US embassy cable - 02RANGOON1631

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 001631 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP, IO, PRM AND DRL 
LABOR FOR ILAB 
USCINCPAC FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/02 
TAGS: PREF, ELAB, BG, BM, UNDP, UNHCR, Human Rights, Ethnics 
SUBJECT: UNHCR CONTINUES TO PRESS BURMA ON FORCED LABOR IN 
NORTHERN RAKHINE STATE 
 
REF: A. (A) DHAKA 3468 
 
     B. (B) RANGOON 1059 
 
Classified By: DCM Ron McMullen.  Reason: 1.5 (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary: UNHCR says that forced labor continues in 
northern Rakhine State, but maintains that there has been no 
significant new outflow of refugees from Burma.  According to 
UNHCR's Resident Representative, he has pressed the 
government hard regarding forced labor, but may need 
additional support to bring the practice to an end. End 
Summary. 
 
No New Refugees 
 
2. (C) UNHCR's Resident Representative Rajiv Kapur told 
Poloff that there had no significant recent outflow of 
refugees from northern Rakhine State.  UNHCR monitors the 
populations in Rohingya Muslim villages in the area and had 
found no change.  He has also talked to the UNHCR office in 
Bangladesh.  According to Kapur, both offices agreed that the 
recent crowds of Rohingya Muslims that had gathered in 
Teknaf, Bangladesh were mostly illegal Burmese migrants who 
had fled the Bangladesh army's recent campaigns against 
crime.  Apparently, the migrants felt safer presenting 
themselves as recent refugees than as long-term illegal 
migrants. 
 
Forced Labor 
 
3. (C) Kapur said that he continued to press the government 
hard regarding forced labor in northern Rakhine State. In 
general, the situation had improved.  Forced labor was down 
to very low levels in three of the four townships in which 
UNHCR operates.  The army, military intelligence, and the 
township peace and development committees have sworn off the 
use of forced labor, Kapur stated.  However, the NASAKA 
(Burmese border police) commander in Maungdaw North continued 
to make demands for forced labor.  Altogether, there were 
twenty incidents of forced labor in Maungdaw North in October 
affecting 68 percent of that township's 32 villages.  Kapur 
said that he had raised the NASAKA Commander's behavior with 
the government (reftel B) to no effect, and, in early 
December, warned Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win that 
the GOB was inviting an adverse reaction from the 
international community by its failure to act.  According to 
Kapur, the meeting was tense, but KMW promised to "try" to 
have the problem addressed "to the extent he could." 
However, he cautioned Kapur that the GOB's cooperation with 
UNHCR could be affected, "if there was a mixing of mandates 
among UN agencies." 
 
UNDP's Resident Representative 
 
4. (C) Kapur recommended that the USG pay special attention 
to the selection of the new UNDP Resident Coordinator for 
Burma.  The right person, he said, could ensure that all UN 
agencies played a role in monitoring human rights abuses, 
something most were reluctant to do now.  He had found that 
you could get a reaction from the government, if you were 
consistent, objective, and firm.  With UN agencies now 
establishing an almost nationwide presence, they could play a 
significant role, given the right leadership.  According to 
Kapur, the Resident Coordinator's position had already been 
advertised and the selection would likely be made before 
February. 
 
Comment and Action Recommendations 
 
5. (C)  The UN agencies now are in a position to do far more 
on human rights than they have to date.  Many are 
establishing programs in border regions inhabited by ethnic 
minorities and can play a role in bringing human rights 
abuses to the attention of the SPDC leadership.  Such reports 
may not get immediate action, but they will at least ensure 
that the SPDC can no longer pretend to be ignorant of the 
problems or dismiss them as the fabrications of opposition 
groups.  Motivating the UN agencies to play a role in 
protecting human rights, however, will require the right 
person as UNDP's resident coordinator.  We recommend that the 
Department give this some attention and, if we have a 
candidate that can really do the job here, put him or her 
forward. 
 
6. (C) As for Kapur's points on forced labor, he will need 
support.  We have weighed in with Khin Nyunt, and will raise 
the issue again.  Other funders of UNHCR's program, however, 
should speak up as well. 
Martinez