LOCAL MOI OFFICIAL ADMITS RAIDS IN CHIANG RAI TARGET PPP AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L CHIANG MAI 000200 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2017 TAGS: PGOV MOPS PINS TH LA CH SUBJECT: LOCAL MOI OFFICIAL ADMITS RAIDS IN CHIANG RAI TARGET PPP AND VOTE BUYING REF: A. A. CHIANG MAI 192 (OPPONENTS TAKE AIM AT PRO-THAKSIN FRONT-RUNNER) ¶B. B. CHIANG MAI 185 (NORTHERN VILLAGERS EXPECT RTG TO TRY TO LIMIT PPP SUCCESS) ¶C. C. BANGKOK 6007 (THAI ELECTION BODY GRAPPLES WITH FRAUD, ARMY INTERFERENCE) CLASSIFIED BY: Alex Barrasso, Chief, Pol/Econ , CG Chiang Mai. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Raids in Chiang Rai Province in October and November by military and police officials targeted "old power" and vote buying, Association of Kamnan (local government leaders) and Village Heads of Northern Thailand President Inwan Bangnguen told Consulate staff on a Dec. 5 trip to Chiang Rai. Although the People's Power Party (PPP - the successor to the Thai Rak Thai Party of former Prime Minister Thaksin) was the main target, Bangnguen, who was appointed to his position by the Ministry of the Interior, said officials of other parties were also singled out to make the raids seem "unbiased." Both Bangnguen and PPP candidate Samart Kaewmeechai told us search warrants were obtained before the raids, on the grounds that the targeted officials either had illegal weapons, were harboring illegal aliens, or were involved in illegal businesses. In one particular case, the home of Kaewmeechai's assistant was searched, yielding a list of participants in an illegal lottery, and leading to her being fined 4,000 Baht (Approx. USD 120). ¶2. (C) Personnel from approximately 100 different units conducted the raids, according to Bangnguen, targeting a total of 30-40 houses. Kaewmeechai's assistant told us that after the raids were carried out, local military officials often apologized to the owners of raided residences, saying they had no advanced knowledge of the impending searches. She said some of the soldiers conducting the raids were from regular military units based outside Chiang Rai, while others were Army Rangers. Kaewmeechai and Bangnguen told us that the police cooperatively produced search warrants whenever asked by the residents of a targeted house. In some cases, Bangnguen alleged the raids turned up illegal aliens, though he admitted that no illegal weapons were found, no arrests were made, and no charges had been filed against anyone as a result of the raids. ¶3. (C) In a separate telcon, Bangkok Post reporter Subin Khuenkaew, who is well-connected with the Thai military, told us the main objective of the raids was to keep cash from outside Thailand from being smuggled into the country to support the PPP. He asserted that PPP Deputy Party Leader Yongyuth Tiyapairath and former Prime Minister Thaksin were planning to bring money into the country from China and Laos, that would be used to finance vote-buying. According to Khuenkaew, Thai military intelligence got wind of the plot and the raids were conducted in an attempt to forestall it. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶4. (C) Regardless of the legal justification for the raids, it appears they were intended to suppress vote-buying by the PPP. Bangnguen's admission that only a small number of other parties' canvassers were targeted, and only to make the raids appear even-handed, is further evidence that the military is more concerned about the PPP's vote-buying than it is about similar activity by other parties. In this case, they may have been following a legitimate lead on illegal activity, but overall, the extra attention paid to the PPP may backfire, pushing vote-buying underground, and gaining voter sympathy for the party, which may be perceived as being unfairly singled out by the military-appointed government. MORROW