BURMA: THAI FM VISIT?

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 001213

SIPDIS

TREASURY FOR OASIA JEFF NEIL
USPACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2013
TAGS: PREL ECON BM TH
SUBJECT: BURMA: THAI FM VISIT?

Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.5 (B,D)


1. (C) Thai Embassy officials in Rangoon deny press reports
that Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai came to
Rangoon for a one day visit on September 25, but said he will
be coming for a visit next week. However, other local
diplomatic sources and international press stringers insist
that the Thai FM arrived in Rangoon this morning on a private
plane for official business. Additional sources speculate
that he came to town to meet SPDC leaders to discuss the
regime's seven-point "Road Map to Democracy," as well as
issues related to the upcoming ASEAN summit in Bali. British
Embassy Rangoon reports that their colleagues in Bangkok
believe Surakiart "definitely" came to Rangoon for the day.


2. (C) Comment: We gather that it would not be unusual for
the Thai Embassy to be uninformed about a "quiet diplomacy"
visit of their Foreign Minister or other senior Thai
officials. However, Thai diplomats here have informed us
that Prime Minister Thaksin is expected in Rangoon in
November, along with his Cambodian and Lao counterparts, for
a meeting of the "Economic Cooperation Strategy (ECS),"
apparently a Thai initiative aimed at bringing poor ASEAN
performers up to speed with the rest of the region.
Martinez