27 11:27:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAID SOCI ECON BM NGO |
| 03RANGOON271 |
BURMA'S BANKS: HOPING FOR THE BEST, EXPECTING THE [...] (C) Summary: Week two of the banking crisis started with grand hopes of a resolution to liquidity problems, but closed with little change in the overall situation. The GOB started the week strong, with the apparent extension of Central Bank loans on the 24th, but remained disturbingly silent a [...] |
2003-02-28 10:13:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN PREL ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON29 |
UPDATE ON WWII REMAINS RECOVERY IN BURMA [...] (SBU) Summary: The recovery of the remains of some 600 WWII missing personnel (mostly crews of aircraft that crashed while flying "the hump" from India to China) is an important USG priority in Burma. With fairly good cooperation from the Government of Burma, the recovery operation is moving [...] |
2003-01-08 09:41:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | MOPS PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON299 |
BURMA'S BANKS: GOVERNMENT CUTS LIFELINE [...] (C) Summary: The regime has pulled the rug out from under the private banks, denying them any Central Bank credit. Though some reconfiguration of the banking system seems inevitable, the GOB has been mum so far on its exact intentions. The longer the delay in action, the longer the country's [...] |
2003-03-05 11:14:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN PREL ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON30 |
DANGERS LURK WITHIN BURMA'S SHADOW BANKS [...] (SBU) Summary: The surprisingly large informal banking sector in Burma has become a major cause of inflation, and a threat to the stability of the already weakened Burmese economy. A crackdown combined with a general liberalization of the official banking sector would be the best course for [...] |
2003-01-08 10:25:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON300 |
ILO PUSHES FOR PROGRESS ON FORCED LABOR [...] (C) Summary: On February 28, ILO Liaison Officer Ms. Perret-Nguyen provided Emboffs with a status report on her efforts to engage the regime on forced labor before the ILO Governing Board meeting on Burma in late March. Ms. Perret-Nguyen has been focusing on getting the regime to accept a p [...] |
2003-03-06 06:43:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ELAB PHUM PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON304 |
BURMESE STRONGMAN ILL WITH CANCER [...] (C) A reliable source with very close personal ties to top military medical officers corroborated recent DAO Rangoon reports that Vice Senior General Maung Aye has been hospitalized. Our source indicated, though, that Maung Aye had been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that is not trea [...] |
2003-03-06 09:07:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINS BM |
| 03RANGOON309 |
BURMA: THIRD ANNUAL TIP REPORT [...] (SBU) The following report responds to the checklist provided in reftel requesting information on trafficking in persons activities in Burma. The report will also be forwarded to EAP/BCLTV in Word format. Begin Report: Overview of Country's Activities - A. Burma is a country of origin [...] |
2003-03-07 07:59:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ASEC ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN PHUM PREF PREL SMIG BM |
| 03RANGOON31 |
END GAME IN BURMA'S ETHNIC WARS [...] (C) Summary: Burma has basically won its ethnic wars. While some small-scale operations continue, the situation now is nothing like it was in the late 1980s. Then, 20 separate insurgent groups could put more than 60,000 troops in the field in Burma. Now, the five or six groups that remain ac [...] |
2003-01-08 10:49:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PINS SNAR PHUM PREL MOPS BM |
| 03RANGOON318 |
VISA BANS: A COMPARISON OF U.S. AND E.U. POLICIES [...] SUMMARY: An analysis of American and E.U. visa policies toward Burmese "who formulate, implement, or benefit from policies that impede Burma's transition to democracy" shows that American and E.U. consular officials refuse to issue visas to more or less the same people, but sometimes for diffe [...] |
2003-03-10 07:35:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | CVIS CMGT BM |
| 03RANGOON334 |
OPIUM CULTIVATION DOWN SHARPLY IN BURMA [...] (C) Summary: According to UNODC experts, Burma's notorious Kokang Region is now free of opium. So is northern Shan State from Kutkai to Muse. According to UNODC's opium surveyors, preliminary indications from the data they have collected throughout Shan State suggest that the area under opiu [...] |
2003-03-13 05:22:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SNAR KCRM BM |
| 03RANGOON348 |
BURMA'S BANKS: PASSING THE BUCK ON TO BORROWERS [...] (C) Summary: The GOB has settled on a response to the banking crisis that will likely just expedite the disaster it is ostensibly trying to avoid. The regime, through a military-run committee, demanded that banks restore liquidity by calling in loans. With the economy at a standstill, many b [...] |
2003-03-17 09:12:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN PINS ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON355 |
LABOR MINISTER REJECTS ILO ACTION PLAN [...] (SBU) COM Martinez met with Labor Minister Tin Winn on March 18 to encourage greater Burmese cooperation with the ILO on forced labor. Specifically, the COM urged the Minister to accept Rangoon ILO Liaison Officer Ms. Perret-Nguyen's recommendations for a plan of action to be presented at th [...] |
2003-03-19 06:48:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ELAB PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON359 |
NLD COMMENTS ON PRISONER RELEASES, INTIMIDATION, [...] (SBU) Summary: On March 18, NLD Central Executive Committee members told Embassy officials that the SPDC included 3 NLD prisoners in the 45 prisoners released on March 16. However, the NLD also charged that the SPDC continues to condone, if not direct, harassment of the NLD and Aung San Suu [...] |
2003-03-19 10:07:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM NLD ASSK |
| 03RANGOON370 |
PINHEIRO SEEKING SPDC APPROVAL FOR HR ASSESSMENT [...] (SBU) Summary: On March 20, UN Special Rapporteur Pinheiro briefed the U.S., EU, Japanese, and Australian Ambassadors on his current visit to Burma. Pinheiro said the 6-day visit is to update information prior to his March 31 presentation to the UN Human Rights Committee and to request gove [...] |
2003-03-21 06:04:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON377 |
PINHEIRO SUSPENDS MISSION TO PROTEST GOVERNMENT [...] (C) Summary: Pinheiro suspended his fifth mission to Burma on March 24 to protest a government eavesdropping incident at a supposedly confidential interview he conducted. He will not return until he receives an explanation of the incident and a renewed government commitment to the guidelines f [...] |
2003-03-24 11:35:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON387 |
DISCOVERY OF IED NEAR U.S. EMBASSY - RANGOON [...] (U) AT APPROXIMATELY 06:20 THIS MORNING, AN IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE (IED) WAS DISCOVERED IN MAHABANDOOLA PARK WHICH FRONTS MERCHANT STREET ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE CHANCERY. THE DEVICE WAS DISCOVERED DURING A ROUTINE CHECK BY HOST COUNTRY SECURITY SERVICES AND WAS DESCRIBED AS A 1/2-POUN [...] |
2003-03-27 06:58:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | ASEC AMGT PTER BM |
| 03RANGOON394 |
BANGLADESH PRIME MINISTER LOOKS EASTWARD, [...] (C) Summary: Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's three day visit to Burma produced understandings on trade, transport connections, and refugees. Terrorism was not discussed, but, according to the Bangladeshi Defense Attache, Bangladesh has continued with efforts to clean up its side of th [...] |
2003-03-28 08:20:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ETRD PTER BG BM |
