US embassy cable - 04RANGOON924

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000924 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EAP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, BM, NLD 
SUBJECT: NLD LEADERS UNDERTAKE PETITION DRIVE 
 
REF: A. RANGOON 923 
     B. STROTZ-MARTINEZ/MURPHY 7/20/04 E-MAIL 
 
Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
1. (C) Summary:  According to NLD CEC members, the party 
quietly launched a petition drive on July 19 to secure 
signatures on a letter to the SPDC demanding that the regime 
release ASSK and U Tin Oo from house arrest, allow all party 
offices to reopen, and free all political prisoners.  To 
date, 66 MPs-elect and 456 other individuals have signed 
petitions although party leaders do not know, or will not 
reveal, what they will do with the petitions when the project 
is complete.  The CEC has invited NLD divisional and township 
leaders to expand the campaign through Burma, but the party 
says that success is uncertain given that all interior NLD 
offices remain shuttered.  NLD Chairman U Aung Shwe 
apologized for announcing the petition drive to the press 
before informing the U.S. and other supportive countries 
about the effort and committed to achieving better 
communications.  End Summary. 
 
2. (C) On July 21, COM and P/E chief called on NLD Chairman U 
Aung Shwe and Secretary/Spokesman U Lwin to discuss overnight 
international press reports that claimed the NLD had launched 
a petition campaign for signatures on an open letter to the 
SPDC.  According to the press reports, the NLD had kicked off 
the campaign at the party's July 19 Martyrs' Day 
commemorative event (ref A).  However, Emboffs were present 
at that function and observed no petition-related activities. 
 
3. (S) U Aung Shwe acknowledged that the NLD had undertaken, 
with ASSK's blessing, a new campaign to garner signatures on 
a petition demanding that the SPDC release ASSK and U Tin Oo 
from house arrest, allow all party offices to reopen, and 
free all political prisoners.  However, the NLD CEC leaders 
said that they had only informed party members about the 
petition campaign during a closed-door session at party 
headquarters on July 19 after the departure of diplomats and 
other invited guests.  "We needed to keep this effort 
confidential until the very last minute," explained U Aung 
 
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Shwe, suggesting that the NLD did not want the SPDC to thwart 
their efforts. 
 
4. (S) According to the NLD CEC leaders, they have provided 
two petition books for signatures: one for Members-elect of 
Parliament and another for general party members and the 
public.  On the afternoon of Martyrs' Day, about 200 
individuals signed the books at NLD headquarters.  To date, 
66 MPs-elect have signed the first book and 456 individuals 
have signed the second.  U Aung Shwe said that the CEC had 
invited NLD divisional and township leaders to expand the 
effort throughout Burma, although he added that he was unsure 
how they would succeed given that all interior NLD offices 
remain shuttered. 
 
5. (S) According to the NLD CEC members, the party does not 
know what it will do with the two petition books.  When we 
queried whether the NLD would deliver the books to the SPDC 
or otherwise publicize the results of the campaign, U Lwin 
replied, "we're not sure."  He added that the regime has to 
date done nothing to impede party members and others from 
going to NLD headquarters to sign the petitions. 
 
6. (S) COM also asked the party leaders about the recent 
convening of the Committee to Represent the People's 
Parliament (ref A).  U Aung Shwe, requesting that his 
information remain confidential, said that the CRPP is 
preparing a report on next steps for the pro-democracy 
movement.  However, he added that the NLD did not know what 
the paper would address or when it would be completed.  P/E 
chief noted local rumors that NLD rank and file members were 
demanding more action from the NLD CEC.  U Aung Shwe 
acknowledged that some members were frustrated and pressing 
for a more proactive stance, but he dismissed them as "just a 
few individuals." 
 
7. (S) COM asked the two NLD leaders if they desired a 
statement of support or other assistance for their petition 
drive.  U Aung Shwe demurred, but replied "feel free to let 
Washington know about our campaign and that we plan to 
continue the effort until the end of August." 
 
Comment: Help Us Help You 
------------------------- 
 
8. (S) Low-level NLD sources claim that the petition campaign 
was actually the initiative of regional NLD party members and 
that the CEC reluctantly took ownership at the last minute. 
U Aung Shwe and U Lwin, however, insisted to us that the CEC 
had launched the effort and that ASSK was fully on board. 
 
9. (S) The COM took the opportunity to once again urge the 
CEC members to communicate more closely with the U.S. 
Embassy, noting that she and several other Emboffs had met 
with them on four separate occasions in the past six days and 
heard nothing from them about their petition effort (ref A). 
"Help us help you," she said, noting that NLD supporters in 
Congress and elsewhere in the U.S. frequently look to the 
State Department to ascertain the validity of press reports 
on NLD developments inside Burma.  U Aung Shwe apologized, 
repeating the party's desire to keep their effort 
confidential but acknowledging that party leaders had talked 
 
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with journalists before talking with U.S. and others who 
support NLD efforts to pursue reconciliation and democracy. 
He and U Lwin committed to keeping the U.S. informed on 
future developments and said they "fully appreciated that the 
U.S. Embassy has closely supported the NLD ever since 1988." 
End Comment. 
 
Martinez