THAI MFA PERMSEC CONFIDENT OF MEETING TWO WEEK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 005928 SIPDIS SIPDIS TREASURY PASS TO FRB SAN FRANCISCO/TERESA CURRAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM MOPS ASEC TH SUBJECT: THAI MFA PERMSEC CONFIDENT OF MEETING TWO WEEK DEADLINE REF: A. BANGKOK 5908 (PREM ON TRANSITION) ¶B. BANGKOK 5894 (BORWORNSAK ON CONSTITUTION) Classified By: Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce, reason 1.4 (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) MFA Permanent Secretary Krit Garnjana-Goonchorn said the King would sign Thailand's interim constitution on September 29. In a September 26 meeting with the Ambassador, Krit said this constitution would provide for the Council for Democratic Reform (CDR) to become a new Security Council, operating as a type of caretaker government until the swearing-in of a civilian cabinet. The civilian Prime Minister would be publicly known as early as the weekend of September 30-October 1, but he and his full cabinet might not be inaugurated until a week later. The Ambassador stressed the importance of a transition to civilian government within the CDR's self-imposed two week deadline. Krit said one of the first acts of the new civilian government would be to lift martial law. He acknowledged the legitimacy of USG statements expressing disappointment with the coup, but hoped the USG would take an encouraging tone to help Thailand set itself back on a democratic path. End Summary. TIME FRAME FOR TRANSITION -------------- ¶2. (C) The Ambassador opened his September 26 call on MFA Permanent Secretary Krit by mentioning that he had met September 25 with Council for Democratic Reform (CDR -- the council formerly known as CDRM) member General Winai and stressed the importance of meeting the CDR's self-imposed two week deadline for a transition to a civilian administration. The Ambassador also described his phone conversation with Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda on the subject (ref A). Krit foresaw no problems meeting that deadline, saying the CDR was "pretty confident" and had been working diligently on transition issues. Krit noted CDR leader General Sonthi had opened a meeting of the "phantom cabinet" on the morning of September 26 by remarking that would be the first and last meeting of the group. ¶3. (C) Krit said the King would sign the interim constitution on Friday, September 29. At that time the CDR per se would cease to exist. In its place would come into being a "Security Council" (presumably composed of the CDR's members) that would exist separate from Thailand's longstanding National Security Council (which is under the Office of the Prime Minister). The Security Council's activities would be prescribed and limited by the interim constitution. During a brief transition period, until the swearing-in of the new cabinet (consisting of the PM plus 35 persons),the interim constitution would provide for the Security Council to act as a caretaker administration, although it would operate with the very limited goal of keeping the government functioning; the Security Council would be "even more minimal than a caretaker government." Krit indicated it could take a week between the promulgation of the interim constitution and the swearing-in of the new cabinet, although he predicted that the identity of the civilian Prime Minister would be made public by the weekend of September 30-October 1, or, at the latest, early in the week of October 2-6. ¶4. (C) One of the first acts of the new civilian Prime Minister's administration would be to repeal marital law, Krit said. (Note: Although the CDR has issued numerous proclamations restricting civil liberties, it has never been made clear exactly what "martial law" under the CDR entailed. End Note.) Krit commented that General Sonthi had remarked privately, "I don't know what it (martial law) is for, anyway." After the inauguration of the new cabinet, Krit said, the Security Council would "fade to the background," although still exercising certain limited functions. Krit initially suggested waiting to see how the interim constitution would define those functions, although when the Ambassador shared a readout from constitution drafter Borwornsak (ref B),Krit agreed that Borwornsak's description (in which the CDR nominates the cabinet and retains emergency powers to deal with a counter-coup or southern militancy) tracked with his own understanding. USG STATEMENTS -------------- ¶5. (C) Krit acknowledged he could not take offense at statements by USG officials who expressed disappointment over the coup. However, he hoped for a positive tone in future remarks. Thailand had stumbled while on the road to democratization, he said, and now needed a helping hand to help pull the Thais back up. (Comment: Krit did not indicate clearly whether he viewed the coup as the stumble, or what many considered the increasingly authoritarian methods of Thaksin Shinawatra. End Comment.) It served no one's interests to keep Thailand "in the diplomatic doghouse," and Krit hoped that Thailand would be encouraged to resume its former role as a leading country in Southeast Asia. Krit also hoped that any announcement of a cutoff of American assistance to Thailand would also take positive note of actions taken by the Thais to restore civilian rule. ¶6. (C) Director General for American Affairs Nongnuth Phethcaratana drew the Ambassador's attention to a September 20 statement by Senator Biden (available at www.senate.gov) that not only criticized the coup (as a "setback for the cause of democracy") but also made explicit references to the King. Although Senator Biden's references were generally positive, Nongnut believed it inappropriate to refer to the King in such statements. Krit also suggested that the State Department spokesman reprimand a journalist who made insulting remarks about the King in State Department press briefings. If a reprimand was not possible, Krit recommended at least an explicit comment from the spokesman to the journalist noting that the Department disapproved of his "abusive" language. FTAS -------------- ¶7. (C) The Ambassador asked about a September 25 remark by CDR member General Winai that the RTG would maintain its policy on free trade agreements (septel). Krit said he believed the reference was to the Thai-Japanese free trade agreement, or perhaps to ongoing negotiations in an ASEAN context -- not to the U.S.-Thailand FTA. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) Krit appeared comfortable and confident that the CDR would put Thailand back on the democratic path. However, according to the timeline he described, he seems to believe civilian rule begins with the promulgation of the interim constitution, which will have transitional provisions enabling the Security Council to act as a type of caretaker government. The swearing-in of the new Prime Minister and his cabinet may take place after the two-week mark. BOYCE