Cablegate: Cambodia's National Assembly to Inaugurate Burma

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

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