VZCZCXRO9169
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #1400/01 2151040
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 031040Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7106
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2390
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0050
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 2232
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0081
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 2167
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM  PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PHNOM PENH 001400 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/03/2016 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL CB
SUBJECT: CAMBODIA'S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TO INAUGURATE BURMA 
CAUCUS ON AUGUST 25 
 
 
Classified By: A/DCM Margaret McKean; Reason 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
 ¶1.  (SBU)  Summary.  Cambodia's National Assembly will 
launch its Burma Caucus on August 25, with 25 
parliamentarians from the three political parties as members, 
according to organizing MP Son Chhay of the opposition Sam 
Rainsy Party (SRP).  Other AIPMC (ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary 
Myanmar Caucus) members are expected to attend, and 
invitations will also be extended to interested 
parliamentarians from Australia, New Zealand, and the EU, as 
well as members of the diplomatic community in Phnom Penh. 
National Assembly President Heng Samrin will officiate at the 
inauguration, and Prime Minister Hun Sen is expected to meet 
with the delegates from other countries.  Son Chhay is 
hopeful that the Caucus will be able to agree on a resolution 
on Burma for submission to the National Assembly, but 
acknowledges that the concept of a special interest group 
like the Burma Caucus is new to Cambodian political thinking. 
 End Summary. 
 
Burma Caucus:  Cambodia on Board (Hopefully) 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  On August 3, A/DCM met with SRP opposition 
parliamentarian Son Chhay to discuss the National Assembly's 
plans to inaugurate a Burma Caucus on August 25.  Son Chhay 
said that with the Prime Minister's approval and 
consultations with AIPMC's head office in Malaysia, the 
wheels are in motion to formally announce the Caucus later in 
the month.  Within the National Assembly, ten CPP members 
will join, as will five members from FUNCINPEC.  The SRP has 
designated ten MPs for the Caucus, including party leader Sam 
Rainsy and his wife, Tioulong Saumura.  Among the CPP 
members, two have educational ties to the United States. 
Among the FUNCINPEC members are a former Minister of Justice, 
and a graduate of a university in the United States who has 
been one of the more outspoken members of the National 
Assembly.  FUNCINPEC MP Than Sina, who had been a participant 
in a AIPMC-sponsored trip to Burma in the past, was not on 
the list, noted Son Chhay, who regretted the omission. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Son Chhay envisions an inauguration ceremony on 
August 25 followed by a dinner hosted by National Assembly 
President Heng Samrin.  The following day he anticipates will 
include meetings and discussions with visiting ASEAN 
parliamentarians and MPs from outside the region.  He hopes 
that Prime Minister Hun Sen, who had earlier agreed to meet 
with foreign officials who come to Cambodia for the 
inauguration, will meet with the group on August 26.  Given 
the last-minute preparations, Son Chhay said that it would 
not be possible to host the conference that he had originally 
envisioned, but that he would pursue the idea at a later 
date.  The important thing is to get the Caucus launched and 
operational, he affirmed. 
 
¶4.  (C)  In addition to ASEAN MPs and other legislators with 
aninterest in Burma, Son Chhay is inviting many members of 
the diplomatic community resident in Phnom Penh, including 
the Burmese Ambassador -- with whom Son Chhay is scheduled to 
meet on August 4 to encourage his participation.  Son Chhay 
related an earlier conversation with the Burmese Ambassador, 
in which the latter told Son Chhay that he was aware of the 
Caucus initiative, and assured Son Chhay that he understood 
the purpose and discussions regarding Burma were not an 
issue.  Son Chhay has also invited the Chinese Ambassador to 
Cambodia, who had been less than encouraging about the Burma 
Caucus, but agreed to forward Son Chhay's invitation to 
Beijing for a senior government official to attend the 
inauguration. 
 
¶5.  (C)  Prospects for getting the Caucus to agree on a 
resolution on Burma for consideration by the National 
Assembly remain an open question, said Son Chhay.  Given the 
precedent set by other ASEAN national bodies, Son Chhay is 
hopeful that he can convince the CPP to follow suit in 
Cambodia's case.  If Hun Sen agrees, the party will obey the 
decision, he said.  He understands that the Prime Minister 
remains undecided as to just how far he can push the Burma 
issue, but will likely accede to any action that has a 
precedent within ASEAN, Son Chhay noted.  Son Chhay had hoped 
that individual members of the National Assembly would be 
able to join the Caucus on their own volition rather than 
being assigned by their respective parties, but that was not 
 
PHNOM PENH 00001400  002 OF 002 
 
 
the case.  He noted that the concept of a special interest 
group tracking a non-domestic issue in Cambodia's political 
scene is new, and he must be prepared for incremental 
successes -- the first being the inauguration of the body on 
August 25. 
MUSSOMELI