| 03RANGOON398 |
A DAY OF CONTRASTS AND BOMBS IN RANGOON [...] (SBU) Summary: Armed Forces Day, March 27, saw the military government mount its traditional large military parade and host a state banquet in the posh Armed Forces grand hall and theater. The pro-democracy parties celebrated Anti-Fascist Resistance Day (commemorating the 1945 switch of Gene [...] |
2003-03-28 09:40:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINS BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON4 |
BURMA'S GARMENT INDUSTRY SEAMS DOOMED [...] (SBU) Summary: The threat of sanctions, the ongoing consumer boycott, and the GOB's own inane trade and investment policies are decimating the Burmese garment sector. The upcoming elimination of textile quotas in 2005 should put the final nail in the Burmese garment industry's coffin. The r [...] |
2003-01-02 08:33:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EIND ETRD KTEX BM |
| 03RANGOON429 |
DEMOCRACY DEMONSTRATOR RECEIVES SANCTUARY INSIDE [...] (C) SUMMARY: A young man involved in a sidewalk pro-democracy demonstration April 4 dashed into the British embassy to avoid arrest and as of April 7, remains inside. His co-demonstrator, a monk from Bago, is in regime hands. End Summary. 2. (C) British embassy sources tell us that on Frid [...] |
2003-04-07 08:25:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREF PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON43 |
UNDP'S PROGRAM IN BURMA - LINKING BASIC HUMAN [...] (C) Summary: UNDP will be seeking a more flexible mandate for its operations in Burma at the January 21 meeting in New York. The USG should support that request, but should also demand that UNDP and other UN agencies play a more active role in regard to human rights monitoring and protection o [...] |
2003-01-10 03:59:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID PHUM BM UNDP NGO |
| 03RANGOON430 |
WILL BURMA'S BANKS SURVIVE? SIGNS POINT TO NO [...] (C) Summary: Another payday passed without incident on March 31, but that does not mean that all is well in Burma. The banking crisis continues grimly on, with increasing negative spillover into the general economy. Though bankers, borrowers, and businesses are begging for mercy, government p [...] |
2003-04-07 08:38:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN ECON PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON433 |
NEW FUNDING INITIATIVE: WHY NOT KEEP AN OPEN MIND? [...] (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph seven. 2. (C) Summary: The language of the recent FY 2003-04 omnibus spending measure's managers' report (asking us to work with the NLD on a "new initiative" to outline a comprehensive needs assessment) seems at odds with subsequent guidan [...] |
2003-04-08 02:46:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EAID SOCI BM |
| 03RANGOON439 |
REGIME EASES UP ON ASSK HARASSMENT [...] (SBU) Summary: NLD spokesman U Lwin told Poloff on April 7 that ASSK and party were harassed by SPDC and local authorities representatives for the first few days of their visit to Chin State. However, Military Intelligence (MI) officials, who provided earlier assurances that there would be n [...] |
2003-04-08 08:52:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM ASSK NLD |
| 03RANGOON444 |
FUNDING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OPPOSITION [...] Summary: In three separate meetings in recent months, democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK) has raised the issue of providing educational opportunity to opposition youth who are denied the right to attend Burmese universities and denied passports to travel abroad for study. She has appea [...] |
2003-04-09 09:08:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | KPAO EAID BM NGO ASSK |
| 03RANGOON445 |
JAPAN ON BURMA: WE WANT A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP TOO [...] (C) Summary: Minutes from a short meeting between the Japanese Ambassador and the Burmese Minister of National Planning and Economic Development emphasize the new pro-engagement policy outlined by the Japanese at the recent ICG meeting in Tokyo. The Ambassador's remarks give some insight into [...] |
2003-04-09 09:12:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON446 |
RAZALI'S NEXT VISIT [...] No summary [...] |
2003-04-09 09:14:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON447 |
SUCCESSION ISSUES [...] (C) Summary: There are no laws or rules governing succession within the SPDC in Burma. Nevertheless, Than Shwe, Maung Aye and Khin Nyunt have begun to line up successors, including in particular Lieutenant Generals Thura Shwe Mann, Soe Win and Tin Aung Myint Oo. These are the three youngest [...] |
2003-04-09 09:22:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINR BM |
| 03RANGOON448 |
CAN BURMA'S RICE REFORMS WORK? [...] (SBU) Summary: Rice merchants are nervously anticipating the impending privatization of Burma's rice markets. Though the long-term benefits of this step are manifold, a hurried implementation of this drastic policy could have some unwelcome side effects in the short haul. End summary. GOB [...] |
2003-04-09 09:28:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAGR ETRD ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON45 |
JAPAN EXPANDS DEBT RELIEF; AGREES TO HOST [...] (C) Summary: Japan has agreed to host a consultative group meeting on Burma in mid-February. It is also edging towards support for economic reform in Burma. How far it can or should go in that regard, absent real political reform, will likely be one of the prime topics at the February meeting [...] |
2003-01-10 09:09:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL EFIN EAID BM JP |
| 03RANGOON48 |
THAI MINISTERS POISED TO OVERRUN RANGOON [...] (C) Summary; At least six Thai ministers and the Chiefs of the Thai Armed Services will all parade through Burma during January in pursuit of agreements on trade and illegal workers, among other issues. There may also be some action on the border in early February between the Burmese and the [...] |
2003-01-13 02:40:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL TH BM |
| 03RANGOON484 |
ASSK GIVES PRESS A DOWNBEAT ASSESSMENT OF HER YEAR [...] (SBU) Summary: Aung San Suu Kyi told reporters and diplomats April 23 that her trips to various regions of the country reassured her that ethnic groups are anxious for national reconciliation. She provided details on how the trips had been marred by attempts to intimidate NLD supporters. A [...] |
2003-04-23 10:44:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON489 |
A VISIT TO A WWII REMAINS RECOVERY SITE [...] SUMMARY: COM, DASD Jerry Jennings (POW and MIA Affairs), DATT, and others inspected ongoing WWII remains recovery operations in Burma's northernmost Kachin State on March 23. END SUMMARY. 2. After flying from Rangoon to the Kachin capital of Myitkyina aboard a USAF C-12 out of Bangkok, [...] |
2003-04-24 08:53:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | MOPS PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON517 |
EAP DAS DALEY MEETS WITH AUNG SAN SUU KYI [...] (C) SUMMARY: EAP DAS Matt Daley, COM, and note taker spent over an hour and a half with Aung San Suu Kyi at her residence April 27 discussing a host of political issues. UN Special Envoy Razali's influenced was undermined, in the NLD leader's view, when Malaysian PM Mahathir bowed to the re [...] |
2003-04-30 00:46:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV EAID KDEM BM NLD ASSK |
| 03RANGOON524 |
BURMA HRDF GRANT PROPOSALS [...] (U) Embassy Rangoon submits the four proposals described below in response to reftel request for projects promoting democracy and human rights. The projects were chosen because they directly support U.S. goals in Burma in regard to strengthening civil society and democratic principles. They [...] |
2003-04-30 09:02:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAID KDEM PGOV PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON53 |
