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OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHGO #0035/01 0160937
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 160937Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7029
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1670
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0830
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 4724
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RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 7921
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5482
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 1309
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 1329
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 0176
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 3462
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1270
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 RANGOON 000035 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS; INR/EAP 
STATE FOR OES - JMIOTKE AND ACOVINGTON 
STATE FO EAP FOR JYAMAMOTO 
STAET FOR EEB - TSEAGER 
PACOM FOR FPA 
TREASURY FOR OASIA:SCHUN 
BANGKOK FOR REO, JWALLER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2018 
TAGS:            
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENT NOT A PRIORITY FOR BURMESE REGIME 
 
 
RANGOON 00000035  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: Economic Officer Samantha A. Carl-Yoder 
for Reasons 1.4 (b and d) 
 
 1.  (SBU) Summary.  Despite having a wealth of plant and 
animal biodiversity and vast ecosystems, the Burmese 
Government does little to protect the country's natural 
resources.  Investors, both domestic and foreign, continue to 
plunder Burma's raw materials, destroying much of the 
country's natural environment.  The Burmese Government has 
yet to enact a comprehensive environment law.  Investors, 
both foreign and domestic, are not required to conduct 
environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for development 
projects.  NGOs highlight species loss, soil erosion, 
contamination of water and land, and deforestation as Burma's 
largest environmental challenges.  Unfortunately, solid data 
about environmental degradation does not exist.  End Summary. 
 
No Comprehensive Law 
-------------------- 
 
 2. (C)  Burma has one of the world's most diverse ecosystems, 
ranging from mountainous regions with deciduous forests to 
tropical reefs, numerous various plant and animal species, 
and natural resources including oil and gas, nickel, gold, 
jade, and precious gems.  Despite having these vast 
environmental riches, the Burmese Government does little to 
protect the environment, U Uga, Chairman of the Biodiversity 
and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA) told us.  Burma 
has no comprehensive laws concerningQnvironmental 
management.  In 2000, the Burmese Government drafted the 
National Environment Law, which established parameters for 
environmental protections and conservation in the wake of 
Burma's continuing development.  Despite support for this law 
from NGOs and international organizations, the GOB has yet to 
approve and implement this law.  U Uga, who helped write the 
document, noted that although the Cabinet is willing to 
implement the law, Senior General Than Shwe has yet to 
approve the final version. 
 
 3.  (SBU) Until the law is approved, the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs has authority over domestic environmental protection 
issues while the Cabinet handles international environmental 
matters (this is not a misprint!).  In 1990, the GOB 
established the National Commission for Environmental Affairs 
(NCEA) to promote sustainable use of environmental resources 
in industry and economic activities.  The NCEA established 
Burma's National Environment Policy in 1994, the GOB's 
current policy on environmental protection.  According to 
environmental NGO officials, this document is too broad, 
lacking the specificity needed to promote economic 
development while at the same time protecting the 
environment.  Because it is a policy rather than a law, it 
does not supersede pre-existing laws related to the 
environment, such as the fisheries and forestry laws -- laws 
that allow for the plundering of natural resources with 
little thought to the environment.  Because the National 
Environment Policy has no real environmental guidelines or 
requirements, only a few investors implement environmentally 
sound programs, U Ohn of the Forest Resource Environment 
Development and Conservation Association (FREDA) told us. 
 
 4.  (C)  Burma is a signatory to several international 
environmental treaties, such as the Convention on Biological 
Diversity, the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of 
Wild Flora and Fauna, and the Vienna Convention for the 
 
RANGOON 00000035  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
Protection of the Ozone Layer, among others.  The GOB signed 
these treaties to gain international recognition that they 
were protecting the environment, U Ohn asserted. 
Unfortunately, these agreements do not require the GOB to 
implement any specific programs.  The Burmese government does 
as little possible to protect the environment, he concluded. 
 
Who Needs Assessments? 
---------------------- 
 
 5.  (C)  One of the most important omissions in the National 
Environment Policy is the requirement for environment impact 
assessments (EIAs).  Currently, companies investing in Burma 
are expected to exercise their own due diligence and judgment 
when determining the environmental implications of projects. 
According to oil and gas industry experts, the Burmese 
Government sometimes includes requirements for environmental 
assessments in contracts with foreign investors, but does not 
apply this policy universally.  Bruce Leach, Drilling 
Engineer with Daewoo, opined that even if the contract 
"required" an EIA, the government would not ensure that the 
company fulfilled its obligations.  In actuality, each 
investing company determines the degree to which it will 
conduct an EIA; some companies meet international standards 
when conducting environmental due diligence.  Others, he 
stated, do the bare minimum and refuse to release their 
findings to interested parties.  U Uga echoes these 
sentiments, noting that many of the EIAs conducted by foreign 
companies, particularly Chinese mining and petroleum 
companies, were not comprehensive.  Companies cut corners, he 
explained, and no mechanism exists to hold them accountable. 
 
 5.  (C) U Uga also emphasized that few, if any, Burmese 
companies or state-owned enterprises conduct EIAs. 
Environmental and cultural assessments are very expensive, he 
noted, and often require a level of expertise not available 
in Burma.  There are only a few organizations in Burma that 
could conduct this survey, he noted.  His organization, 
BANCA, which is one of the most competent environmental NGOs 
in Burma, does not conduct EIAs because the staff lack the 
necessary expertise.  When a company approaches BANCA with an 
EIA request, U Uga refers them to environmental firms in 
Bangkok and Singapore, which are better equipped to meet 
international standards. 
 
Environmental Problems Abound 
----------------------------- 
 
 6.  (SBU)  All of the NGOs we met with talked in broad terms 
about Burma's environmental plights, particularly overfishing 
(to be reported septel), the high rate of deforestation, loss 
of species of both plants and animals, soil erosion, and 
contamination of water and land.  Unfortunately, while these 
problems are well-known and obvious to those who live and 
travel in Buma, NGOs and researchers have difficulty 
obtainig information about the extent of the environmenta 
damage.  For example, logging of trees is tighty controlled 
by the government; only regime officials know the true extent 
of deforestation in the country and they are unwilling to 
share this information.  Although those living on the 
China-Burma border will freely describe how many large trucks 
filled with logs cross the border daily, no one knows exactly 
how many logs are sold, legally or illegally. 
 
 7.  (SBU) More environmental studies must be conducted, Yuza 
Maw-Htoon of Mingalar Foundation declared.  Local NGOs 
 
RANGOON 00000035  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
continue to build capacity to monitor environmental trends, 
but they need international assistance and expertise.  She 
appealed to the United States and Europe for assistance, 
Qng that steps need to be taken soon before all of Burma's 
natural resources are lost. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
 8.  (C)  Despite Burma's poor investment climate and lack of 
rule of law, foreign investors remain interested in Burma's 
rich resources.  The lack of environmental protections 
entices unscrupulous investors because they do not need to 
spend millions to protect the environment.  Effectively, the 
regime is permitting investors to plunder Burma's rich 
resources so Than Shwe and his cronies can pocket the 
proceeds.  The Burmese people will end up bearing the 
consequences of the environmental devastation, adding to the 
hardships they must already endure from military misrule. 
 
VILLAROSA