US embassy cable - 05RANGOON1324

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001324 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR CA/VO, CA/OCS/ACS/EAP, EAP/BCLTV 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12598:  N/A 
TAGS: CVIS, CASC, KFRD, PREL, PGOV, BM, Pyinmana 
SUBJECT:  MFA'S RANGOON BRANCH OFFICE STILL OPEN FOR VISAS 
 
REF:  A) Rangoon 1295 and previous 
      B) Rangoon 84 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  On November 22, conoff met with MFA's Consular 
Division Director to discuss anticipated changes in visa 
processing due to the ongoing GOB move to a new administrative 
capital in Pyinmana, particularly as it affects USG official 
travelers.  The MFA official advised that visa processing would 
slow down significantly as government workers cope with the 
sudden relocation and also shared information about how the GOB 
processes official visa requests, how the move to Pyinmana was 
affecting the MFA, and how the GOB handles visas for Amcit 
tourists.  End summary. 
 
2. (SBU) On November 18, post was informed by Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs (MFA) Consular Division staff that they were closing down 
for business immediately, in preparation for their move to the 
new GOB administrative capital of Pyinmana (ref A).  On November 
22, conoff followed up with the Consular Division Director, who 
assured us that visa processing in Rangoon is going on, although 
he admitted that things will "slow down" for an uncertain period 
because the Ministry is very short-staffed.  With its Deputy 
Director and most other staff members now transferred to 
Pyinmana, it appears that the Consular Division is trying to put 
on a brave face and keep things moving as best it can. 
 
3.  (SBU) During the conversation, the Director revealed some of 
the MFA internal process for approving official visa requests. 
Obtaining Burmese visas for USG TDY staff from surrounding posts, 
and even tourist visas for USG diplomatic passport holders, is 
usually a long and very unpredictable process.  Some Burmese 
embassies overseas issue visas quickly; others stall until the 
travel date arrives and the travel must be canceled.  Over a year 
ago, post agreed with MFA to back-channel visa requests from USG 
officials in neighboring countries with a diplomatic note to 
expedite visa issuance.  This has, in fact, added another layer 
of bureaucracy and has not always produced the desired result of 
greater expediency.  The Director stated that all applications 
from diplomatic and official passport holders must now be 
personally approved by either the Deputy Minister or the 
Minister, and sometimes - depending on the nature of the visit - 
by the regime's Foreign Affairs Policy Committee, which meets 
once a week on Tuesdays.  Following this process, the case is 
transmitted to the Burmese embassy concerned, which might then 
add an extra amount of time before it gets around to issuing the 
visa (in one recent case, the Burmese Embassy in Dhaka neglected 
to forward a US diplomat's visa application to Rangoon for over 
two weeks; when we investigated we were told that the Dhaka 
embassy's "fax machine was broken"). 
 
4.  (SBU) Conoff also took the opportunity to inquire about the 
issuance of tourist visas for Amcits with regular passports.  The 
Director stated that "we do not discriminate" by country, and 
that there has been no change in procedures for tourist visas. 
Burmese embassies are allowed to be independent in their issuance 
of tourist visas, and most Burmese embassies issue them the same 
day as the application is lodged.  Conoff also asked about the 
GOB's "e-visa." (Note:  the e-visa was an innovation introduced 
under former Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt, which allowed 
tourists to apply for their visas on-line and receive an 
electronic approval that could then be used to board Burma-bound 
airlines and receive visas upon arrival.  The e-visa was 
discontinued in early 2005, probably as part of an overall purge 
of Khin Nyunt-led initiatives when he was ousted from the 
government and arrested.  End note.)  The MFA official stated 
that this program has not yet been reinstated.  However, travel 
agencies are allowed to process visas electronically for tour 
groups, through the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.  According to 
post records, the vast majority of visiting Amcits travel to 
Burma on organized tours. 
 
5.  (SBU) When asked about future plans, the MFA official 
confirmed that almost everyone in MFA would eventually move to 
Pyinmana, including the ministers.  When asked about his own 
move, the Consular Division Director said that, for health 
reasons, he would stay in Rangoon and would then retire.  (The 
note-taker at the meetings told conoff later that she would be 
moving to Pyinmana next month and, as a single parent, regretted 
having to leave her daughter behind).  The Director suggested 
that the MFA Protocol Division would likely remain in Rangoon, as 
it will have to continue to interact with foreign embassies.  He 
stated that Protocol would start to handle assignment visas and 
stay permits.  Asked about a timeline for the Consular Division's 
move, he would only say that "diplomatic missions will be 
notified."  When asked about the fate of the vacant ministerial 
buildings, the Director opined that they would probably go "to 
enterprises."  He did not specify whether this meant private or 
commercial enterprises. 
 
6.  (SBU) Conoff also asked about the Passport Office and whether 
it would move to Pyinmana, as this has a direct impact on the 
embassy's visa workload.  MFA official told us that there was a 
Passport Board meeting last week, and it determined that the 
Passport Office would remain in Rangoon for the time being. Post 
has observed a sharp spike in Burmese passport issuances since 
passport requirements were relaxed in early 2005 (ref B), which 
most directly affects our IV workload.  A check of passport 
numbers (Burmese passport numbers are sequential) issued over the 
past five years indicates an approximate average of passport 
issuances per month as follows: 
 
2000 - 3200 per month 
2001 - 2700 per month 
2002 - 6400 per month 
2003 - 8800 per month 
2004 - 4600 per month (Note:  this drop is likely due to the 
introduction of "e-passports," or machine-readable passports, 
issued to businessmen as well as seaman, which are the majority 
of our NIV applicants.  These e-passports are not included in 
this tally, and have also been discontinued in the wake of Khin 
Nyunt's ouster.  End note) 
2005 - 13,100 per month 
 
7.  (SBU) Comment:  MFA staff are used to following orders, like 
everyone else in Burma, but they are now in the uncomfortable 
position of having to explain the move to Pyinmana both to 
themselves and to foreign missions.  It appears that the Consular 
Division Director is giving us the proper prepared responses, but 
his body language and his note-taker's aside told a different 
story.  It remains unclear how efficiently requests for official 
visas will be processed once most of the MFA moves to Pyinmana, 
but we believe official travelers could face increasing delays 
and difficulties in obtaining their visas.  We recommend that any 
USG officials planning to come to Burma, whether for work or 
tourism, plan far ahead and try to be as flexible as possible. 
End comment. 
VILLAROSA