WHAT'S BEST FOR BURMA? UNCLEAR. [...] (C) Summary. During a conversation with David Rockefeller at the Chief of Mission's residence on January 12th, Aung San Suu Kyi talked about the need for a speedy transition, the dangerous state of the nation's education system, and her growing public support outside Rangoon. Unfortunately, AS [...] |
2003-01-13 08:05:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM ECON BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON539 |
REGIME RELEASES SALAI TUN THAN, 20 OTHER POLITICAL [...] (U) In a May 4 press release, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) announced the release of 21 political prisoners. Dr. Salai Tun Than, a well-respected academic who was arrested for staging a one-man political demonstration in 2001 was among those released. Salai Tun Than is an a [...] |
2003-05-05 10:50:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON543 |
JAPAN'S NEW BURMA POLICY: FULL ENGAGEMENT WITH NO [...] (C) Summary: The new Japanese "Three Pillars" strategy of humanitarian aid, economic reform, and democracy was officially unveiled on April 29. The Japanese ambassador in Rangoon explained the details and origin of this policy to the Chief of Mission (COM) during a lunch on May 5. Though he [...] |
2003-05-06 07:02:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ECON EAID KDEM BM |
| 03RANGOON549 |
60TH ANNIVERSARY OF "SIAM-BURMA DEATH RAILWAY" [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: COM, DATT, and others participated in a May 1 Australia-organized ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of the infamous Siam-Burma Death Railway. 133 Americas were among the estimated 12,000 Allied POWs who perishing while slaving on the railway's construction. This wa [...] |
2003-05-07 06:57:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL MOPS BM |
| 03RANGOON554 |
EAP DAS DALEY MEETS WITH SPDC SECRETARY ONE [...] (C) SUMMARY: EAP DAS Matt Daley, COM, and DCM (note taker) met with Secretary 1, General Khin Nyunt April 27 in Rangoon. General Khin Nyunt emphasized counter-terrorism cooperation and the added security the GOB has provided to the U.S. Embassy. Daley urged the GOB to accelerate dialogue wi [...] |
2003-05-07 10:00:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PTER BM |
| 03RANGOON560 |
BURMA'S BANKS: THE BEATDOWN GOES ON [...] (C) Summary: The future is not clear, and certainly not bright, at end of the second full month of the Burmese banking crisis. The banks' restrictions on withdrawals are still in place as are orders that banks recover outstanding loans. Bankers continue to speculate on mergers and bankruptci [...] |
2003-05-08 09:53:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN ECON PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON563 |
BURMA: WHO WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR FREEING RICE? [...] (C) Summary: The GOB's official announcement of its rice liberalization policy answered the questions: who, what, where, and when. However, why, how, and how much are still vague. Until these questions are answered, the success of the new policy will be uncertain. However, we are encouraged [...] |
2003-05-09 04:44:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAGR ETRD ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON574 |
ENERGY GIANTS FUND BURMESE MODEL VILLAGES [...] (SBU) Summary: A visit to the Total/UNOCAL pipeline zone in Tanintharyi Division revealed an impressive level of socio-economic development. A lack of government interference, and the determination of well-funded corporate citizens to push the envelope, have allowed for decent living standard [...] |
2003-05-12 09:29:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAID ECON EPET PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON575 |
OPIUM LARGELY GONE, FARMERS MAY STARVE IN NORTHERN [...] (U) Summary: After a month-long assessment, a UNODC mission told diplomats April 10 that "opium production in Burma was plainly ending." Northern Shan State, including areas controlled by cease-fire groups like the Kokang Chinese, was essentially clear of opium production. However, farmers w [...] |
2003-05-13 02:11:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SNAR BM |
| 03RANGOON623 |
THIRTEEN YEARS ON, NLD CALLS ON JUNTA TO HONOR [...] (U) Summary: At a ceremony honoring the 13th anniversary of multiparty elections in Burma, the National League for Democracy, which won 392 out of the 485 elected seats, called on the regime to honor the election's results. Citing the junta's pledges from the pre- and post-election period th [...] |
2003-05-28 04:28:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV KDEM PHUM BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON625 |
ROHINGYA PROJECT PROPOSAL [...] Summary: Embassy Rangoon would like to apply for a $20,000 grant from PRM's Ambassador's Fund for an assessment of communicable diseases among returning refugees in Burma's northern Rakhine State. If done immediately, the assessment can provide the basis for a comprehensive health program in [...] |
2003-05-28 08:41:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PREF EAID BM |
| 03RANGOON635 |
NLD, GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS CLASH IN NORTHERN BURMA [...] (C) Summary: The military junta may be preparing a new crackdown on Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy. At a news conference May 31, the government accused the NLD of provoking a riot in Sagaing Division northwest of Mandalay that left four dead and more than 50 injured. I [...] |
2003-05-31 16:07:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINS PREL BM NLD ASSK |
| 03RANGOON636 |
BURMESE GOVERNMENT CRACKS DOWN ON NLD FOLLOWING [...] (C) Summary: The Chief of Mission delivered reftel B demarche to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today and will follow up tomorrow with the Deputy Foreign Minister and the Minister of Labor. In company with Ambassadors from Germany and Italy and the British Charge, she also confirmed NLD Cen [...] |
2003-06-01 12:25:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINS PREL BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON637 |
BOMBINGS IN TACHILEIK [...] (C) Summary: No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bombings in Tachileik on May 21, though the Burmese have blamed the Shan State Army (South) and the Thai blame the Wa. The good news is that Thai and Burmese police officers are cooperating in the investigation, though it remains to b [...] |
2003-06-02 06:50:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PTER PINS BM |
| 03RANGOON639 |
NLD SHUT DOWN; AUNG SAN SUU KYI WHEREABOUTS STILL [...] (C) Summary: The NLD has been effectively shut down in Burma. Its offices have been closed and its senior leaders are under detention. Aung San Suu Kyi has been brought back to Rangoon, ostensibly for "her own protection," but it is not clear yet where she is being held. Universities, whic [...] |
2003-06-02 10:05:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINS PREL BM ASSK NLD |
| 03RANGOON640 |
BURMESE - U.S. W.W. II REMAINS RECOVERY TECHNICAL [...] (C) After consultation with DOD DAS Jennings and other appropriate individuals involved in the W.W.II Remains Recovery Technical talks scheduled for June 4-6 in Rangoon, the mutual decision to postpone the talks was made today, June 2. The most recent regime crackdown on the democratic oppos [...] |
2003-06-02 10:13:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | MOPS PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON646 |
INSIDERS' VIEWS ON HOW TO INFLUENCE BURMA'S RULING [...] (S) Summary: Burma's businessmen have been telling us in no uncertain terms that neither economic sanctions nor constructive engagement will expedite political reform under the current circumstances. With surprising unanimity, these insiders have asserted that "coercive persuasion" is the only [...] |
2003-06-03 10:57:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PREL KDEM PGOV ETRD BM |
