US embassy cable - 05RANGOON368

UNCLAS RANGOON 000368 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV 
BANGKOK FOR USAID, FAS 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PGOV, BM 
SUBJECT: INDONESIAN QUAKE A NO-SHOW IN BURMA 
 
1. Summary: The March 28 earthquake off Indonesia apparently 
has had no impact on Burma.  Embassy efforts to contact 
coastal resorts failed, but there is no evidence that Amcits 
were in any danger.  GOB officials were unaware of the quake 
last night until alerted by embassy officers.  Local 
diplomats told us they too were awakened by their 
headquarters and attempted to contact the GOB to no avail. 
UN agencies have checked in with officers in areas hard hit 
by the December tsunami and found no damage in those regions. 
 We see no reason to doubt the UN assessment.  End summary. 
 
UN: No Damage 
 
2. According to a senior UNDP official in Rangoon, the 
earthquake has had no impact on Burma so far as the UN knows. 
 The UNDP project office in the Irrawaddy delta, the hardest 
hit area from the December 26th tsunami, reported in that 
there was no damage from the latest quake -- though waves 
were a bit higher than normal.  UNDP said there was no 
overnight action taken by the UN Country Team.  She said she 
learned about the quake only on the morning of the 29th and 
had not consulted with the GOB on potential impact in other 
areas besides the delta.  A World Food Program regional 
assessment of the March 28 earthquake concurred with UNDP's 
conclusion. 
 
GOB: No Idea 
 
3. This assessment is apparently shared by the GOB. 
Following Ops Center notification of Embassy Rangoon in the 
early hours of March 29th, DAO contacted the Foreign Liaison 
Officer at the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and Conoff phoned 
MOFA to pass on the news.  Both MOFA and MOD were grateful 
for the information, as they had not yet heard.  Both said 
they would immediately brief superiors regarding the 
situation.  We have not received any information from MOFA or 
MOD regarding GOB reaction to the earthquake or potential 
damage to Burmese coastal areas. 
 
Amcits: Calls to Beach Resorts, But No Warden Message 
 
4. Upon notification by the Ops Center, DCM and Conoff 
attempted for three hours, without success, to reach resort 
hotels in the Bay of Bengal area (these remote resorts often 
do not have functioning telephone service).  While continuing 
these attempts, COM and Conoff decided not to activate the 
warden system telephone tree as by that time there was no 
sign from press reportage that there was a tsunami, and no 
registered Americans reside in the coastal areas likely to be 
hit by one. 
 
Foreign Diplomats: No News 
 
5. We have heard no further information from foreign 
diplomats stationed in Rangoon.  However, diplomats from 
China, Vietnam, Laos, South Korea, Russia, and Thailand told 
us they too had been awakened by their headquarters in case 
the quake caused damage in Burma, but that they had no reason 
to doubt the assessment by the UNDP. 
Martinez