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DE RUEHGO #0136/01 0320907
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FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4012

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 000136 
 
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STATE FOR EAP/MLS; PACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BM
SUBJECT: YAWN: BURMESE REGIME RECESSES NATIONAL CONVENTION 
 
REF: 05 RANGOON 1361 
 
Classified By: P/E Chief W. Patrick Murphy for Reasons 1.4 (b,d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  The Burmese regime recessed its National 
Convention (NC) on January 31, ending the third session of an 
indefinite process to produce a new constitution that accords 
the military preeminent governing powers.  The GOB did not 
announce a date to reconvene the NC, although a senior 
general intimated that it would not be until the end of the 
year.  Delegates at this session describe the Convention to 
us as a dreary affair, devoid of meaningful discussion.  The 
proceedings consist mostly of pedantic lecturing and recital 
of regime position papers.  Few people among the general 
public pay any attention to the process, which has excluded 
the democratic opposition.  The continued participation of 
ethnic groups, and the question of whether they secure 
limited autonomy from central control, remain the only 
interesting angles to the NC, but these issues remained 
unresolved at the close of the latest session.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) On January 31, the Burmese regime recessed its third 
session of National Convention and freed 1,000-plus 
hand-picked delegates to return to their towns and villages 
throughout the country.  With the exception of rare and 
restricted weekend passes, authorities had confined the 
delegates for the duration of the session to the sealed-off 
Convention site, a training facility of the mass-member USDA 
organization north of Rangoon.  This latest session of the 
constitution-drafting process began in early December 
(reftel) and lasted just over eight weeks. 
 
¶3. (U) The SPDC's Secretary-1 (the third ranking member of 
the junta), Lt Gen Thein Sein, presided over the closing 
plenary session as Chairman of the National Convention 
Convening Commission.  In his remarks, Thein Sein recalled 
that delegates had discussed--though not formally 
adopted--basic principles for the distribution of executive 
and judicial powers, legislative functions, citizenship, and 
the role of the Tamadaw (armed forces).  Thein Sein observed 
that the delegates had "expressed their support for the 
explanations of the Work Committee chairman."  (Note:  By all 
accounts, the GOB's Work Committee, comprised of senior 
military and government officials, pre-drafted the new 
constitution in 2003 with no intention of allowing the NC 
process to significantly alter language, especially chapters 
that accord the armed forces preeminent governing powers. 
End Note.) 
 
¶4. (U) The GOB, which has never offered a timeline for the 
National Convention or its "road map to democracy," did not 
announce when it intends to reconvene the NC.  Thein Sein 
told delegates, however, that "the coming sessions will be 
held when the end of the present year is drawing nearer, 
during which farmers have less work," intimating that the NC 
will not reconvene until after the October-November harvest 
season.  The GOB claimed that "99.07 percent of the delegates 
entitled to attend" were present at the final session. 
Attendance was compulsory, but the regime's mouthpiece daily, 
the New Light of Myanmar, did not offer any explanation for 
the absence of ten of the 1,079 delegates nor why the 
attendance rate had dropped from 99.44 percent at the 
December 5 opening ceremonies. 
 
¶5. (C) The latest NC session, like those that preceded it, 
held little interest for delegates.  Attendance at daily 
workshops, group sessions, and committee meetings was 
mandatory.  NC authorities discouraged any discussion and 
committee leaders simply recited lengthy text of 
regime-drafted constitutional language and position papers. 
One participant told us that on some days meetings lasted a 
mere thirty minutes.  Delegates then spent the rest of their 
time fighting boredom at the isolated site.  Another delegate 
told us of informal tea-house chat sessions at the NC, where 
some military officers expressed shared frustration with the 
controlled process, but claimed they could do little about 
it, urging civilian delegates "to go along with the program." 
 
¶6. (C) Comment:  Although the regime appears obsessed with 
the National Convention, devoting extensive space in the 
state-controlled media to its daily proceedings, the Burmese 
people ignored it.  Those few who bothered to watch it on TV 
news saw footage of regime officials lecturing or reciting 
long texts to bored delegates, many of whom were caught 
dozing on camera.  Since the regime excludes the democratic 
opposition from the process, no one in Burma finds it 
compelling to watch rubber getting stamped. 
 
¶7. (C) The continuing participation of many ethnic groups 
remains of interest.  Ethnic leaders have debated this 
issues, with some arguing the NC is their only opportunity to 
gain any autonomy.  Others remain skeptical that the GOB will 
cede any control and warn those ethnic leaders who 
participate that they will lose ethnic support when they 
fail. This latest, tedious session did not resolve this key 
issue for future peace and stability.  End Comment. 
 
VILLAROSA