US embassy cable - 05RANGOON87

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000087 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SECDEF FOR DPMO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, SNAR, MOPS, PINS, SENV, BM, Ethnics 
SUBJECT: A RARE GLIMPSE INTO BURMA'S NAGA REGION 
 
 1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Burma's Naga region, abutting the Indian 
border some 350 miles NW of Mandalay, is quiet but edgy, with 
"three governments--the underground, the Indian underground, 
and the Government" all exploiting villagers' resources, 
according to a Naga leader.  Traditional opium poppy 
cultivation for private consumption is reportedly giving way 
to larger-scale commercial cultivation with opium being 
exported into India and sold within Burma proper.  There are 
a number of known WWII aircraft crash sites that local 
trekking guides are willing to show USG officials should we 
want to photograph or mark the sites' locations with GPS or 
other technology.  Endangered species products were avidly 
being bought and sold at the Naga New Year festival.  End 
Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) Naga Welcome Mat Out, Briefly 
 
About 100,000 ethnic Nagas inhabit the border region opposite 
Indian Nagaland in extreme NW Burma.  The GOB normally 
prohibits foreigners from traveling to this isolated, 
mountainous, and sometimes tumultuous area except during the 
annual five-day Naga New Year Festival, this year held in 
Lahe (26.20 N, 95.27 E) in Sagaing Division.  Emboff took 
advantage of this short window to visit the inaccessible Naga 
region January 13 - 17.  Hundreds of Nagas walked, in some 
cases for days, or hitched rides into Lahe to attend this 
annual gathering of the clans.  Like a Midwestern county 
fair, it was a time for young men and women to flirt, distant 
cousins to catch up on family news, and village groups to 
compete in cultural and sporting events.  Festival organizers 
are trying to make this a profitable tourism event, although 
this year only 108 foreigners attended (less than half that 
of last year). 
 
3. (SBU) "Strategic Route" West from the Chindwin River 
 
The 56-mile road from the Chindwin River west to Lahe (which 
took Emboff six hours to traverse in the back of an open 
truck) is considered a "strategic route" by the regime and is 
maintained, just, by the army.  Two villages along the road 
featured helicopter landing zones.  The perimeter of one 
hilltop military outpost consisted of a nine-foot high bamboo 
fence with sharpened hedgehog-like spikes bristling outward, 
giving the place a menacing Neolithic look. 
 
4. (SBU) Uneasy, but Quiet, Indo-Burmese Border 
 
Normally 227 troops garrison Lahe Township, according to 
local authorities, but many more were evident during Naga New 
Year.  Emboff and other foreigners were allowed to trek to 
off-road villages, but only with a police escort and only to 
the east of Lahe town.  Sentries were posted on the outskirts 
of Lahe to prohibit foreigners from approaching the border, 
some 25 miles to the west.  One Naga Christian minister 
described the border area as suffering great hardship due to 
the deprivations visited on locals by the Burmese Naga 
"underground," the "Indian underground," and the GOB's border 
security forces.  Emboff heard no reports of recent military 
activity in the border region.  Security in Lahe during the 
festival was heavy but discrete by Burmese standards.  At one 
point a thin line of nervous, Uzi-toting soldiers separated a 
clutch of GOB VIPs from a mass of some 300 Naga youth 
carrying spears and swords.  The young men were waiting to 
perform a traditional dance, and did so without incident. 
 
Note: One common Naga gripe was that authorities insisted 
that men competing in cultural competitions wear polyester 
soccer shorts in lieu of the traditional brass gong codpiece 
or skimpy breechcloth.  End Note. 
 
5. (SBU) Traditional Opium Going Commercial 
 
Naga elders claimed that the traditional small-scale 
production and use of opium in the Naga region was being 
overtaken by larger, more commercialized opium operations and 
was leading to increased drug use among villagers.  Most of 
the commercial opium is reportedly trafficked into India, but 
some goes east into Burma proper, according to local sources. 
 When Emboff asked if there were any Wa or other outsiders 
attempting to franchise opium poppy operations in the Naga 
hills, the answer was, "No, this is being done by greedy 
Nagas."  Emboff personally saw no opium poppy fields in the 
region. 
 
6. (SBU) Support for WWII Remains Recovery 
 
The Embassy produced trilingual fliers in Burmese, English, 
and Makuri Naga requesting that anyone with information about 
a WWII aircraft crash site inform Burmese authorities or the 
U.S. Embassy and not disturb the site in any way.  Emboff 
distributed these fliers widely among Naga leaders in Lahe 
and trekked to neighboring villages to further spread the 
word.  One person told Emboff he knew of an aircraft crash 
site in Lashee Township (just south of Lahe), and one 
trekking operator said he knew of several north of Lahe, 
adding that he would be willing to take U.S. officials there 
if anyone cared to photograph the aircraft debris or mark the 
sites' locations with GPS or other technology. 
 
7. (U) CITES Nightmare 
 
Nagas are avid hunters and their traditional dress includes 
many parts of big fierce animals.  Animal products, including 
many from endangered and threatened species, were on display 
and for sale at the New Year Festival.  Tiger teeth and 
claws, various kinds of large cat pelts, bear claws and 
skins, giant hornbill beaks and feathers, elephant ivory, 
snake skins, boar tusks, mythun horns, monkey parts, deer 
antlers, mountain goat horns, and several parts of 
unidentifiable animals were being bought and sold by Nagas, 
and by a few foreign tourists.  One can hope that 
Chinese-made imitation tiger teeth and fake tiger and bear 
claws will increase the supply, thus lowering the economic 
value, of these items important to Naga culture and lucrative 
to Naga hunters.  Post will work with the organizers of next 
year's festival to heighten the conservation awareness of 
foreign visitors. 
 
8. (SBU) COMMENT:  The suggestion that USG representatives 
record the location and condition of known WWII aircraft 
crash sites in Naga territory seems worthy of further 
consideration by those engaged in our WWII remains recovery 
operations.  Burma's Nagas did not appear any more oppressed 
by the regime than ethnic minority groups in other border 
areas, but they perhaps suffer more benign neglect due to the 
area's inaccessibility.  For example, there is only one 
doctor to serve the 50,000 people in 1,200 square mile Lahe 
Township.  Emboff heard nothing, not even rumors, about 
significant military activity around Lahe involving Burmese 
troops, Indian Naga insurgents, or separatist fighters driven 
from southern Bhutan last year.  We are not in a position to 
say there is no serious trouble along the Indo-Burmese 
border, but if there is, it did not seem to be taking place 
around Lahe or in neighboring areas.   End Comment. 
 
Martinez