| 03RANGOON647 |
MFA BRIEFING ON NLD/GOVERNMENT CLASHES [...] (C) Summary: Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win's briefing for diplomats on the recent deadly clash between NLD and government supporters in Depeyin satisfied no one. While he provided a faithful rehash of government press reporting on the incident, he would not say where Aung San Suu Kyi o [...] |
2003-06-03 12:58:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINS PREL BM ASSK NLD |
| 03RANGOON653 |
RAZALI VISIT TO RANGOON [...] (C) Summary: Post continues in its conviction that Special Envoy (SE) Razali should not come to Rangoon absent firm assurances that he will be allowed a meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi. However, we understand that the SE is still undecided. If Razali chooses to come without guarantees of any [...] |
2003-06-04 10:46:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM MY BM |
| 03RANGOON657 |
UNFPA'S BURMA SCORECARD IS GOOD, SO FAR [...] (SBU) Summary: UNFPA, into the second year of its four-year "special program" in Burma, is encouraged by its successes. To help ensure further progress, though, the agency's Rangoon office hopes that a chronic shortage of contraceptives will be remedied in short order. The agency plans to ex [...] |
2003-06-05 10:18:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | AORC EAID SOCI BM UNFPA NGO |
| 03RANGOON665 |
RAZALI: NO ACCESS TO ASSK AS YET, MEETING WITH [...] (C) Summary: Late on June 7, Special Envoy Razali briefed COM Martinez on his meeting earlier in the day with SPDC Secretary One Khin Nyunt. Khin Nyunt told Razali that the crackdown on the NLD was in response to actions by ASSK that constituted an unacceptable threat to the SPDC. He assur [...] |
2003-06-07 15:33:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON675 |
SE RAZALI TO MEET WITH ASSK [...] (C) Summary: UN Special Envoy Razali gave COM a private read-out of his meeting this morning, June 9, with Vice Senior General Maung Aye. Maung Aye told Razali that "as a special consideration" to the UN and Razali's efforts, the SPDC had reversed a previous decision to not allow anyone acc [...] |
2003-06-09 11:01:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON681 |
RAZALI SAYS ASSK IN GOOD HEALTH, BUT WHAT ABOUT [...] (C) Summary: UN Special Envoy Razali had a brief meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi this morning (June 10) and reported to diplomats later that she was not injured and was "feisty, as usual." While Razali was quite pleased, with good reason, that he gained access to ASSK, he made no progress on [...] |
2003-06-10 11:53:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL PHUM BM NLD ASSK |
| 03RANGOON682 |
SPDC STRIKES CONCILIATORY TONE IN SECOND BRIEFING [...] SUMMARY: In a June 10 briefing for journalists and diplomats following UN Special Envoy Razali's departure from Rangoon, the Foreign Ministry provided more details of the May 30 ambush of Aung San Suu Kyi's (ASSK) motorcade near Depeyin and side-pedaled on several issues connected to the atta [...] |
2003-06-10 12:24:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL KPAO BM ASSK NLD |
| 03RANGOON696 |
COM PRESSES HOME MINISTER TO RELEASE DETAINEES AND [...] (C) Summary: On June 11, COM had a frank meeting with Minister of Home Affairs Colonel Tin Hlaing to discuss the recent crackdown on the NLD and to deliver an advance copy of this year's Trafficking In Persons report. On recent NLD detentions, Tin Hlaing denied press reports that the gover [...] |
2003-06-12 12:19:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON707 |
BURMA'S OPIUM FIELDS -- GOING, GOING, .... [...] (C) Summary: According to information presented by UNODC's Resident Representative, Burma eliminated approximately one-quarter of its opium fields in 2003. According to UNODC's latest survey, the acreage under opium cultivation in Burma in 2003 totaled only 62,100 hectares, down 24 percent fr [...] |
2003-06-16 08:45:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SNAR KCRM PINS BM |
| 03RANGOON71 |
BAD GOVERNANCE HAMPERS UNICEF'S EFFORTS IN BURMA [...] (C) SUMMARY: UNICEF's $12m annual program in Burma is striving to improve child welfare in a country where 35% of children under the age of 5 are malnourished. It has achieved some laudable successes, but overall prospects are severely constrained by an inept, illegitimate, and corrupt mili [...] |
2003-01-16 03:15:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV EAID BM NGO |
| 03RANGOON713 |
ICRC EXPECTS TO SEE ASSK AND OTHER DETAINED NLD [...] (C) Summary: ICRC expects to visit Aung San Suu Kyi and the other detained NLD leaders within the next few days. Meanwhile, the universities have reopened and Rangoon remains quiet. End Summary. ICRC To See ASSK and Other NLD Leaders 2. (C) ICRC officers have advised us that ICRC has been [...] |
2003-06-17 05:55:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PINS PHUM PREL BM ASSK NLD |
| 03RANGOON724 |
AUNG SAN SUU KYI REPORTEDLY BEING HELD IN [...] No summary [...] |
2003-06-19 08:50:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON757 |
BURMA'S COUNTERNARCOTICS PERFORMANCE [...] Summary: The Burmese government (GOB) has reduced opium cultivation, cooperated with the United States, Australia, China, Thailand, and other states on a series of major narcotics cases, and continued to prosecute traffickers. It has failed in regard to its new money laundering law, whose i [...] |
2003-06-25 09:50:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR KCRM BM |
| 03RANGOON764 |
NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS - BURMESE GOVERNMENT CENSORS [...] (U) The Burmese government is now censoring or controlling distribution of some foreign periodicals that are normally sold with official authorization in Burma. This is an effort to remove international reports of the May 30 attack on the National League for Democracy (NLD) convoy in Depeyin a [...] |
2003-06-26 09:26:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL PHUM KPAO BM |
| 03RANGOON769 |
LOCAL REACTION MIXED ON NEW BURMA SANCTIONS [...] (C) Summary: The Embassy has received much solicited and unsolicited reaction to the impending U.S. sanctions. We've heard from foreign diplomats, businessmen, resident U.S. citizens, some NLD members, and GOB economic officials. Generally people understand our motives, but are very skeptical [...] |
2003-06-26 11:39:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ETRD EFIN ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON773 |
CONDITIONS IN INSEIN PRISON [...] No summary [...] |
2003-06-27 06:30:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON778 |
EMBASSY OFFICERS VISIT RESIDENCES OF DETAINED [...] (C) Summary: Pol/Econ chief, accompanied by a senior Burmese FSN, went to the residences of eight of the ten CEC members on June 26. We found the security at the houses of the Central Committee members lax in contrast to 2000, when the GOB posted military intelligence agents (MI) and Minist [...] |
2003-06-27 09:17:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON78 |
EVALUATION OF THE WA ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT [...] This is an action message. See paragraph 7. 2. Summary: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has invited the USG to participate in the final evaluation of the Wa Alternative Development Project. We have been the prime movers behind this project. If possible, we should plan to p [...] |
2003-01-17 01:50:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | SNAR BM |
| 03RANGOON79 |
BURMA: THE ILLUSION OF ECONOMIC STABILITY [...] (C) Summary: Since last Fall, Burma has seen the formation of new government economic advisory committees, a relatively stable kyat, and slowing consumer price inflation. Could this mean the regime is finally taking real steps to improve the economic situation? Unfortunately not. The exchang [...] |
2003-01-17 03:36:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EFIN BM |
