US embassy cable - 03RANGOON1313

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001313 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP AND INL; DEA FOR OF, OFF; 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2013 
TAGS: SNAR, KCRM, PGOV, EFIN, BM 
SUBJECT: BURMA HOSTS "ACCORD" REGIONAL DRUG TASKFORCE; 
APPEALS FOR MONEY LAUNDERING ASSISTANCE 
 
 
Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.5 (B,D) 
 
1. (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 degrees of progress on money laundering issues.  For 
its part, Burma uncharacteristically kept the drug meeting 
apolitical but made a last-minute appeal for assistance in 
enacting a mutual legal assistance law, barely two weeks 
before FATF is likely to recommend countermeasures.  End 
Summary. 
 
2. (U) On October 16, the Government of Burma hosted a 
one-day meeting of ACCORD, the "ASEAN and China Cooperative 
Operations in Response to Dangerous Drugs."  The session was 
the second meeting of ACCORD's "third pillar" (law 
enforcement) since the entity was established in 2000 with 
the objective of pursuing a drug-free ASEAN by the year 2015. 
 In addition to ACCORD members (the ten ASEAN countries and 
China), attendees also included observers from UNODC, 
Interpol, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Italy, the 
Netherlands, Japan, and the United States (Embassy DEA and 
P/E chiefs represented the latter).  The ACCORD meeting 
followed by one day the 24th Meeting of ASEAN Senior 
Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD), also held in Rangoon. 
 
3. (U) Burmese Police Colonel Hkam Aung chaired the 
taskforce, and UNODC and each of the ACCORD members gave 
presentations on progress achieved with the five action steps 
of the law enforcement pillar: law enforcement training, 
precursor control, international cooperation, judicial drug 
control, and money laundering legislation.  UNODC said that 
the U.N. calls ACCORD the "best counternarcotics plan in the 
world" and urged members to increase multilateral 
cooperation.  Thailand, represented by General Chartchai 
Suthiklom, Deputy Secretary-General of the Thai Narcotics 
Control Board, gave perhaps the most comprehensive treatment 
of all third pillar issues by any single ACCORD member. 
Brunei also gave a detailed assessment of counterdrug 
actions.  Cambodia's presentation, though less sophisticated, 
was notable for its honest assessment of a growing domestic 
drug abuse problem, particularly among school children. 
Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines gave mediocre 
presentations that were neither comprehensive nor 
forward-leaning. 
4. (C) The country presentations varied considerably in their 
quality and, although it was difficult to draw overall 
conclusions from the diverse presentations, several 
region-wide themes emerged.  First, the entire ACCORD 
membership considers the production and trafficking of 
amphetamine-type substances (ATS) to be the fastest-growing, 
and most significant, drug challenge in the region.  Second, 
of the law enforcement pillar's five action steps, law 
enforcement training appears to be the most successful. 
Members reported very positively, in particular, on efforts 
to use and implement UNODC computer-based training programs 
(CBT). 
 
5. (C) Finally, the weakest action step, from our 
perspective, is the development of money laundering 
legislation and authorities.  Only a handful of the countries 
could speak definitively on this issue, and several members 
(including China) ignored the topic altogether.  Indonesia 
reported that it is no longer a FATF "blacklisted" country, 
but pressed UNODC for more training of police officers on 
financial investigations.  UNODC responded that training is 
available, but with regard to "blacklisting" does not support 
the "unilateral determination" of whether individual 
countries are cooperating sufficiently on money laundering. 
Indonesia, eliciting laughter from ACCORD members, especially 
the Burmese delegation, urged UNODC to convince FATF to take 
the same approach. 
 
6. (C) Comment: The SPDC, Burma's military regime, which 
typically uses rare opportunities to host regional meetings 
as a means to enhance its legitimacy, managed to resist 
hijacking the ACCORD meeting for political objectives.  The 
Burmese police officials who represent Burma at ACCORD were 
professional during this meeting and their military minders 
made only ceremonial appearances.  The Burmese gave accurate 
and positive reports on recent, successful efforts to reduce 
opium production and cultivation.  On money laundering 
issues, however, the Burmese were woefully inaccurate and 
unprepared.  Police Colonel Sit Aye, director for 
international affairs at the Central Committee for Drugs 
Abuse Control (CCDAC), reported that a mutual legal 
assistance law had been drafted and sent to the Ministry of 
Home Affairs on October 13 for ministerial-level review. 
However, he appealed before ACCORD members and observers to 
the UNODC for technical assistance in finalizing the process. 
 When we queried Colonel Sit Aye in a pull-aside whether this 
appeal appeared to be "too little, too late" to meet FATF's 
November 3 deadline for enacting legislation, he demurred and 
said the matter was out of his hands. 
Martinez