US embassy cable - 04RANGOON1437

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001437 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, INR/B, PACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MOPS, PINR, BM 
SUBJECT: THE BIG KAHUNAS STRIKE AGAIN 
 
REF: A. RANGOON 1370 
     B. RANGOON 1372 
     C. RANGOON 1402 
     D. RANGOON 1422 
 
Classified By: COM CARMEN MARTINEZ FOR REASONS 1.4 (b,d) 
 
1. (C)  Summary:  The after-shocks from Prime Minister Khin 
Nyunt's recent demise again shook the ground in Rangoon over 
the weekend of November 5-7, as two influential members of 
the government--the Minister of Labor and the Minister of 
Home Affairs--were pushed off their perches.  Authorities are 
holding these two latest cabinet casualties in their homes 
during an ongoing investigation.  More regime changes are 
expected as the SPDC continues to dismantle the political and 
financial webs constructed by Khin Nyunt during his many 
years in power.  End Summary. 
 
Pace Quickens Over the Week-End 
 
2. (SBU) Following the sacking of former Prime Minister Khin 
Nyunt on October 19, Senior General Than Shwe and his deputy, 
Deputy Senior General Maung Aye, have moved deliberately to 
purge the regime of Khin Nyunt cronies and confidants.  They 
struck again on Friday evening, November 5, "granting 
permission for retirement" to two top ministers and four 
deputy ministers, all of whom had links to the deposed Prime 
Minister, and replaced them with faithful military men. 
 
3. (C)  The latest casualties included the Minister of Labor 
and the Minister of Home Affairs.  Like the deposed Prime 
Minister and other recently ousted officials, the two 
Ministers are reportedly confined, while under investigation, 
to their Rangoon homes.  The former Labor Minister, U Tinn 
Win, a recent Burmese Ambassador to the United States 
(1996-2001), had served concurrently as the Minister in the 
Prime Minister's Office.  In that capacity, he led the 
Burmese delegation to the UNGA and to ASEAN-European 
Ministerial Meeting (ASEM) in Hanoi in October.  He was a 
former Colonel in the Office of Military Intelligence, had 
served earlier as ambassador to Thailand, and as chief 
negotiator with the Wa and Kokang cease-fire groups.  He 
spoke English well and was comfortable dealing with 
foreigners (ref C reports on the Chief of Mission's October 
25 meeting with him). 
 
4. (SBU)  The ousted Minister of Home Affairs, Colonel Tin 
Hlaing, had been in his post since November 1997.  Former 
Prime Minister Khin Nyunt reportedly recommended him for 
promotion from Deputy Minister, a post he had held from 
1994-97.  As Home Affairs Minister, he had oversight of 
forced labor issues and, in that capacity, he issued a 1999 
directive, with minimal effect, ordering all departments to 
stop that practice.  He was also responsible for issues 
related to trafficking-in-persons (TIPs), and was the senior 
Burmese official at a recent regional conference held in 
Rangoon on that subject (ref d). 
 
5. (SBU)  The four deputy Ministers who lost their positions 
in the latest purge were from the Ministry of Agriculture and 
Irrigation (Brig Gen Khin Maung); Ministry of Industry-1 
(Brig Gen Kyaw Win); Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (U 
Aung Thein); and the Ministry of Science and Technology (U 
Nyi Hla Nge).  All had connections to the fallen Prime 
Minister and were said to have failed to meet performance 
targets for their offices. 
 
New Ministers:  True Grit 
 
6. (C) The new Minister of Home Affairs, Major General Maung 
Oo, was promoted from his current posts as Commander of the 
Western Military District (Rakhine State) and Chairman of the 
Rakhine State Peace and Development Council.  He gained 
notoriety for his oppressive military operations against 
Karen and Mon insurgents while assigned to the Southeastern 
region, 1998-2001.  While serving in Rakhine State, he was 
responsible for forced labor on government beach resorts, 
hotels, dams, and canals.  In December 2002, when Aung San 
Suu Kyi (ASSK) visited Rakhine State, he ordered the 
construction of road blocks to impede her followers and 
turned out fire trucks with water canons to break up the 
crowds. 
 
7. (SBU)  Colonel (retired) U Thaung, Minister for Science 
and Technology and Chairman of the Myanmar Investment 
Commission, will take the portfolio of Minister of Labor 
along with his current responsibilities.  Colonel U Thaung 
was a classmate of Deputy Senior General Maung Aye in the 
Burmese military academy, where he was the top student in his 
class (note:  Maung Aye was reportedly at the bottom of the 
same class. End note).  He is from the same home town 
(Kyaukse) as Senior General Than Shwe.  After preceding U 
Tinn Win as Ambassador to Washington, U Thaung became 
Minister of Industry.  In 1997, he was appointed Minister of 
Science and Technology, with responsibility for managing the 
Universities of Technology and Computer Science, along with 
other government technical institutes.  He is notorious for 
heavy-handed management and control of the schools he heads, 
as well as the students who attend them. 
8.  (SBU)  The new Deputy Minister for Science and Technology 
is U Kyaw Soe, currently Director General, Technical and 
Vocational Education Department in the same ministry.  The 
other three new deputies have yet to be named. 
 
More Fall Out Likely 
 
9.  Comment:  These changes appear to be part of a slow, but 
inexorable, tightening of the screws that hold Senior General 
Than Shwe's ship of state together.  Concurrent to the latest 
cabinet changes, the SPDC also released a lengthy (17-page) 
tract, in Burmese and English, detailing Prime Minister Khin 
Nyunt's dismissal for corruption, the point of which appeared 
to be to justify their moves to the public--both domestic and 
foreign.  The Government might well be anticipating--and 
trying to preclude--dissatisfaction with its heavy-handed 
ways, which are likely to continue as the generals continue 
to unravel the political and economic webs that Khin Nyunt 
and his cronies had developed during the 16 years they were 
riding high. 
Martinez