Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BANGKOK1916
2008-06-20 11:05:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bangkok
Cable title:
SCENESETTER FOR ACTING A/S MCNERNEY'S VISIT TO
how-toVZCZCXRO4116 PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM DE RUEHBK #1916/01 1721105 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 201105Z JUN 08 FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3476 INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHMFISS/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 001916
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PARM ETTC TH
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR ACTING A/S MCNERNEY'S VISIT TO
THAILAND
Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton, reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 001916
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PARM ETTC TH
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR ACTING A/S MCNERNEY'S VISIT TO
THAILAND
Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton, reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Ms. McNerney, Embassy Bangkok looks
forward to your visit as an opportunity to advance our
nonproliferation and security interests and to meet with key
counterparts. In these meetings, you will have an
opportunity to discuss ongoing cooperation on export control
and nonproliferation, and to enhance senior level contacts
and bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Thailand. END
SUMMARY.
RETURN TO ELECTED GOVERNMENT
--------------
2. (SBU) Despite Thailand's peaceful transition to an elected
government earlier this year, underlying tensions remain
unresolved. In 2005, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra won
an overwhelming majority in the parliament, but was later
accused of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for the
much-revered monarchy. In September 2006, following months
of political protests and legal battles that led to a
political stalemate over charges against Thaksin and his
party, the Thai army launched a coup d'etat which many Thais
accepted as a means to resolve the protracted political
crisis. The victory by the pro-Thaksin People's Power Party
(PPP) in the December 2007 election, however, marked a
setback for supporters of the coup. The PPP was able to form
a coalition government headed by its party leader, Samak
Sundaravej, a former Governor of Bangkok and Minister of
Interior. Social tensions remain, as Thailand has yet to
establish a stable balance of political power among factions
of the urban elite and the rural population. Former Prime
Minister Thaksin claims publicly that he has retired from
political life, although many believe he remains highly
influential over government affairs. He is currently under
investigation for alleged corruption.
THAI-U.S. RELATIONS
--------------
3. (C) This year marks the 175th anniversary of United States
- Thai relations. Thailand was the first country in Asia
with which the U.S. established diplomatic ties. Thailand is
a Non-NATO Treaty Ally - and Thai soldiers, sailors and
airmen participated with us in the Korean and Vietnamese
conflicts. Thailand sent soldiers to help our efforts in
Iraq and Afghanistan, and in recent years Thailand has
volunteered to participate in important peacekeeping
missions, including in East Timor and Darfur. Thailand's
willingness to allow the United States to use the Royal Thai
Navy Air Field at Utapao as the hub for our regional tsunami
assistance efforts was key to making 2004 tsunami relief
operations a success, and greatly assisted relief flights to
southern Burma which began after the recent devastating
cyclone. Beyond emergency operations, U.S. forces regularly
access Utapao; primarily for flights serving operations in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
STRONG ECONOMIC TIES
--------------
4. (SBU) American businesses have over $23 billion in direct
investment in Thailand, and the United States is Thailand's
single largest export market and its second-largest foreign
investor, after Japan. Although efforts during the Thaksin
administration to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with
Thailand proved unsuccessful, the United States continues to
receive preferential treatment thanks to our Treaty of Amity
and Economic Relations. The Port of Laem Chabang is
considered a "megaport" and ranks 20th globally in volume of
container exports to the United States.
NONPROLIFERATION ENGAGEMENT
--------------
5. (C) We are cooperating with the RTG on a number of
nonproliferation programs and Thailand is party to the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT),the Chemical Weapons
Convention (CWC),and the Biological Weapons Convention
(BWC). Thailand, however, lacks comprehensive strategic
trade controls; we are engaging the RTG with our EXBS program
to improve these controls. Areas of focus are the drafting
of a comprehensive export control law and enhancing its
enforcement capability, with emphasis on effective targeting
and risk management techniques to identify high-risk cargo.
BANGKOK 00001916 002 OF 003
6. (C) Among our nonproliferation goals, we hope to make
progress with RTG leaders to facilitate Thai endorsement of
PSI and in subscribing to the Hague Code of Conduct Against
Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC). Thai officials
previously told us that they are concerned about endorsing
PSI before Malaysia and Indonesia, Muslim ASEAN nations, but
we have recently heard more encouraging reports on potential
PSI endorsement. We have approached Thailand numerous times
over the past several years to urge its subscription to the
HCOC but have yet to receive a commitment from the RTG. The
ongoing political tensions have tended to distract RTG
attention from regional or global issues.
LAW ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION
--------------
7. (SBU) USG technical and operational assistance programs
are important contributors to the development of Thailand's
law enforcement and judicial sectors. Law enforcement
cooperation has ranged from DEA and Department of State opium
and heroin interdiction programs with Thai counterparts in
the 1960's, to a broad range of bilateral activities today
that include legal reform and training programs. Two
treaties have facilitated extraditions and mutual legal
assistance in virtually every type of criminal case,
including those involving terrorism, murder and violent
crime, narcotics trafficking, child exploitation, fraud,
money laundering, computer crime and intellectual property
offenses. The US-Thai International Law Enforcement Academy
(ILEA) in Bangkok opened in 1998 and has trained thousands of
law enforcement officers from 13 East Asian nations and
territories, as well as hundreds of Thai officials.
