WikiLeaks: Lee Kuan Yew says Myanmar's leaders 'stupid'

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SINGAPORE -- Singapore statesman Lee Kuan Yew considered Myanmar's junta leaders "stupid" and "dense," according to classified U.S. documents released this week by WikiLeaks.

The Singapore leader said dealing with Myanmar's military regime was like "talking to dead people," according to a confidential briefing on a 2007 conversation between Lee and U.S. Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Christensen released by WikiLeaks.

The 87-year-old Lee is known for his outspoken and blunt assessments of world affairs, but avoids publicly insulting the leadership of foreign countries. Lee was prime minister from 1959 to 1990 and remains a senior adviser to his son, current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

A cable released by Wikileaks a couple of weeks earlier quotes Lee calling North Korea's leaders "psychopathic types with a 'flabby old chap' for a leader who prances around stadiums seeking adulation." The reference to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is from a cable citing a May 2009 conversation between Lee and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg.

Lee has not commented on the releases, while Singapore's government has dismissed them as "gossip" and cautioned against taking them out of context.

In the most recently released cable, Lee saidChina had the most influence over Myanmar's leadership of any foreign country and that Beijing was worried the country would "blow up" and thus threaten Chinese investments there.

"Lee expressed his scorn for the regime's leadership," the leaked cable said. "He said he had given up on them a decade ago, called them 'dense' and 'stupid' and said they had 'mismanaged' the country's great natural resources."

Lee said India was engaging Myanmar's leadership in a bid to minimize China's influence, but that "India lacked China's finer grasp of how Burma worked," according to the cable.

Lee said a group of less 'obtuse' younger military officers could take control and share power with democracy activists, "although probably not with Aung San Suu Kyi, who was anathema to the military."

After more than seven years under house arrest, pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi was released Nov. 13, a week after Myanmar's first election in 20 years, which were won overwhelmingly by a pro-military party. Critics have slammed the polling as a sham aimed at cementing military rule.

Singapore has questioned the veracity of some documents purportedly leaked by Wikileaks and published by some Australian newspapers. The reports quote Singapore diplomats as making unflattering remarks about Malaysia, India, Japan and Thailand during meetings with U.S. diplomats.

In a statement issued late Tuesday, Singapore's Foreign Ministry said "what Singapore officials were alleged by WikiLeaks to have said did not tally with our own records."

"One purported meeting (between Singapore and U.S. diplomats) did not even take place," it said.

Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo told reporters earlier this week that, in any case, such cables were interpretations of conversations by U.S. diplomats, and therefore shouldn't be "over-interpreted."

"These are in the nature of cocktail talk," Yeo said. "It's always out of context. It's gossip."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/15/AR2010121500088.html

the Bear SG

they are stupid and dense

spidey3 SG

This is a country that would develope and stockpile nuclear warheads and don't know how to build the long range missiles that goes with it.

chefmac.org SG

This wikileaks is creating a lot of problems...

the Bear SG

This wikileaks is creating a lot of problems...

actually, it's making the politicians accountable for the crap they're uttering...

troublemaker2005 SG

this time is to teach politician to improve their slection of vocab words to insult people next time, provided if the leaks are true. if its not probably treat it like a leak downunder

deathmaster SG

This wikileaks is creating a lot of problems...

creating alot of problems, yes, but for the politicians. they only have their big mouth to blame.

for us, it is exposing alot of ugly truth about our leaders.

and for those who are against wikileaks, what would they think of wikileaks if one day some disgrunted employee disclose that CPF/POSB/HDB etc is actually broke, and all your assets are gone?

troublemaker2005 SG

no lah they are like those MLM PTC sites. they collect money from the young to pay the old. then the old dies and the young grow old they collect money from the young again.

goodalso for thos pee arse who decide to leave they can take their CPF but they can never set foot in sg as pee arses or citizens.

they have to settle the problem. that what millions are paid for

if the leaks are not true they have to represent sg and sue the liars. if the leaks are true they can

(1) apologize and use selctive vocab words in future to address to such 'toopidity', or add phrases like 'in my very own unbiased opinion ouside my office'

(2) aupport what they say by tightening the grade and type of 'talents' they bring in, including a very thorough check on people coming in. see can in as vsitor pass and sell backside some more.

Vote PAP OUT to Save SG SG

This old anglo dog bastard Harry Lee Kuan Yew really likes to insult and attack others.

Not bad for a fucking coward who betrayed Singapore to Japanese.

Still can act like a big fuck, this mother fucker Harry Lee.

Zweiz SG

afaik sg is the only country thus far to question the veracity of wikileaks

troublemaker2005 SG

sometimes i also really buaytahan silly people. they act like smart but seeig them from above i really thinkthey are cock eye no see what they doing. see those GWC take photos take and take and take KNN what you need to use those photos for? show post online? as if bandwidth is no jam packed enough? all online the GWC photos sam same 1. photoshop a bt call it artf****. old ppl like that 1 lah. somemore see stoppid people don;t point and laff at them cannot tahna will get interrnal injuries.