US embassy cable - 04RANGOON1544

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001544 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2014 
TAGS: ECON, EINV, PGOV, PREL, BM, Economy 
SUBJECT: FOREIGN-OWNED NEWSPAPER FEELS THE POST-KHIN NYUNT 
HEAT 
 
REF: A. RANGOON 1522 AND PREVIOUS 
     B. RANGOON 1518 
 
Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
1. (C) Summary:  The Australian co-owner and editor of 
Burma's only non-GOB English-language newspaper, under 
serious pressure from the regime, has appealed to 
Rangoon-based ambassadors for statements of support should 
his publication "be closed down for any reason."  Like many 
others who enjoyed the protection of the Khin Nyunt empire, 
his company is paying the price for having relied exclusively 
on connections to the ousted Prime Minister.  We would not 
view any U.S. interests at stake should The Myanmar Times and 
its editor, a regular apologist for the SPDC, go down in 
flames.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) On December 3, Ross Dunkley, the Australian CEO and 
Editor-in-Chief of Myanmar Consolidated Media, circulated an 
open letter "for the information of all ambassadors in 
Yangon."  Dunkley, who oversees several local publications 
and allegedly owns 49 percent of an English-language weekly, 
The Myanmar Times, appealed for foreign governments to issue 
statements of support in the event that his newspaper "were 
to be closed down for any reason." 
 
3. (SBU) On November 29 authorities arrested U Myat Swe (aka 
"Sonny Swe"), Dunkley's business partner, and detained him 
under section 5(j) of the Emergency Provisions Act.  Sonny 
Swe is the son of Brigadier General Thein Swe, formerly a 
senior military intelligence (MI) official under ousted Prime 
Minister Khin Nyunt.  BG Thein Swe himself was a victim of 
the post-Khin Nyunt purge of MI and is reportedly detained at 
Insein Prison. 
 
4. (SBU) In his December 3 letter to Rangoon ambassadors, 
Dunkley claims that Sonny Swe is accused of "using his 
father's influence to bypass the censorship process" by 
seeking GOB approval for each edition of The Myanmar Times 
through MI, rather than through "normal channels" at the 
Ministry of Home Affairs and its Press Scrutiny Board. 
Dunkley also claimed that the GOB has in recent days 
requested that he turn over detailed documents on the 
company's financial and legal affairs. 
 
5. (SBU) Dunkley has claimed at various international venues, 
most notably in Bangkok and Washington, that his newspaper is 
fully independent and that he uses the publication to "push 
the envelope" and press for free speech and other political 
changes in Burma.  The Myanmar Times does, on rare occasion, 
publish limited news about events generally considered off 
limits by state media (e.g. natural disasters inside Burma, 
international meetings that discuss Burma developments, 
etc.).  However, as Dunkley freely admits, his publications 
are subject to government censorship and "sensitive" articles 
routinely hit the cutting floor.  The Myanmar Times never 
criticizes the military regime and each week prints a robust 
assortment of articles that praise GOB officials and the 
achievements of the SPDC. 
 
6. (SBU)  In the December 3 and 6 editions of the Burmese and 
English language editions, respectively, The Myanmar Times 
published an article detailing encounters between diplomatic 
missions, including the U.S. Embassy, and members of the NLD, 
a legal political party.  The article also gave an account, 
with many factual errors, of an encounter between Emboffs and 
a recently released political prisoner.  The article, which 
accused diplomats participating in these meetings of 
"interfering in the internal affairs of Myanmar," is 
identical to a string of recent articles which publishers 
claim they were forced by the GOB to print (ref A).  An 
expatriate reporter for The Myanmar Times approached the COM 
on December 2 and told her that the article was being 
published at the direction of the Press Scrutiny Board. 
 
7. (SBU) In his appeal for support, Dunkley states that The 
Myanmar Times has "never once in five years embarrassed the 
government or Myanmar."  He continues, "In line with the 
policies of the government we have always wholly encouraged 
the development of the road map" and "we are...a very visible 
example of a successful Myanmar-Foreign cooperation." 
Dunkley concludes that "I hope your government would defend 
The Myanmar Times..and see it as an integral part of the 
progression of the SPDC on its road map and transition to 
democracy." 
 
8. (C) Comment: Dunkley enjoyed a cozy relationship with MI 
which allowed him to publish the only English-language 
newspaper in Burma outside of official media.  Like many 
others who once enjoyed the protection of the Khin Nyunt 
empire, his company is paying the price for having relied 
exclusively on connections to the ousted Prime Minister (ref 
B) and he feels particularly vulnerable now that his once 
well-connected Burmese business partner, and the partner's MI 
father, are behind bars.  We would not view any U.S. 
interests at stake should The Myanmar Times go down in flames 
and/or Dunkley meet the fate of his business cohorts.  The 
expatriate community might lament the loss of a rare source 
of English-language local entertainment and social news and 
the Australian Embassy may have a sticky citizen case on its 
hands.  However, the political impact would be close to nil, 
other than giving pause to foreigners engaged in or 
contemplating joint ventures with the Burmese regime.  End 
Comment. 
MARTINEZ