US embassy cable - 04RANGOON1450

S E C R E T RANGOON 001450 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/10/2014 
TAGS: KDEM, EAID, PINR, PREL, BM, Ethnics 
SUBJECT: PRO-DEMOCRACY ETHNIC PARTIES SEEK USG ASSISTANCE 
 
Classified By: CDA, a.i. Ronald McMullen for reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
1. (S/NF) Hkun Htun Oo, acting in his capacity as head of the 
ten-party United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), formally 
requested USG financial assistance for UNA member parties for 
"democracy and humanitarian affairs" in a meeting with 
emboffs November 9th. 
 
2. (SBU) Hkun Htun Oo, besides heading the UNA, is chairman 
of Burma's second largest political party, the Shan 
Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD).  The UNA's other 
nine members represent Chin, Mon, Kachin, Kayah, Arakanese, 
and other pro-democracy ethnic parties. 
 
3. (S/NF) The National League for Democracy, by far the 
largest of Burma's pro-democracy parties, has made clear it 
would not accept direct foreign support, although NLD General 
Secretary Aung San Suu Kyi, we understand, is currently 
 
SIPDIS 
pondering several potential indirect mechanisms and will be 
in touch with us by the end of November on this. 
 
4. (S/NF) COMMENT: The timing of the UNA request for direct 
USG support is not arbitrary.  The purging of General Khin 
Nyunt and the dismantling of his Military Intelligence 
apparatus represents both a risk to and an opportunity for 
the beleaguered pro-democracy ethnic political parties.  The 
risk involves the potential for a regime crackdown on 
non-Burman ethnic groups in general, including pro-democracy 
political parties and (sometimes allied) former insurgent 
groups that have negotiated cease-fires with General Khin 
Nyunt.  The opportunity arises from the perhaps temporary 
absence of an omnipotent state organ for domestic repression. 
 Bluntly put, they might be thinking, "Khin Nyunt's 
informants are gone, but Maung Aye's troops might be more 
stringent in the future; now's the time to put in place some 
support mechanism for our long-suffering party and its 
members."  We note that support to pro-democracy groups would 
not have the regime's sanction.  END COMMENT. 
MCMULLEN