Thailand: Coordination and Outreach on Maritime

UNCLAS BANGKOK 002048

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

State for EAP/BCLTV and EB/TRA/OTP: DHaywood and CDiamond

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC ECON ETRD EWWT KSTC TH
SUBJECT: Thailand: Coordination and Outreach on Maritime
Security

REF: SECSTATE 38877

-- (U) THE FOLLOWING IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE
PROTECT ACCORDINGLY, NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION --


1. (U) In response to reftel, various agencies at Post have
portfolio responsibility and/or interest in maritime
security. The Economic section has portfolio responsibility
for maritime security from an economic policy standpoint. The
Political section has responsibility for engaging and
coordinating with the Royal Thai Government (RTG) on a broad
range of non-proliferation policy initiatives related to
Maritime Security. These issues include the Proliferation
Security Initiative (PSI) which has a large maritime
component focused on ship boarding to stop WMD proliferation;
the Regional Maritime Security Initiative (RMSI) which
focuses on maritime security in south-east Asia, particularly
in the Straights of Malacca; and the Export and Border
Security Program (EXBS) which includes programs to develop
export control standards, technology and the legal framework
to stop exports of WMD related materials. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) also has responsibility,
coordinating with TSA, and liaising with Team Thailand, an
RTG coordination mechanism comprising 12 stakeholders,
including the Maritime Department Port Authority, Thai
Customs, Thai National Security Council, Royal Thai Navy,
Thai Police, local government, and the private sector. DAO
has an interest in Thailand's port security for ship visits,
and the Joint US Military Advisory Group Thailand
(JUSMAGTHAI) is charged by DOD with oversight of force
protection issues for DOD personnel in or transiting
Thailand, in coordination with the Force Protection
Detachment, a DOD entity located within RSO. Other agencies
which have interest are FCS, from a commercial facilitation
and trade advocacy standpoint, USTDA, which has funded
projects related to maritime security and US technology, and
FAS, as port security relates to FDA matters and its
responsibilities under the 2002 Bioterrorism Act. While the
broad issue of having Thailand support Regional Maritime
Security Initiative (RMSI) goals is referenced in the MPP,
maritime security coordination is not specifically addressed.


2. (SBU) Although there is no dedicated maritime security
coordination mechanism at Post, with agencies holding
coordination meetings on an ad hoc basis, agencies agree that
coordination within the Embassy, and with the RTG and private
sector, has been excellent. However, these agencies also
agree that coordination with USG agencies based in Washington
is sometimes problematic. Washington agencies have been
known to send port assessment teams one after another,
sometimes with little coordination with post, to do identical
assessments. After multiple USG assessments within a short
period, RTG contacts have complained about the added burden
these assessments present, contending this would be easily
remedied by better USG coordination and sharing of
information. Post agencies believe this has caused undue
strain on their relations with RTG contacts in the past, and
can be easily avoided by Washington agencies' better
coordination amongst themselves, and with agencies at Post.

BOYCE