THAI VIEWS ON THE CSC

UNCLAS BANGKOK 002112 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KNNP TRGY ENRG KSTC IAEA PARM SUBJECT: THAI VIEWS ON THE CSC REF: STATE 54213 ¶1. Econoff delivered reftel talking points to Mr. Chouvana Rodthongkom, Secretary General of the Royal Thai Government's Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP). Chouvana emphasized that Thailand is still in the very early stages of planning for a nuclear power plant and the legal framework for nuclear energy in Thailand, including issues of liability, is still in draft. Chouvana said that Thailand has much to consider before making any decisions on whether or not to adopt the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC). ¶2. Chouvana had a number of questions about the CSC. He asked in particular: --Why is the CSC necessary in light of the Paris and Vienna Conventions? --Why have many countries with major nuclear energy industries, including Japan and Germany, not ratified the CSC? --Do these countries have any domestic laws that address nuclear liability issues in the absence of ratifying the CSC convention? --Would the CSC operate similarly to insurance and if so would there be a fee or premium payment to participate? ¶3. Thailand, Chouvana said, needs to compare different nuclear liability legal models used by other countries before making a final decision on whether or not to ratify the CSC. OAP is planning to hire outside experts to conduct research on different nuclear liability legal models and to make a recommendation on which one is most suitable for Thailand. Ratification of the CSC by Thailand would require cabinet approval under the new 2007 constitution. John