| 03RANGOON832 |
U.S. INVESTOR, GARMENT WORKERS FEAR NEW BURMA [...] (SBU) Summary: The input on pending U.S. sanctions on Burma continues to roll in. In the last several days we've heard the fears and concerns of the largest U.S. investor in Burma, Unocal, and also from 28,000 garment workers. End summary. Unocal Sees Unintended Consequences 2. (SBU) T [...] |
2003-07-09 08:29:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ETRD EIND EPET BM |
| 03RANGOON837 |
BURMESE MPS-ELECT APPEAL TO SYG ANNAN, PLAN TO [...] (C) Seventy Burmese MPs-elect (elected in the junta-annulled 1990 election) have written to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan informing him that they have asked Senior General Than Shwe to release the political prisoners and implement the UN resolutions regarding restoring democracy in Burma. [...] |
2003-07-10 07:43:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PREL PGOV BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON838 |
ETHNIC LEADERS PLAN APPEAL TO LEADER OF JUNTA [...] (S) Summary: Reverend Saboi Jum, the head of the Kachin Baptist Convention, has revealed plans by ethnic leaders to appeal directly to the head of the SPDC for a return to the path of national reconciliation. Jum asked COM if the release of Aung San Suu Kyi alone would be enough to ease US p [...] |
2003-07-10 10:35:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PREL PHUM BM |
| 03RANGOON846 |
BURMA'S BANKS: STILL AWAITING SENTENCING [...] (C) Summary: The situation for some of Burma's largest private banks may have stabilized for the time being, though it is still critical. The government, despite some tinkering around the edges, has still not revealed its vision for the future. We're sure of only two things: the economy will [...] |
2003-07-16 08:57:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN ECON BM |
| 03RANGOON859 |
BURMA: HUNDI MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND [...] (S) Summary: In the absence of a reliable method for remitting foreign exchange, the "hundi" system flourishes in Burma. The system is used by nearly everyone in the country who needs to get dollars in or out, from NGOs to military officers. Though hundi in Burma is undoubtedly used to facil [...] |
2003-07-18 08:19:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | EFIN SNAR PTER ECON ETRD BM |
| 03RANGOON860 |
MP'S-ELECT SHARE THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS [...] (S) Summary: MPs-elect told us July 18 that they expect Aung San Suu Kyi to be released fairly soon, that the party remains strong and its members dedicated and loyal, and that they hope to avoid any "sporadic" anti-regime action that could serve as a pretext for an even tougher crackdown on [...] |
2003-07-18 08:43:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PGOV PREL KDEM BM ASSK NLD |
| 03RANGOON890 |
MANDALAY OUTREACH CENTER: NOW MORE THAN EVER [...] (U) This is an action request. See para 2. 2. (SBU) Summary: In order to expand its democracy training and outreach, Embassy proposes to establish an American Center Teaching Annex in Mandalay (see reftels), Burma's second largest city and its geographic and cultural center. The American [...] |
2003-07-25 05:37:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | KPAO PREL ABLD ASEC BM |
| 03RANGOON897 |
MOSQUE RAZED, PARAMILITARIES TRAINED [...] (C) Trouble in Sittwe: Local officials on July 22 reportedly tore down a mosque in Sittwe, 70 miles SE of the Bangladeshi border, and arrested seven Muslims, one of whom subsequently died in custody. This information came to us from Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and UN contacts. Apparently the m [...] |
2003-07-28 10:01:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM KISL BM |
| 03RANGOON900 |
BURNING FOR BOOKS IN BURMA: HIGH SUCCESS [...] SUMMARY: American Center publications and library programs are currently enjoying new highs of popularity. The military government of Burma censors the press, dictates radio and television broadcasts, limits access to the internet, and controls every educational institution across Burma, c [...] |
2003-07-29 09:14:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | KPAO OIIP KDEM PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON910 |
BURMA'S INVESTMENT CLIMATE STATEMENT [...] Table of Contents: Summary Preface: U.S. Investment in Burma Subject to Sanctions  [...] |
2003-07-31 07:15:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | EINV KTDB BM OPIC |
| 03RANGOON919 |
UPDATE ON AUNG SAN SUU KYI'S LOCATION; VISITS TO [...] (S) NLD insiders tell us Aung San Suu Kyi has recently been held in the house of a military officer on the complex of a counter-terrorism unit in Hlegu Township, a few miles north of Rangoon's international airport. We do not know if she is there permanently or was moved temporarily (from the [...] |
2003-08-01 09:26:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PGOV PREL KDEM BM ASSK NLD |
| 03RANGOON921 |
NATIVES RESTLESS OVER SCOPE OF NEW SANCTIONS [...] This is an action request. Please see paragraph 5. 2. The Charge d'Affaires, a.i. and Econoff held briefings on the new U.S. sanctions on July 30th for U.S. citizens, and July 31st for Burmese and third-country businesspeople, NGOs, and the diplomatic and UN community. Both briefings were [...] |
2003-08-01 10:17:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | EFIN AFIN BM |
| 03RANGOON949 |
NEW BURMA SANCTIONS EQUAL NEW BURMA REFUGEES? [...] (SBU) Summary: The new U.S. sanctions on Burma will have a negative impact on the economy as a whole, and the garment sector in particular. NGOs believe that the unemployment caused by the sharp decline of the garment industry will lead to an increase of trafficking in persons and attempted e [...] |
2003-08-08 10:33:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ETRD ECON PREF PHUM PGOV BM NGO |
| 03RANGOON950 |
SANCTIONS CATCH BUSINESSES, GOVERNMENT FLAT-FOOTED [...] (C) Summary: Businesses have faced more trouble than they expected from the new U.S. sanctions on Burma. While local traders are scurrying to find a creative solution to their financial problems, the Burmese government has refused to take any action other than attempt to reassure the business [...] |
2003-08-08 10:46:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ETRD ECON PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON951 |
GOB'S CONCERNS OVER AUGUST 7 SECURITY INCIDENT [...] Post has received information from the Department that uniformed Secret Service arrested 3 Burmese students at the Burmese embassy the morning of August 7 after they tried to use a ladder to remove the Burmese flag and replace it with their own (a Burmese dissident report on the incident said [...] |
2003-08-08 12:35:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED | ASEC PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON963 |
RUMORS OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI,S DEATH APPEAR TO BE [...] (U) Ref A article in the Thai daily Bangkok Siam Rat (titled "Rumor Says Suu Kyi Dead; Dream of Democracy Shattered") reported on rumors that an assailant recently stabbed detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to death. Although there are many uncertainties regarding ASSK,s current wher [...] |
2003-08-11 08:39:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV ASEC BM ASSK |
| 03RANGOON966 |
LOCAL NLD PUBLICLY SUPPORTS SANCTIONS [...] (C) We received a letter dated July 29, addressed to President Bush and signed by sixteen rank and file Rangoon Division members of the National League for Democracy (NLD). A translation of the letter and a copy of the original has been pouched to EAP/BCLTV. 2. (C) The letter offered thanks [...] |
2003-08-12 03:59:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV ETRD BM NLD |
| 03RANGOON977 |
