US embassy cable - 04RANGOON137

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000137 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, EB, AND OES 
BANGKOK FOR FAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, TBIO, SOCI, PGOV, BM, Avian Influenza 
SUBJECT: AVIAN FLU: BURMA TIGHTENS DEFENSES TO REPEL NEW 
THAI INVADER 
 
1. (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 
confident in the GOB's assessment thus far, it will be very 
difficult to know when and if the "bird flu" makes the jump 
into Burma.  End summary. 
 
Battening Down the Hatcheries 
 
2. (SBU) In response to outbreaks of "bird flu" elsewhere in 
Asia, the Burmese government first took steps on January 20 
to address the prospects of the disease moving into Burma's 
chicken population.  The joint Ministry of Health/Ministry of 
Livestock and Fisheries "Work Committee for Prevention and 
Treatment of Avian Influenza" determined that there was no 
flu in Burma (a notion later seconded informally to the Chief 
of Mission by the local WHO rep) but that preventive measures 
should be initiated immediately to educate the people and 
strengthen controls on imported chickens. 
 
3. (SBU) This latter measure became more urgent after January 
23, when neighboring Thailand, the source of millions of 
Burma's imported chicks, finally admitted its flocks were 
harboring several cases of the disease.  On January 24, the 
Committee announced a moratorium on the import of any poultry 
products without a health certificate verified by the 
Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.  The Committee also 
announced it would order local SPDC cadres and health and 
livestock officials to increase inspections across the 
country of local poultry farms -- especially those in the 14 
townships along the Thai border.  Finally, the Committee 
launched an aggressive education campaign in local media 
aimed at both farmers and consumers.  The GOB has not yet 
ordered any culling of Burma's chicken flocks, though there 
are rumors that the Committee has pre-emptively ordered the 
quarantine of chicken farm workers along the Thai border. 
This has not been verified, though. 
 
Chicken Farming a Booming Business 
 
4. (SBU) The GOB's vigilance is wise considering the huge 
number of domestic and imported chickens raised and sold 
across the country.  According to a Ministry of Livestock and 
Fisheries official, last year there were 62 million chickens 
raised in Burma.  Burmese farmers -- including at government 
and military-owned farms -- have been raising increasing 
numbers of chickens in response to a government campaign to 
produce more "Myanmar meat and fish" to feed booming urban 
populations and the supposedly increasing number of foreign 
tourists.  For the latter audience local chicken farmers have 
been importing more and more Thai chicks (known as "CP 
chickens," taking the name a large Thai agribusiness concern) 
in recent years -- 12 million in 2003.  Native Burmese 
chickens are what we would affectionately call "free range;" 
quite tough and scrawny, laying small and often fertilized 
eggs.  The CP chickens, farm-raised, tend to be larger, of 
better health, and produce more, larger, and unfertilized 
eggs. 
 
5. (SBU) A local chicken farmer with whom we spoke said that 
he knew of no outbreaks of the avian flu.  However, he said 
somewhat superstitiously that fellow Rangoon-area poultry 
farmers had been complaining about a reduction in egg 
production in the latter half of January.  He also mentioned 
the sudden deaths of 30,000 chickens along the southern 
Burma-Thai border in mid-January, but thought it was due to 
colder than normal weather in that region. 
 
Comment: Is it Really Safe? 
 
6. (SBU) As during the SARS scare of 2003, it will be 
difficult to know for sure whether Burma remains avian flu 
free.  The government has made its claims, but it is not at 
all clear that the GOB would make an announcement if it found 
evidence of the flu -- instead possibly dealing quietly with 
the suspected cases and maintaining the "flu free" posture. 
Even with best intentions the GOB will have little luck 
controlling the lengthy and porous Thai border if someone is 
intent on importing potentially infected Thai chickens.  The 
plummeting local price of chicken meat and eggs, though, 
makes it economically illogical for a Burmese farmer to do 
so.  End comment. 
Martinez