R 020652Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8504

UNCLAS RANGOON 000002 
 
 
DEPARTMENT TO DS/DSS/OSAC, DS/IP/EAP, EAP/MLS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC BM
SUBJECT: RANGOON 2009 ANNUAL OSAC CRIME/SAFETY REPORT 
 
REF: 08 STATE 132056 
 
¶1. All answers are keyed to reftel. 
 
¶I. Overall Crime and Safety Situation: Many criminal acts go 
unreported or uninvestigated in Burma, making it very 
difficult to assess the level of criminal activity.  Police 
precincts routinely under-report incidents in their areas of 
coverage. GOB crime statistics are generally unreliable, and 
statistics for areas outside of Rangoon are not regularly 
available.  Travelers should be aware that the potential for 
crime against foreigners may be higher in some regions 
outside of Rangoon, particularly in remote areas with a 
limited security presence.  Overland travel outside of major 
cities may present a problem for foreigners if they are not 
accompanied by a Burmese speaking companion to facilitate 
interactions with non-English speakers.  The GOB established 
a Tourist Police Unit in 2006, but lack of proper funding, 
training and pervasive corruption prevent the unit from being 
effective. 
 
¶A. Crime Threats: The most commonly reported crimes among 
diplomats are non-violent crimes of opportunity, such as pick 
pocketing and theft of unattended packages.  Many observers 
believe that criminal activity in general, including property 
crime (theft from vehicles and home burglaries),   appears to 
be on the rise due to the worsening economic situation; 
however, there are no statistics to support that assumption. 
Most reports are unverifiable rumors from other diplomatic 
missions that are difficult to investigate.  There were no 
incidents of criminal activity against any U.S. Embassy 
personnel this year.  There are occasional turf battles 
between rival criminal groups that sometimes turn violent, 
but those incidents are not directed at the U.S. Embassy, or 
the AmCit, ex-pat and NGO communities.  Generally, the areas 
in Rangoon where those incidents occur are not areas 
frequented by the communities mentioned above. 
 
¶B. Safety: Most roadways and vehicles are old and poorly 
maintained.  Public transportation is a very common 
conveyance for locals; however, most trains and buses are not 
well-maintained and are frequently out of service.  Taxis are 
the best method of transportation in Rangoon, but many are 
also unsafe due to poor maintenance and the lack of 
seatbelts.  Enforcement of traffic laws are haphazard and are 
often used as a means of soliciting a bribe in lieu of a 
citation.  Drivers must always be alert for pedestrians and 
animals walking into traffic.  Flooding during the rainy 
season can be a problem, especially with regard to potholes. 
Drivers often do not use headlights at night, and Rangoon's 
few traffic lights are regularly out of service. 
 
II. Political Violence: In September 2007, large 
anti-government demonstrations took place throughout the 
country, which prompted a violent response by the GOB.  The 
protests began after fuel prices doubled and eventually 
developed into large, peaceful, pro-democracy marches. 
Although there have been no major protests since 2007, the 
government has not addressed the root cause of the grievances 
and demonstrations could reoccur.  The GOB continues to 
arrest individuals suspected of being involved in the 
democracy movement and often imposes long jail sentences for 
what appear to be minor offenses.  Several ethnic groups that 
populate border areas have been engaged in a long-standing 
armed struggle with the GOB, although many insurgent groups 
have entered into cease-fire arrangements with the regime in 
the past decade.  RSO advises all visitors to avoid large 
crowds and political demonstrations, as the reaction of the 
government could turn violent at any moment. 
 
¶A. Historical Perspective: Pro-democracy demonstrations in 
1988 resulted in a violent response by the GOB, which 
promised a multi-party election to end the protests.  In 1990 
the GOB held elections, which the main democratic opposition 
party won by a landslide.  The GOB refused to honor the 
election results and instead further tightened its grip on 
power.  Key demands and grievances of Burma's ethnic 
nationalities have also gone unanswered. 
 
¶B. Regional Terrorism and Organized Crime: All anti-GOB 
groups are considered terrorist organizations by the 
Government, including most peaceful political organizations. 
Several armed groups in border regions engage in criminal 
activities, including narcotics production and sales, gem 
smuggling, and timber trafficking. 
 
¶C. International Terrorism: Presently, there is no evidence 
of any terrorist groups targeting American interests in 
Burma.  Burma has a small Muslim population that has no 
history of anti-American rhetoric or activity.  The 
Government of Burma is not a state sponsor of terrorism and 
does not permit foreign-fighters to transit its borders. 
Money-laundering is prevalent but there is not evidence 
money-laundering is used to support terrorist activities or 
is used by terrorist organizations in Burma. 
 