FEW EARLY VOLUNTEERS FOR BURMESE RICE TRADE [...] (C) Summary: With only two or three months remaining before rice harvest time, private traders and agronomists are dubious that the GOB's rice liberalization policy will be a real short term success. Too many uncertainties and holes remain for that to happen. However, all agree that the regi [...] |
2003-08-13 11:55:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EAGR ETRD PGOV BM |
| 03RANGOON978 |
BURMESE DEPUTY FM: "U.S-BURMA RELATIONS AT ROCK [...] (C) Summary: Burma's Deputy Foreign Minister (DFM) told us on August 12 that the country's ruling generals are deeply upset with new U.S. sanctions and concerned about their impact on the Burmese economy, but feel confident they can mitigate any negative consequences. He said that the 2003 B [...] |
2003-08-13 11:55:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN ETRD PGOV PHUM PREL BM |
| 03RANGOON993 |
JAPANESE AMBASSADOR URGES DEPUTIES TO ADDRESS BURMA [...] (C) Summary: The Japanese Ambassador to Burma says that he will urge his Deputy Foreign Minister to address next steps in Burma during a September meeting with Deputy Secretary Armitage. He advocates that the U.S. and Japan SIPDIS quietly collaborate in developing a package of carrots a [...] |
2003-08-16 02:53:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV JA BM |
| 03RANGOON994 |
BURMA SANCTIONS: GOVERNMENT STUMBLES FORWARD [...] (C) Summary: Hints of two informal trade policy changes (an attempted shift from the dollar to the euro and unofficial liberalization of border trade) may steer the post-sanctions environment in a clearer direction. Border trade will boom, especially if the regime is serious about reforms on [...] |
2003-08-16 03:05:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ETRD EFIN ECON PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1014 |
BURMESE PRIME MINISTER KHIN NYUNT: CHINA FREQUENT [...] (C) Summary: Both the PRC Embassy and the Burmese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) described Burmese Prime Minister Khin Nyunt's 11-18 July visit to China, his eighth overall though the first as PM, as a huge success. The visit, during which Khin Nyunt met senior Chinese leaders and repor [...] |
2004-08-06 09:48:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | PREL ECON PGOV PHUM BM CH |
| 04RANGOON1030 |
BURMA GETS FIRST PIECE OF GLOBAL FUND PIE [...] (U) Summary: On August 4 the GOB Ministry of Health facilitated a signing ceremony in Rangoon which initiated the tuberculosis (TB) component of a Global Fund (GF) grant to Burma, the country's first tranche of funding from the GF. The first two-year phase of the TB component is for $6.9 milli [...] |
2004-08-10 10:25:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | TBIO SOCI PGOV EAID PHUM PREL BM NGO |
| 04RANGOON1035 |
THE NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY: MONSOON SEASON [...] (C) Summary: The NLD CEC has established regular communications with ASSK and U Tin Oo. An ongoing NLD petition drive to free the two leaders has proven minimally appealing to party members and supporters, and has also encountered some regime resistance in Mandalay and Sagaing divisions. Wi [...] |
2004-08-11 09:56:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM ASSK NLD |
| 04RANGOON1048 |
UNHCR LOOKS FOR SHORT-TERM FUNDS FOR EASTERN [...] (C) Summary: UNHCR's activities in the recently opened eastern border areas are gaining momentum. As the GOB expands its preparations for possible future repatriation of refugees in Thailand, the UNHCR is expanding its roving presence and basic infrastructure work. We support the UNHCR reque [...] |
2004-08-16 09:29:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREF PHUM EAID PINS PGOV BM NGO |
| 04RANGOON1049 |
BURMA: NLD APPEALS TO HIGH COURT TO FREE ASSK, [...] (C) Summary: The National League for Democracy (NLD) on August 16 initiated a legal maneuver requesting that Burma's High Court order the GOB to release ASSK and U Tin Oo and to allow the party to reopen its offices. NLD leaders are under no illusion that the effort will force the regime to r [...] |
2004-08-16 09:54:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM NLD ASSK |
| 04RANGOON1056 |
BURMA: HISTORIC HEROIN BUST REVEALS MAJOR [...] (C) Summary: Burma's largest heroin seizure in history (592 kilos seized along the southern coast in early July) has uncovered a major drug trafficking syndicate with possible connections to traffickers and markets in Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, India, and the United S [...] |
2004-08-18 07:59:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SNAR PREL PGOV KCRM KISL BM |
| 04RANGOON1057 |
BURMA'S ENERGY SECTOR: WHISTLING IN THE DARK [...] (C) Summary: With the worst of Rangoon's dry season blackouts easing during the current monsoon rains, many are pondering whether the GOB will fix Burma's chronic energy problems before next spring. Signs most definitely point to 'No.' Burma's energy situation continues to suffer from three m [...] |
2004-08-18 08:44:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ENRG ECON PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1080 |
FOR BURMA'S REGIME, LOYALTY TRUMPS FAMILY [...] (SBU) MORE OPPRESSION: At the recent funeral of a famous Burmese writer (and NLD MP-elect), the Charge, a.i. met the wife of political prisoner Dr. Than Nyein. Dr. Than Nyein was elected on the NLD ticket in 1990 from PM General Khin Nyunt's hometown of Kyauktan. The NLD MP-elect was senten [...] |
2004-08-24 07:52:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM PINR BM NLD |
| 04RANGOON1085 |
SUPPORT FOR BURMESE POLITICAL PRISONERS [...] (C) SUMMARY: The NLD runs a modest but very successful program to assist its imprisoned members. Post is interested in exploring ways to bolster this NLD effort and/or find parallel means to help political prisoners and their families. See action request para 8. End Summary. 2. (SBU) [...] |
2004-08-25 05:27:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM EAID PGOV KDEM BM NLD |
| 04RANGOON1090 |
NLD MP ARRESTS: PETITION DRIVE FALLOUT? [...] (C) Summary: In mid-August the Burmese regime rounded up nine members and supporters of the National League for Democracy, including two MPs-elect, at several upcountry locations. NLD leaders believe that the arrests are in retaliation for the party's ongoing petition drive to release NLD le [...] |
2004-08-25 09:01:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM NLD |
| 04RANGOON110 |
BURMA CAN'T FIGHT PHONY PHARMAS FROM INDIA AND [...] (SBU) Summary: Sick Burmese are suffering under a flood of fake, unregistered, or sub-standard pharmaceuticals primarily imported from India and China. Though honest importers and the government are making some efforts to deal with the situation, little can be done without a better regulatory [...] |
2004-01-23 04:49:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAID SOCI ECON BM |
| 04RANGOON1100 |
ALLEGED NORTH KOREAN INVOLVEMENT IN MISSILE [...] (S) SUMMARY: North Korean workers are reportedly assembling "SAM missiles" and constructing an underground facility at a Burmese military site in Magway Division, about 315 miles NNW of Rangoon, according to XXXXXXXXXXXX . This unsolicited account should not be taken as authoritative, but it tracks [...] |
2004-08-27 08:08:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PARM PINR PREL KNNP BM KN |
| 04RANGOON1132 |
GOB TALKS THE TALK ON GETTING TOUGH WITH HUMAN [...] (C) Summary: According to senior GOB police officials, Burma has undertaken a plethora of activities in recent months to combat trafficking of persons. We see ample evidence that the GOB continues to demonstrate a growing political will to combat trafficking and to improve cooperation with U [...] |
2004-09-01 11:07:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM ELAB SMIG BM |
| 04RANGOON1136 |
BURMA: "HELL'S ANGELS" IN THE EAST, SLAVE LABORERS [...] (C) Summary: UNHCR's latest assessment mission along Burma's eastern border revealed KNU strength to be significantly diminished and, by contrast, an alarming and widespread presence of DKBA soldiers "who resemble the Hell's Angels" in appearance, swagger, and influence. Meanwhile, on the we [...] |