REFUGEES
--------------
8. (SBU) Thailand has a long history of providing refuge for
persecuted people from neighboring countries. There are
approximately 140,000 Burmese refugees in nine official camps
along the Thai-Burma border. The United States accepted over
10,000 Burmese refugees for resettlement last year, and we
expect to reach at least that level this year and for the
foreseeable future. There are also about 8,000 Lao Hmong in
a facility in the northern Thai province of Petchaboon. The
Thai have set up an internal, non-transparent screening
process for this vulnerable group, which may include
individuals (and their descendants) who assisted the United
States during the Indochina war.
SECURITY SITUATION
--------------
9. (SBU) Soon after taking power in early 2008, the current
ruling People's Power Party sought to amend Thailand's
constitution, which was drafted by an assembly whose members
were selected by leaders of the 2006 coup. Opponents of
former Prime Minister Thaksin feared that such constitutional
amendments would restore the political dominance of Thaksin
and his former associates, and an activist group called the
People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has for weeks held
protests in Bangkok opposing these efforts to amend the
constitution. The protests have been generally peaceful,
although scuffles with counter-demonstrators have taken place.
10. (SBU) A decades-long insurgency led by ethnic Malay
Muslims in southern Thailand has been increasingly active and
violent since January 2004. There has been occasional
violence by separatists in southern Thailand ever since the
region's incorporation into Thailand in 1902, but the levels
and viciousness of the current wave of attacks has been
unprecedented. The root causes of the insurgency appear to be
government neglect, human rights abuses including police
abuse, and a lack of social justice combined with a latent
desire for some form of self-determination. The southern
insurgent groups do not appear to have significant ties to
transnational terrorist groups or affiliates. To date,
violence associated with the insurgency has not spread from
Thailand's southernmost provinces, although Thai authorities
have not ruled out the involvement of separatists in several
unsolved bombings that took place in Bangkok in late 2006.
INFLUENCE FROM REGIONAL ACTORS
--------------
11. (C) Thailand continues to feel the rising influence of
China. While emphasizing the vital role of the U.S. in the
region -- and Thailand's desire to intensify U.S. engagement
-- Thai leaders also focus on developing stronger relations
BANGKOK 00001916 003 OF 003
with China. While Thai links with the United States are
deeper and far more apparent than Sino-Thai links, China's
growing influence in Thailand is evident.
12. (U) We look forward to ensuring that your visit to
Thailand will be a success.
JOHN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PARM ETTC TH
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR ACTING A/S MCNERNEY'S VISIT TO
THAILAND
Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton, reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Ms. McNerney, Embassy Bangkok looks
forward to your visit as an opportunity to advance our
nonproliferation and security interests and to meet with key
counterparts. In these meetings, you will have an
opportunity to discuss ongoing cooperation on export control
and nonproliferation, and to enhance senior level contacts
and bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Thailand. END
SUMMARY.
RETURN TO ELECTED GOVERNMENT
--------------
2. (SBU) Despite Thailand's peaceful transition to an elected
government earlier this year, underlying tensions remain
unresolved. In 2005, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra won
an overwhelming majority in the parliament, but was later
accused of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for the
much-revered monarchy. In September 2006, following months
of political protests and legal battles that led to a
political stalemate over charges against Thaksin and his
party, the Thai army launched a coup d'etat which many Thais
accepted as a means to resolve the protracted political
crisis. The victory by the pro-Thaksin People's Power Party
(PPP) in the December 2007 election, however, marked a
setback for supporters of the coup. The PPP was able to form
a coalition government headed by its party leader, Samak
Sundaravej, a former Governor of Bangkok and Minister of
Interior. Social tensions remain, as Thailand has yet to
establish a stable balance of political power among factions
of the urban elite and the rural population. Former Prime
Minister Thaksin claims publicly that he has retired from
political life, although many believe he remains highly
influential over government affairs. He is currently under
investigation for alleged corruption.
THAI-U.S. RELATIONS
--------------
3. (C) This year marks the 175th anniversary of United States
- Thai relations. Thailand was the first country in Asia
with which the U.S. established diplomatic ties. Thailand is
a Non-NATO Treaty Ally - and Thai soldiers, sailors and
airmen participated with us in the Korean and Vietnamese
conflicts. Thailand sent soldiers to help our efforts in
Iraq and Afghanistan, and in recent years Thailand has
volunteered to participate in important peacekeeping
missions, including in East Timor and Darfur. Thailand's
willingness to allow the United States to use the Royal Thai
Navy Air Field at Utapao as the hub for our regional tsunami
assistance efforts was key to making 2004 tsunami relief
operations a success, and greatly assisted relief flights to
southern Burma which began after the recent devastating
cyclone. Beyond emergency operations, U.S. forces regularly
access Utapao; primarily for flights serving operations in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
STRONG ECONOMIC TIES
--------------
4. (SBU) American businesses have over $23 billion in direct
investment in Thailand, and the United States is Thailand's
single largest export market and its second-largest foreign
investor, after Japan. Although efforts during the Thaksin
administration to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with
Thailand proved unsuccessful, the United States continues to
receive preferential treatment thanks to our Treaty of Amity
and Economic Relations. The Port of Laem Chabang is
considered a "megaport" and ranks 20th globally in volume of
container exports to the United States.
