THE AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MINISTER OF INTERIOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 001632 SIPDIS NSC FOR PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/23/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL SNAR TH SUBJECT: THE AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MINISTER OF INTERIOR CHALERM YOOBAMRUNG BANGKOK 00001632 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Ambassador Eric G. John, reason: 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In a May 20 courtesy call by Ambassador John, Minister of Interior Chalerm Yoobamrung made a forceful request for more counter narcotics assistance and assured us human rights would be respected in Thailand's new "war on drugs." The Ambassador acknowledged Chalerm's request, and emphasized that human rights and the rule of law were essential to any counter narcotics campaign; he also noted the need to isolate the Burmese junta. The Ambassador thanked Chalerm for the MOI's small role in the Viktor Bout arrest. Chalerm highlighted the RTG's ongoing negotiations with southern separatists outside of Thailand and pledged that, in the South as well as in the war on drugs, the RTG would fully respect human rights. Finally, Chalerm spoke of his party's support for constitutional reform, which he described as necessary to end undemocratic practices created by the 2006 coup leaders. End Summary. THE WAR AGAINST DRUGS -------------- ¶2. (C) In a May 20 courtesy call by the Ambassador, Minister of Interior Chalerm Yoobamrung made a pointed pitch for counter narcotics assistance and defended his party's call for another war on drugs. Beginning the conversation, he said, "It goes without saying you will ask about drugs." He told the Ambassador that he was in charge of the current counter narcotics campaign, and described the threat facing Thailand from the narcotics trade as a serious national security priority. He said that when he was a police officer he had benefited from training and cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and was upset that training and assistance had dropped off in recent years. He complained that in the past, the RTG had been able to avail of various training opportunities, but now they had little. Softening his tone, he said, "we are not demanding assistance, but requesting it." (Comment: Chalerm resigned from the Police in 1981; it is not clear what his baseline was for counter narcotics assistance and training. The USG provides the RTG with substantial training for counter narcotics, and we suspect that Chalerm may not be aware of the extent of our offerings. We will bring him up to speed. End Comment.) �0A;¶3. (C) The Ambassador, in reply to Chalerm's forceful pitch for money and training, agreed that in the past counter narcotics had been a cornerstone of U.S.-Thai cooperation, and it was no longer as central to the bilateral relationship as it used to be. The Ambassador added that, although cooperation was important, any effort must be conducted according to the rule of law and the established legal framework. ¶4. (C) Chalerm assured the Ambassador that Thailand was committed to protecting human rights while engaged in this campaign. He said his goal for this round in the war on drugs is not to have any casualties. He emphasized that regardless of the number of people they arrested, they would protect the human rights and safety of those involved. He said the government's strategy is to convince people to cooperate with the authorities, and winning meant convincing them not to use drugs. Chalerm commented that the name "War on Drugs" might be misleading. He said they needed to come up with a new term to better describe their efforts. "War on Drugs," however, captured the immense national effort they meant to put into the campaign. Chalerm pointed out the success Thailand has had in dealing with opium and heroin. He said the U.S. had benefited from Thailand's efforts. Now, methamphetamines were a growing problem in Thailand, and the U.S. should not forget its old friend. ¶5. (C) The Ambassador noted that Burma was a common denominator in the various narcotics problems Thailand has experienced, since Burma was a significant exporter of illegal narcotics to Thailand. The U.S. wanted to isolate the Burmese regime, and cooperation with Thailand on counter BANGKOK 00001632 002.2 OF 003 narcotics, although important in its own right, was one more tool to isolate the Junta. Picking up on the Ambassador's geographic theme, Chalerm said the problem was that there were no jobs in the border areas of Thailand and in Burma, so people manufactured drugs. The solution, he maintained, was to give them jobs and encourage them to work. This is what stopped the flow of opium and heroin. It would also stop them from manufacturing methamphetamines. He said drug trafficking in northern Thailand, near the Golden Triangle, used to worry the RTG the most. Success in shutting down some of the trafficking operations there, however, has shifted more of the problem to the Northeast. (Comment: We believe Chalerm's assertion that unemployment contributes strongly to drug production in the Thai-Burmese border region to be dubious at best. End Comment.) VIKTOR BOUT -------------- ¶6. (C) The Ambassador thanked Chalerm for the relatively minor but essential help the Ministry of Interior provided in issuing an arrest warrant for indicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout. (While the police, which fall under the supervision of the Prime Minister's office, played a substantial role in the arrest, the role of the MOI was only to sign-of on our request for the warrant.) Although Chalerm was not knowledgeable about the case, he responded by saying that the Ministry was pleased to help, and would be more than willing to help in the future. The Ambassador emphasized that the prosecution of Bout was a high national security priority for the U.S. and he hoped the case would expeditiously move through the legal process. THE SOUTH -------------- ¶7. (C) Charlerm said the situation in southern Thailand was improving. He stressed that the government was focused on finding a political solution, and his ministry's role was to focus on education and development issues. He admitted that the Thai government in the past may have not had the proper focus in dealing with the unrest, but insisted that, had they resorted to "harsh" techniques, the conflict would have ended a long time ago. (Comment: We think Chalerm strongly underestimates the potential for harsh techniques in the South to prove counterproductive, and we believe his claim that such techniques had not been used is inaccurate -- although his definition of "harsh" may differ from ours. End Comment.) He said the government was having discussions with separatists who are outside the country in an effort to convince them to return, but that negotiations for any type of reconciliation were difficult because there was no one particular group in control of the insurgency. ¶8. (C) Using the South to segue into a discussion of human rights, Chalerm said he would never be involved in human rights abuses. He recounted that, after the 1991 coup, he had to flee Thailand and seek asylum. He still felt pain from having his human rights violated, so he would not allow anyone else to be inflicted with the same pain. CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM -------------- ¶9. (C) In response to the Ambassador's questions about ongoing efforts to amend the constitution, Chalerm launched into a rambling defense of his party's efforts to amend the constitution. Dismissing rumors of instability, Chalerm said planned demonstrations by the People's Alliance for Democracy would not cause a problem. He said that during the political campaign the PPP pledged to reform the constitution if it won in the election. He called the current constitution a "constitution of dictatorship" and characterized some of its basic features (e.g., the shift from single-member electoral districts to multiple-member districts) as undemocratic. ¶10. (C) Continuing, Chalerm said independent organization BANGKOK 00001632 003.2 OF 003 like the Election Commission (EC) and Asset Examination Committee (AEC) had too much power, and their members had been selected in less-than-fully democratic ways. Chalerm stressed that the AEC had not yet been able to find evidence of meaningful improprieties by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He raised the prospect of all the AEC's work coming to naught, should the Constitutional Court determine that there was no basis for the AEC's continued work. COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (C) Chalerm clearly anticipated the Ambassador's intention to raise concern about the RTG's counter narcotics efforts. Chalerm's pledge to maintain respect for human rights is a hopeful sign, but given his reputation as a tough and combative ex-cop, it will be important to keep a close eye on how he proceeds. JOHN