2004-09-02 07:02:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREF PHUM PGOV PINS ELAB BM |
| 04RANGOON1149 |
INSIDE BURMA'S NLD PARTY: YOUNG TURKS VS OLD LIONS [...] (C) Summary: The National League for Democracy (NLD) held a series of recent meetings that pitted state and divisional party officials (younger leaders who demand a pro-active stance approach to the regime) against members of the NLD Central Executive Committee (octogenarians who are disincli [...] |
2004-09-03 10:34:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM NLD |
| 04RANGOON1151 |
GOB INDIFFERENT TO HISTORIC FLOODING [...] (C) Summary: Record rainfall in July and August led to historic flooding throughout Burma, rendering thousands homeless and causing severe damage to rice crops. The Burmese regime denied that any flooding occurred and arrested individuals for distributing video footage of flooded towns. GOB [...] |
2004-09-03 11:00:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SENV EAGR ECON PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1176 |
AMERICAN CENTER ANNEX IN MANDALAY: FREQUENTLY ASKED [...] (SBU) Given the summer-cycle turnover in personnel working on Burma issues, we thought it would be helpful to provide a quick synopsis of the plan to establish an annex of Rangoon's American Center in Mandalay. This informal format provides Embassy Rangoon's perspective on many questions fre [...] |
2004-09-09 09:57:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAID ABLD ASEC PREL KPAO KDEM BM |
| 04RANGOON121 |
UWSA SEEKS TO IMPORT PRECURSOR CHEMICALS LEGALLY [...] (C) SUMMARY: The leadership of the United Wa State Army, while trumpeting the dramatic reduction of opium poppy production in Wa territories, is seeking special dispensation to openly import precursor chemicals, ostensibly for the industrial processing of natural rubber. End Summary. 2. [...] |
2004-01-28 10:34:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | SNAR PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1224 |
SHOWDOWN AT THE ILO? GOB CAVALIER ON FORCED LABOR [...] (U) This is an action request. Please see para 11. 2. (C) Summary: The ILO's Burma representative corroborates UNHCR reports of a "serious resurgence" in forced labor in Rakhine State. He adds that the GOB has dismissed all recent ILO interventions on forced labor and appears to be compl [...] |
2004-09-16 10:44:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV PINS ELAB BM |
| 04RANGOON1225 |
THE BURMESE REGIME'S "SELECTIVE ENGAGEMENT" WITH [...] (C) Summary: A recent exchange of top military visits between Burma and Thailand indicates improving relations between the SPDC and the Royal Thai Armed Forces and is a sign that many wounds have healed since the two armies squared off during a series of deadly border skirmishes in mid-2002. [...] |
2004-09-16 10:58:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PINR MARR BM TH |
| 04RANGOON1237 |
BURMESE REGIME OUSTS FOREIGN AFFAIRS TEAM [...] (C) Summary: On September 18, the SPDC conducted a mini-shuffle of the GOB cabinet, in the process ousting the regime's primary foreign affairs team and giving a boost to the trusted Minister of Labor, U Tin Winn. Gone to pasture are the unimpressive Minister of Foreign Affairs, U Win Aung, [...] |
2004-09-20 10:59:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PINR BM |
| 04RANGOON125 |
CHINESE DAMS, CHINESE INFLUENCE IN BURMA [...] (SBU) SURGING CHINESE SOCIO-ECONOMIC INFLUENCE: Emboffs traveling on GOB-organized "Study Visit" to border regions and central Burma January 23 - 26 witnessed a high degree of Chinese socio-economic influence across a 325-mile stretch of Burma's Shan State border with China, especially in the [...] |
2004-01-29 07:21:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PREL ENRG KNNP BM CH |
| 04RANGOON1250 |
BURMA'S NEW FOREIGN MINISTER: NOT READY FOR PRIME [...] (SBU) Summary: The Burmese regime's surprise choice as new Foreign Minister, a recently promoted Major General with thirty years of operational and combat military experience, is a virtual unknown in local diplomatic and military circles. FM Nyan Win's overseas experience appears limited to [...] |
2004-09-22 11:33:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PINR MARR CVIS BM |
| 04RANGOON1257 |
BURMESE ACTIVIST'S RETURN TO THE GULAG? [...] (SBU) Summary: On September 21, GOB authorities detained a 58-year old Burmese political activist for demonstrating in front of UNDP offices in Rangoon. U Ohne Thant, who has served over 13 years in the Burmese political gulag, was carrying a placard calling for the United Nations to help imp [...] |
2004-09-23 10:21:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PHUM PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1268 |
RAZALI'S HOPES FOR BURMA MEETINGS IN NEW YORK [...] (C) Summary: According to UN Special Envoy Razali's Rangoon-based liaison, broad consultations on the margins of the UNGA at the end of September will be a difficult undertaking, but are essential in order to achieve a greater consensus on "what is absolutely necessary for the (Burmese) regim [...] |
2004-09-24 10:27:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1269 |
ALL SMILES: PM KHIN NYUNT'S TRIP TO SINGAPORE [...] (C) Summary: Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt made a recent trip to Singapore--part official, part medevac--in what the regime views as another successful effort to garner ASEAN support for the SPDC's road map to democracy. End Summary. 2. (SBU) On September 20 the COM and P/E chief call [...] |
2004-09-24 10:30:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV ECON BM SN |
| 04RANGOON1294 |
BURMA'S GARMENT MAKERS FEAR 2005 [...] (C) Summary: After a few months of improved fortune for Burma's garment sector (reftel), things are turning gloomy as 2005 nears. Industry officials are hopeful but not optimistic that the troubled industry will survive the end of quotas in 2005. If not, factory closures and layoffs will lik [...] |
2004-09-30 01:53:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ETRD ECON KTEX BM |
| 04RANGOON13 |
THAN SHWE AND KHIN NYUNT - A CONTRAST IN STYLE [...] (C) Summary: Prime Minister Khin Nyunt and Senior General Than Shwe hosted weekend functions involving Rangoon's diplomatic corps that illustrated the marked contrast in their styles. Khin Nyunt is engaging and polished, while Than Shwe is distant, grandiose, and strikes some observers as s [...] |
2004-01-05 08:52:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1301 |
BURMA'S SCHIZOPHRENIC TIPS POLICY [...] (C) Summary: Though the Burmese government is taking steps to combat transnational trafficking in persons, it's becoming increasingly evident that the GOB is approaching domestic trafficking -- including forced labor -- from a different, less vigilant, angle. End summary. Anti-TIPs Unit, Not [...] |
2004-09-30 07:06:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM ELAB PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON131 |
AN ODD TRIP WITH FIVE BURMESE MINISTERS [...] (C) Summary: Two Emboffs joined five senior Burmese cabinet ministers and others in a four-day, 1,400 mile "Study Visit" of border areas and central Burma January 23 - 26. Traveling at close quarters with these ministers revealed them to be greedy, pampered, highly organized, and perpetually [...] |
2004-01-30 09:20:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL MOPS EAID BM |
| 04RANGOON1315 |
THE NLD ENFORCES "PARTY DISCIPLINE" [...] (C) Summary: On September 29, the NLD CEC suspended three local level party leaders following an "unauthorized" quiet march in support of several standard NLD policy positions. One senior NLD advisor told us that that the CEC, including ASSK, believes "party discipline must be enforced--otherw [...] |
2004-10-04 10:48:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM BM NLD |
