SINGAPORE -(Dow Jones)- Singapore elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew told a senior U.S. diplomat in 2007 that Myanmar's ruling generals were "stupid" and difficult to deal with, according to a U.S. cable released this week by WikiLeaks.
Lee said that he had given up on the "dense" and "stupid" junta leaders a decade ago, and that dealing with them was like "talking to dead people," according to the cable.
The cable also cited Lee as saying Myanmar's leaders had "mismanaged" their country's great natural resources.
The document recounted a meeting between Thomas Christensen, then U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and Lee, modern Singapore's founding father and former prime minister.
Officials from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Lee's spokeswoman, didn't immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. Foreign Minister George Yeo had earlier said the government wouldn't comment on documents released by WikiLeaks.
Lee, 87, holds the title of "Minister Mentor" in Singapore's cabinet. He is still influential in the city-state, and leaders worldwide often seek his insights on Asian politics.
Myanmar has been military-ruled since 1962. Last month, the junta held the first national election since 1990, but Western leaders and Myanmar opposition politicians widely derided the poll as a sham.
Singapore and Myanmar are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
According to the leaked cable, Lee said a possible solution to Myanmar's crisis would be for younger, less "obtuse" military officers to step forward and share power with democracy activists.
China's heavy penetration of Myanmar's economy gave it much influence over Yangon, the cable cited Lee as saying, adding that Beijing was worried Myanmar could "blow up"--endangering China's significant investments, pipelines, and the estimated two million Chinese working in the country.
The cable, dated Oct. 19, 2007, said it referred to a meeting Lee had three days earlier with Christensen, who has since left his role as assistant deputy secretary.
WikiLeaks document: http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2007/10/07SINGAPORE1932.html
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