¶D. Civil Unrest: All recent demonstrations by pro-democracy 
groups have been peaceful, but the GOB's responses have often 
been violent.  Such responses, coupled with poor economic 
conditions, have the potential to spark large scale civil 
unrest in the future. 
 
III. Post Specific Concerns 
 
¶A. Earthquakes and Floods: During the early part of the rainy 
season (approximately May to October), street flooding is 
pervasive in Burmese cities due to inadequate drainage 
systems.  Low-lying villages also flood, causing food 
shortages in some areas.  Individuals visiting Burma during 
the rainy season should be careful when traveling on roads 
and in villages close to lakes, major rivers and the ocean. 
Major earthquake fault lines cross Burma, making the chance 
of earthquakes ever present.  Cyclone Nargis in May 2008 
caused extensive flooding in Rangoon and Irrawaddy Divisions 
which severely damaged transportation, communication, and 
electrical infrastructure. 
 
¶B. Industrial and Transportation: None of Burma's domestic 
airlines are approved by the FAA, and their safety records 
are not open to the public.  In February 2008, an Air Bagan 
flight overran a runway, causing minor injuries to several 
passengers.  Other forms of transportation inside the 
country, such as trains and inter-city buses, are old and 
poorly maintained.  Trains and buses are not recommended, and 
passengers should ride them at their own risk.  Embassy 
Rangoon recommends American travelers do not use Myanmar 
Airlines or Air Bagan, due to safety and poor supervision 
concerns.  There have been no reports of industrial accidents 
at this time. 
 
¶C. Kidnappings: There were no reported kidnappings of 
American citizens this year. 
 
¶D. Drugs and Narco-terrorism: Several ethnic groups in the 
border region are heavily involved in drug trafficking. 
Burma's production of opium is second only to Afghanistan. 
Methamphetamines are quickly becoming another major narcotic 
produced in Burma.  Some of the ethnic groups use the funding 
from illegal activities to support their armed conflict with 
the GOB. 
 
IV. Police Response: Despite the creation of a Tourist Police 
Unit, the host country's law enforcement services are 
generally unresponsive, under equipped and poorly trained. 
Corruption is pervasive and some GOB officials collaborate 
with criminals, or carry out crimes themselves under 
protection of their official status.  Most criminal acts go 
unreported and/or are not investigated.  Response time can be 
extremely long, if any response occurs at all.  Police often 
blame lack of transportation for their slow response. 
 
¶A. How to Handle Local Police: Police will often signal both 
foreign and domestic motorists to stop to collect a 
"donation".  When in doubt, always comply with police 
instructions, identify yourself as an American, and ask to 
speak to a consular officer.  In most instances, police do 
not speak English and will not pursue a bribe if language 
seems to be a barrier. 
 
¶B. Telephone numbers: In Rangoon, the central police 
emergency number is 199.  The fire emergency number is 191 or 
¶192. 
 
¶V. Medical Emergencies: Medical services in Rangoon are far 
below most basic Western standards.  Although the Embassy 
does not officially endorse specific medical service 
providers, two international-level services with limited 
local facilities are the SOS (AEA) International Clinic and 
the Pacific Kembangan Medical Center.  In the event of a 
medical emergency, American citizens should ask to be taken 
to a hospital, such as Yangon General Hospital, and request 
that the American Embassy and/or the SOS Clinic be notified. 
 
¶A. Contact information: SOS is located at the Inya Lake 
Hotel, Telephone:  667871 or 667879.  Pacific Kembangan is 
located on Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Telephone:  542979 or 
548022). 
 
¶B. Air ambulance services are available for arrangement 
through SOS. 
 
VI. Travel Precautions 
 
¶A. Typical Crime: The most common crime reported in Burma is 
theft of unaccompanied items.  If an individual takes the 
simple precaution of not leaving possessions unattended they 
should not fall victim to this crime.  Visitors should obey 
all laws and follow any instructions given to them by local 
authorities. 
 
¶B. Areas to be Avoided: The border regions of Burma are areas 
of armed conflict and organized crime and should be avoided 
if possible. 
 
VII. Further information: American Citizens can contact the 
Embassy in case of an emergency, 24 hours a day, using the 
Embassy's main number: (95) 1-536-509 ext 4014. 
 
The following list provides other extensions in case of an 
emergency: 
 
RSO  ext.     4333 
Medical ext.  4480 
Consular ext. 4240 
Pol/econ ext. 4224 
Post 1 ext.   4014 
 
VII. Burma does not have an OSAC Country Council. 
 
¶2. Any questions regarding this cable can be directed to RSO 
William Mellott or ARSO Thomas Eckert. 
 
 
VAJDA