| 04RANGOON1322 |
BURMA'S NEW FOREIGN MINISTER: "EXPECT NO CHANGE IN [...] (C) Summary: New Foreign Minister U Nyan Win met with the COM on October 5, only his third encounter as FM with a diplomat in Rangoon. By all appearances, Nyan Win is a caretaker foreign minister under instructions from SPDC Chairman Than Shwe to hold the regime line. He declared that the G [...] |
2004-10-05 10:43:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PINR BM |
| 04RANGOON1330 |
BURMA: RICE POLICY INDECISION [...] (C) Summary: A surprising re-entry into the rice market by the GOB's agricultural export arm adds another layer of confusion to the government's rice policy. We don't see the GOB remaining in the business long, though we cannot predict the imminent return of the private sector either. However [...] |
2004-10-07 01:47:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | EAGR ETRD ECON PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1343 |
AUNG SAN SUU KYI THANKS AMERICA FOR ITS SUPPORT, [...] (C) SUMMARY: Aung San Suu Kyi sent a verbal message via a trusted Burmese confidante to us October 8 to: A) thank the U.S. for its continued strong support of democracy in Burma, B) warn that "some in the UN system are seeking to undermine America,s efforts in Burma," and C) seek USG support [...] |
2004-10-12 08:36:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL EAID BM ASSK NLD |
| 04RANGOON1345 |
BURMA'S GRUNTS VS. MI: ROUND ONE? [...] (C) Summary: An apparent up-country attack by the Burmese army's regular forces on a once untouchable interagency unit including military intelligence officers has led to speculation that long-simmering hatred between MI and the regular troops has begun to heat up. The incident is quite extra [...] |
2004-10-14 00:33:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PINS PGOV PINR MOPS ETRD ECON BM |
| 04RANGOON1357 |
BURMA TO HOST MAJOR REGIONAL TIPS CONFERENCE [...] (SBU) Summary: The Burmese Government, with support from the United Nations, is preparing to host a three-day regional conference on trafficking in persons, October 27-29. This is a safe issue for the generals. It provides an easy platform on which to interact with their neighbors and to impr [...] |
2004-10-19 00:03:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM ELAB PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1359 |
BURMESE PRIME MINISTER OUSTED? CRESCENDO OF [...] No summary [...] |
2004-10-19 11:08:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV MOPS PINR BM |
| 04RANGOON1365 |
SPDC REFUSES TO FREE THOSE CONVICTED OF CONTACT [...] (SBU) The Burmese Supreme Court Special Appellate Bench ruled on October 14 not to throw out the high treason and conspiracy convictions against three individuals for, among other things, having in their possession business cards of the ILO representative in Burma. The three had initially bee [...] |
2004-10-20 06:40:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ELAB PHUM PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1366 |
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE-AFFILIATED MEDIA SHUT DOWN [...] (C) Summary: Following the October 19 removal of General Khin Nyunt as Prime Minister and Chief of Military Intelligence (ref A), 32 journals and magazines with links to Military Intelligence (MI) have apparently been temporarily closed down. Quasi-independent media licensed through other mi [...] |
2004-10-20 09:52:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV ECON BM |
| 04RANGOON137 |
AVIAN FLU: BURMA TIGHTENS DEFENSES TO REPEL NEW [...] (SBU) Summary: There appears to be no avian influenza yet in Burma and the government has taken the initiative to keep it that way. An interagency committee has begun a broad prevention program, which includes cutting off imports of baby chicks from Thailand. Though we are relatively confide [...] |
2004-02-02 07:28:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EAGR TBIO SOCI PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1372 |
TOUGH(ER) GUYS MOVE UP IN RANGOON: BIOGRAPHIC [...] No summary [...] |
2004-10-20 10:43:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV MOPS PINR BM |
| 04RANGOON1374 |
BURMESE JUNTA CHIEF TO SEEK INDIAN ENLIGHTENMENT? [...] (C) Summary: Despite a week of significant political change in Burma, we have seen no signs that SPDC Chairman Senior General Than Shwe plans to cancel a trip planned to India on October 24. If Than Shwe travels as planned, it would be an additional sign that the SPDC has effected a seamless, [...] |
2004-10-21 10:08:00 | Embassy Rangoon | SECRET | PREL PGOV ECON BM IN |
| 04RANGOON1375 |
UNHCR CAUTIOUS OF SPDC CHANGES [...] (SBU) Summary: UNHCR officials took the opportunity of a senior-level visit to Burma to stress that the time was not right for repatriation of Burmese refugees from Thailand. However, they said that roving missions and assessments in the eastern border regions were very important and would con [...] |
2004-10-21 10:31:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREF PHUM PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON138 |
BURMA SANCTIONS: GARMENT INDUSTRY TAKES STOCK [...] (C) Summary: We are getting a slightly clearer picture of the impact of last year's U.S. import ban on the Burmese garment industry -- the industry most directly impacted by the measure. Even the most optimistic garment manufacturers say they will not survive 2005, when the global quota system [...] |
2004-02-02 09:10:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | KTEX ETRD PHUM ECON PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1382 |
FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS "NO CHANGE IN FOREIGN [...] No summary [...] |
2004-10-22 10:14:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1385 |
SPDC-KNU TALKS ABORTED; POSSIBLE RESUMPTION IN [...] (C) Summary: After perfunctory SPDC-KNU talks on October 19 failed to get off the ground because of changes in GOB leadership, the regime will likely resume negotiations in December-January, when the dust from deposed Prime Minister Khin Nyunt's "retirement," (hanging over Military Intellig [...] |
2004-10-22 12:36:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PINS PREL PGOV BM |
| 04RANGOON1386 |
PUSHING A BIG ROCK UP A STEEP HILL: UNFPA TRIES TO [...] (SBU) Summary: The UNFPA's three-day tour through upper Burma in mid-October for members of the diplomatic community and INGOs presented a microcosm of life today in this country: a graceful, capable people burdened by a Government that takes decisions based on its own interests. End Summary [...] |
2004-10-22 12:37:00 | Embassy Rangoon | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PGOV EAID SOCI BM NGO |
| 04RANGOON1401 |
KHIN NYUNT'S OUSTER: ONE WEEK LATER [...] (C) Summary: A week after Khin Nyunt's ouster there is calm in the streets, Than Shwe seems comfortably in power, and MI's political and probably economic power is being eroded. However, there remain many variables -- especially relations with ethnic cease-fire groups post-Khin Nyunt -- that [...] |
2004-10-26 10:22:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | PINS PGOV ECON MOPS BM |
| 04RANGOON1402 |
BUSINESS AS USUAL: THE SPDC SHOWS LITTLE CONCERN [...] (C) Summary: Minister of Labor U Tin Winn told COM on October 25 that his government would "reassess the utility of the ILO" if the ILO's Governing Body decided to implement the measures outlined in Article 33 of the International Labor Conference's resolution of 2000. In response to our sta [...] |
2004-10-26 11:14:00 | Embassy Rangoon | CONFIDENTIAL | ELAB PGOV PHUM BM ASSK |
| 04RANGOON1409 |
THE ROUND-UP CONTINUES: MORE NLD ACTIVISTS PUT [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: The SPDC's round-up of the NLD's elected Members of Parliament continues, with more jail sentences and general harassment. An estimated 150 of the original 392 elected members remain free, but most of them have left their home communities and are living sub-rosa around | ||||