NONPROLIFERATION ENGAGEMENT
--------------
5. (C) We are cooperating with the RTG on a number of
nonproliferation programs and Thailand is party to the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT),the Chemical Weapons
Convention (CWC),and the Biological Weapons Convention
(BWC). Thailand, however, lacks comprehensive strategic
trade controls; we are engaging the RTG with our EXBS program
to improve these controls. Areas of focus are the drafting
of a comprehensive export control law and enhancing its
enforcement capability, with emphasis on effective targeting
and risk management techniques to identify high-risk cargo.
BANGKOK 00001916 002 OF 003
6. (C) Among our nonproliferation goals, we hope to make
progress with RTG leaders to facilitate Thai endorsement of
PSI and in subscribing to the Hague Code of Conduct Against
Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC). Thai officials
previously told us that they are concerned about endorsing
PSI before Malaysia and Indonesia, Muslim ASEAN nations, but
we have recently heard more encouraging reports on potential
PSI endorsement. We have approached Thailand numerous times
over the past several years to urge its subscription to the
HCOC but have yet to receive a commitment from the RTG. The
ongoing political tensions have tended to distract RTG
attention from regional or global issues.
LAW ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION
--------------
7. (SBU) USG technical and operational assistance programs
are important contributors to the development of Thailand's
law enforcement and judicial sectors. Law enforcement
cooperation has ranged from DEA and Department of State opium
and heroin interdiction programs with Thai counterparts in
the 1960's, to a broad range of bilateral activities today
that include legal reform and training programs. Two
treaties have facilitated extraditions and mutual legal
assistance in virtually every type of criminal case,
including those involving terrorism, murder and violent
crime, narcotics trafficking, child exploitation, fraud,
money laundering, computer crime and intellectual property
offenses. The US-Thai International Law Enforcement Academy
(ILEA) in Bangkok opened in 1998 and has trained thousands of
law enforcement officers from 13 East Asian nations and
territories, as well as hundreds of Thai officials.
REFUGEES
--------------
8. (SBU) Thailand has a long history of providing refuge for
persecuted people from neighboring countries. There are
approximately 140,000 Burmese refugees in nine official camps
along the Thai-Burma border. The United States accepted over
10,000 Burmese refugees for resettlement last year, and we
expect to reach at least that level this year and for the
foreseeable future. There are also about 8,000 Lao Hmong in
a facility in the northern Thai province of Petchaboon. The
Thai have set up an internal, non-transparent screening
process for this vulnerable group, which may include
individuals (and their descendants) who assisted the United
States during the Indochina war.
SECURITY SITUATION
--------------
9. (SBU) Soon after taking power in early 2008, the current
ruling People's Power Party sought to amend Thailand's
constitution, which was drafted by an assembly whose members
were selected by leaders of the 2006 coup. Opponents of
former Prime Minister Thaksin feared that such constitutional
amendments would restore the political dominance of Thaksin
and his former associates, and an activist group called the
People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has for weeks held
protests in Bangkok opposing these efforts to amend the
constitution. The protests have been generally peaceful,
although scuffles with counter-demonstrators have taken place.
10. (SBU) A decades-long insurgency led by ethnic Malay
Muslims in southern Thailand has been increasingly active and
violent since January 2004. There has been occasional
violence by separatists in southern Thailand ever since the
region's incorporation into Thailand in 1902, but the levels
and viciousness of the current wave of attacks has been
unprecedented. The root causes of the insurgency appear to be
government neglect, human rights abuses including police
abuse, and a lack of social justice combined with a latent
desire for some form of self-determination. The southern
insurgent groups do not appear to have significant ties to
transnational terrorist groups or affiliates. To date,
violence associated with the insurgency has not spread from
Thailand's southernmost provinces, although Thai authorities
have not ruled out the involvement of separatists in several
unsolved bombings that took place in Bangkok in late 2006.
INFLUENCE FROM REGIONAL ACTORS
--------------
11. (C) Thailand continues to feel the rising influence of
China. While emphasizing the vital role of the U.S. in the
region -- and Thailand's desire to intensify U.S. engagement
-- Thai leaders also focus on developing stronger relations
BANGKOK 00001916 003 OF 003
with China. While Thai links with the United States are
deeper and far more apparent than Sino-Thai links, China's
growing influence in Thailand is evident.
12. (U) We look forward to ensuring that your visit to
Thailand will be a success.
JOHN