US embassy cable - 03RANGOON897

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 000897 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/28/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KISL, BM, Human Rights, Ethnics 
SUBJECT: MOSQUE RAZED, PARAMILITARIES TRAINED 
 
 
Classified By: CDA, a.i.: RON MCMULLEN FOR REASON 1.5(D) 
 
1.  (C) Trouble in Sittwe:  Local officials on July 22 
reportedly tore down a mosque in Sittwe, 70 miles SE of the 
Bangladeshi border, and arrested seven Muslims, one of whom 
subsequently died in custody.  This information came to us 
from Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and UN contacts.  Apparently the 
mosque's leadership made unauthorized improvements to the 
structure, resulting in the decision by local authorities to 
tear down the whole building.  Buddhist monks and Muslim 
shopkeepers also clashed on July 18 in Pyinmana, a small town 
between Mandalay and Rangoon, according to local media 
reports. 
 
2.  (SBU) Paramilitary training:  A trusted Burmese contact 
claims the USDA-affiliated "Power Ranger" militia is 
receiving rudimentary riot-control and military training in 
central Burma and elsewhere.  "They are being told their 
mission is to hold up any attacking Americans long enough for 
Russia and China to come to the rescue," he explained. 
Chuckling, he added, "The Russians--that's a good one." 
Media reports also claim the GOB is training a paramilitary 
"Peoples Militia" in Arakan State to assist in putting down 
any general uprising. 
 
3.  (C) Comment: Muslim-Buddhist troubles have periodically 
flared up in Sittwe and elsewhere.  We frequently hear 
stories of pro-SPDC "fake monks" allegedly inciting violence 
against Muslims to deflect anti-regime ire.  This does not 
seem to be the case in these latest incidents, and, with the 
political temperature in Burma quite high, any incident could 
quickly get out of hand.  A leader of the student rebellion 
of 1988 told us recently that he thinks there will be 
substantial bloodshed in Burma before year's end.  Perhaps 
the training of various paramilitary groups indicates the 
generals share this view.  End Comment. 
McMullen