THAILAND: TRILATERAL CT DIALOGUE WITH AUSTRALIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 001349 SIPDIS SIPDIS PACOM FOR FPA HUSO E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2015 TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL TH SUBJECT: THAILAND: TRILATERAL CT DIALOGUE WITH AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton. Reason 1.4 (a and d) ¶1. (C) Summary. In support of the upcoming trilateral CT dialogue in Canberra, the Australian Embassy in Bangkok hosted a meeting among Japanese, U.S. and Australian officials focused on counterterrorism capacity building in Thailand. Participants agreed to explore possible collaboration in implementing counter-radicalization programs, military capacity building and law enforcement cooperation. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On March 7, Australian DCM Bronte Moules hosted a meeting to continue U.S./Australian/Japanese trilateral cooperation on CT issues, providing an opportunity for subject matter experts to share experiences in developing Thai counterterror capacity. Moules explained that DFAT had asked Australian Embassies in the region to meet with U.S. and Japanese counterparts in advance of the next trilateral CT cooperation dialogue to be held in Canberra in June to explore ways to improve CT cooperation. Participants agreed there is a need to assist the Thai break down stovepipes separating their military and police forces from cooperating effectively and expressed mutual frustration with the Thai tendency to frequently change the organization responsible for important CT tasks such as bomb investigation. AUSTRALIAN HIGHLIGHTS ¶3. (C) Australian briefers outlined projects they support ranging from hosting a course for Thai officials explaining Islamic law, post-blast training for Thai police, assisting the Thai develop a more secure border pass system for use by migrant workers crossing the Thai frontiers with Burma, Laos and Cambodia to Australian special forces training administered by the Australian SAS. The Australians made special mention of the benefits they receive from working with the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) and expressed a desire to coordinate more closely on designing hearts and minds programs to counter radicalism in the south of Thailand and to share experiences on how to better coordinate bomb detection training with the Thai. JAPANESE HIGHLIGHTS ¶4. (C) Japanese DCM Jun Niimi emphasized how historical issues and Japanese law limit the types of military engagement Japan can have with other countries and suggested that the GOJ's most useful contribution to the CT effort is in organizing conferences. He outlined a series of recent efforts ranging from National Police Agency sponsored courses on Terrorism Investigation, Maritime Security and Law Enforcement courses sponsored by MOFA and JICA and interaction between the Japanese Coast Guard with the Royal Thai Navy. He noted that Japan has recently offered a number of port security courses to Thai experts. The Japanese Ministry of Finance sponsors courses assisting Thai Customs officials protect ports and Thai Finance officials combating money laundering and terror financing. Niimi and Moules both noted Japanese and Australian efforts in support of the Proliferation Security Initiative and the Container Security Initiative as well as international export control regimes. Pointing to recent collaborations in other parts of Asia, First Secretary Hiromoto Oyama expressed a willingness to explore designing collaboratively programs or facilities in Southern Thailand to help Muslims there. NEXT STEPS ¶5. (C) It was agreed to explore three areas in greater detail to determine whether there are opportunities for joint work: --JUSMAGTHAI will host a meeting for military officials to focus on, among other things, force protection and maritime security issues; --ILEA will host a meeting on law enforcement issues with a special focus on improving our interaction with Thai bomb units; --The Japanese Embassy will host a meeting for aid BANGKOK 00001349 002 OF 002 organizations and subject matter experts focused on programs to counter radicalization in the south of Thailand. BOYCE