VZCZCXRO4162
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #3420/01 3520715
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 180715Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7435
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 0909
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1783
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1328
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2172
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4580
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1487
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 0497
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 003420 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/PD (FOR LNEIGHBORS) EAP/MTS, 
EAP/MLS (COPE), EAP/RSP, 
G (CURRIE) 
NSC FOR EPHU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: BM ID PGOV PREL EAID
SUBJECT: BURMA -- ACTIVISTS CALL FOR REGIONAL CONFERENCE IN 
JAKARTA 
 
REF: A. JAKARTA 3297 B. JAKARTA 2855 
 
JAKARTA 00003420  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please 
handle accordingly.  It also contains an Action Request in 
Para 7. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  A group of approximately 40 Indonesian 
civil society, labor, and media representatives gathered at 
Pol/C's residence on December 17 to discuss ways forward in 
pressing--on the national and regional levels--for democratic 
change in Burma.  Coalescing around the idea of civil society 
hosting a regional conference on Burma in Jakarta early next 
year, the group also proposed lobbying against the ASEAN 
Charter and holding anti-Burma regime demonstrations. 
Mission is planning further meetings down the line as we 
continue to encourage Indonesian activism regarding Burma. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
MEETING RE BURMA 
 
¶3.  (SBU) On December 17, Pol/C hosted at San Francisco House 
roughly 40 civil society, labor, religious, media, and 
political leaders, as well as third country diplomats.  DCM, 
Management Counselor and PAO also participated in the 
meeting, which was a follow-up to the October gathering at 
DCM's Residence (ref B).  The focus of the meeting was on 
next steps that Indonesian civil society can take on the 
national and regional levels to try to effect change in 
Burma.  In his brief remarks, Pol/C underscored the brutal 
events that transpired--and continued to transpire--in Burma. 
 Pol/C underlined the importance of even small--seemingly 
symbolic--measures in these times, quoting Robert F. 
Kennedy's statement that "each time a man or a woman stands 
up for an idea, or acts to improve the lot of others, or 
strikes out against injustice, he or she sends forth a tiny 
ripple of hope." 
 
¶4.  (SBU) DepPol/C then briefly discussed the role of civil 
society as an agent of transformative change.  In a 
discussion led by the Library of Congress (LOC) Regional 
Director, Indonesian members of the group discussed their 
experiences in 1998 when students, religious leaders, 
journalists, and civil society activists galvanized the 
democracy movement, contributing to the collapse of the 
Suharto regime. 
 
PROPOSAL FOR A REGIONAL CONFERENCE 
 
¶5.  (SBU) During the lively group discussion and over coffee 
in smaller groups, guests proposed a wide range of practical 
options that Indonesian civil society might undertake to try 
to influence the situation in Burma.  Several 
representatives--to wide agreement among the group--expressed 
strong interest in helping to organize a regional conference 
on Burma in Jakarta.  They agreed that the U.S. is very 
important in facilitating cohesive action regarding Burma as 
the world's most influential nation, but cautioned that a 
conference should also heavily involve Indonesian civil 
society in order to be credible on the national and regional 
levels.  Several guests--including from one of Indonesia's 
largest youth Islamic organizations, Mohammadiyah Youth--want 
to meet again soon to plan further steps towards a 
conference. 
 
SOME OTHER IDEAS 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Besides the conference, guests proposed other 
immediate steps civil society can take, such as: 
 
--Lobbying both the Indonesian legislature and ASEAN to 
oppose ratification of the ASEAN Charter given that Burma 
does not live up to democracy and human rights standards, and 
there is no mechanism to enforce the standards; 
 
--Labor unions are planning a mass demonstration in front of 
the Burmese Embassy in Jakarta in January 2008 while 
 
JAKARTA 00003420  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
discussing a possible boycott of products from Burma; 
 
--The Southeast Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA) intends to 
dedicate 2008 to articles on Burma and the repression there; 
and, 
 
-- The Canadian Pol/C recommended that participants look into 
ways to involve the Indonesian business community in 
Burma-related efforts. 
 
ACTION REQUEST 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Mission believes that this meeting--and the earlier 
one held here in October--underscore Indonesian civil 
society's strong and abiding interest in the situation in 
Burma and its desire to try to help.  We believe, however, 
that due to disorganization and lack of capacity that these 
organizations and their representatives will need more than a 
nudge from Washington as they try to get organized to take 
concrete action.  In that light, we believe that the idea of 
a regional conference to be held in Jakarta some time in 
early 2008 makes sense and we urge Washington to review the 
idea in line with previous discussions (ref A).  END ACTION 
REQUEST. 
 
HUME