US embassy cable - 04RANGOON470

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 000470 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; USPACOM FOR FPA 
COMMERCE FOR ITA JEAN KELLY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2014 
TAGS: PREF, PHUM, PTER, PGOV, PINS, KISL, MY, BM, Ethnics, Human Rights 
SUBJECT: BURMESE MUSLIMS BRACE FOR FALLOUT 
 
REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 1368 
 
     B. RANGOON 255 
 
Classified By: COM Carmen M. Martinez for Reasons 1.4 (B,D) 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Rangoon-based Muslim leaders are advising 
Muslims to expect a severe GOB reaction following the April 7 
attack on the Burmese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur (ref A).  The 
Foreign Ministry publicly condemned the attack, though 
avoiding mention of the attackers' ethnicity and religion, 
and convoked the UNHCR Representative April 8 demanding an 
explanation for the UNHCR documents allegedly found on the 
attackers identifying them as "Rohingya Muslims from 
Myanmar."  The UNHCR Rep expects there will be some fallout 
for the Muslims in Arakan (Rakhine) State, though no reaction 
has been seen yet.  END SUMMARY. 
 
MUSLIMS EXPECT RETRIBUTION 
 
2.  (C) A Rangoon-based Arakan (Rakhine) politician and two 
Arakan Muslim leaders told us April 9 that they expect a 
severe reaction against Muslims in Arakan State sooner or 
later, following the attack on the Burmese Embassy in Kuala 
Lumpur by several Arakan Muslim refugees on April 7.  They 
fear the GOB, which already represses the Muslim population, 
will further restrict National Registration Card issuance, 
passport issuance, domestic travel, and property ownership. 
The Arakanese Muslim clerics will instruct followers during 
Friday prayers to take precautionary measures when dealing 
with the authorities. 
 
3.  (C) The Arakan leaders all agreed the motive of attack 
was personal, not political, gang, or terrorist related -- 
evidenced by the home-made weapons used in the attack.  If 
they had been terrorists, our interlocutors pointed out, the 
attackers would have done much more damage.  The Muslim 
Arakan leaders said the attackers were not related to 
al-Qaida, and they felt that "al-Qaida will not target 
Burmese interests overseas because they (al-Qaida) won't get 
any profit from destroying Burmese properties." 
 
UNHCR ALSO EXPECTS TROUBLE 
 
4.  (C) The UNHCR Representative to Burma, Rajiv Kapur, 
related to the COM April 8 that the MOFA Director General for 
International Organizations had convoked him to demand an 
explanation for a UNHCR letter allegedly found on the 
attackers identifying them as "Rohingya Muslims from 
Myanmar."  Kapur told the DG that when UNHCR in Malaysia 
denies refugee status to a Muslim from northern Arakan State, 
UNHCR issues them a a rejection letter simply identifying 
them as such.  Kapur expects there will be negative 
consequences for the Muslims in Arakan State, but as yet, 
UNHCR officers and NGO partners have not detected any 
incidents. 
 
THE TWO-TIME LOSER 
 
5.  (C) GOB contacts told us today that the Burmese 
Ambassador to KL is none other than U Hla Maung, who was also 
the Burmese Ambassador to Thailand in 1999 when former 
Burmese students raided and occupied the Burmese Embassy.  U 
Hla Maung was formerly commander of a special OCMI unit 
responsible for handling Political Detentions, 
Interrogations, and Security Affairs for GOB VIPs. 
 
5.  (C) COMMENT:  That the GOB treats overseas Arakan Muslims 
with contempt is no surprise, considering the GOB's 
restrictive policies against the Bengali-speaking Muslims in 
northern Arakan State (ref B).  However, it is noteworthy 
that, just before the biggest Burmese Buddhist holiday of the 
year when latent inter-religious tensions could suddenly 
flare, the GOB in its press release avoided inflaming 
tensions by not mentioning the ethnicity or religion of the 
attackers.  END COMMENT. 
Martinez