PREAH VIHEAR: GBC TALKS END IN STALEMATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 002233

SIPDIS

PARIS PLEASE PASS TO USMISSION UNESCO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2018
TAGS: PREL MOPS ASEC CASC UNESCO SCUL PBTS TH CB
SUBJECT: PREAH VIHEAR: GBC TALKS END IN STALEMATE

REF: BANGKOK 2207 AND PREVIOUS

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Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission James F. Entwistle, reason 1.4 (
b) and (d).

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Thailand derived no definitive results from the July
21 General Border Committee (GBC) meeting with Cambodia,
according to our MFA and military sources. The highest
levels of the RTG were discussing possible next moves, an MFA
official told us, although he declined to elaborate on what
these may be other than to emphasize Thailand's desire that
the dispute remain a bilateral issue between Thailand and
Cambodia. Director of Joint Intelligence, Royal Thai Armed
Forces Headquarters, Lieutenant General Surapong Suwana-adth
told an invited gathering of the military attache corps
(excepting the Cambodian defense attache) on July 22 that the
Thai military did not want to see an increase in tension.
Despite the highly politicized nature of the issue, Surapong
did not view it as a military problem and stated that he
continued to work closely with his troops and his Cambodian
counterparts to prevent any accidental military flare-ups.
However, the uneasy standoff between Thai and Cambodian armed
forces would continue, with Thai government officials
refusing mediation by ASEAN and both sides refusing to
withdraw their troops. The GBC agreed to meet again in
August. Although press reports described Thai villagers in
the area preparing to 'hunker down,' sources told us that
local administrators remain calm. Overall, the July 21
meeting may have produced a diplomatic deadlock, but it
appeared to give military leaders from both sides the
opportunity to exchange views and reinforce existing
communications. MFA Permanent Secretary Virasakdi Futrakul
has asked us to come in to discuss Preah Vihear on the
afternoon of July 23. We will urge consultation and caution.
End Summary.

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GBC YIELDS NO IMMEDIATE RESULTS
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2. (C) The July 21 General Border Committee meeting made
little headway in resolving the sovereignty dispute between
Thailand and Cambodia in the area of the Preah Vihear temple,
stated Thai military and MFA officials in multiple
conversations throughout the day on July 22. Director of
Joint Intelligence Lieutenant General Surapong told a meeting
of Bangkok-based military attaches (minus Cambodia's) that
the GBC began with serious prospects for a written agreement
to come out of the meeting. However, an afternoon bilateral
meeting reversed the progress (NFI) achieved during a mid-day
session and the end result was that after eight hours of
negotiations, the two sides walked away without a significant
agreement. In a separate conversation with Embassy
representatives, Surapong stated that he did not view the GBC
meeting as a failure, but rather part of the ongoing process
to resolve the matter.


3. (C) MFA Department of East Asian Affairs Counselor Mongkul
Visitstump confirmed Surapong's readout of the GBC meeting.
He added that neither side conceded to withdraw troops from
the temple complex and surrounding areas, but that both
countries had agreed to demonstrate self-restraint when it
came to the use of their respective military forces and
pledged to prevent further politicization of the issue.
Mongkul made it clear that Thailand saw no need for mediation
by ASEAN or any other third party, but instead preferred the
matter to remain a purely bilateral one with Cambodia. For
this reason, Thailand had tried to derail Cambodia's request
for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Preah
Vihear. However, Mongkul did note that Thailand planned to
raise the matter during a July 22 working lunch of ASEAN
Foreign Ministers scheduled to take place in the context of
the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore.


4. (U) Royal Thai Armed Forces Supreme Commander General
Boonsrang Niumpradit led Thailand's negotiating team,
accompanied by Army Commander General Anupong Paojinda, Army

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Chief of Staff General Songkitti Chakkrabat, Border Affairs
Department Director-General Lieutenant General Niphat Ehnical
and MFA Permanent Secretary Virasakdi Futrakul.

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NOT A MILITARY PROBLEM
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5. (C) Surapong frankly told the Attache Corps on July 22 he
considered the current escalation of events to be the result
of Thai and Cambodian domestic political agendas (namely,
those relating to the Cambodian national election on July 27
and the ongoing efforts of anti-government forces in
Thailand). He emphasized that Thailand would continue to
address the Preah Vihear matter using existing frameworks,
such as the GBC but that, given the current political climate
in both countries, neither side could expect a quick
resolution.


6. (C) While generally refusing to comment on the sovereignty
issues surrounding Preah Vihear temple and the surrounding
area, Surapong referenced an MOU signed by both countries in
2000 wherein they agreed "not to carry out any work resulting
in changes of environment of the frontier zone, pending the
survey and demarcation of the common land boundary" (Article
5 of the 2000 MOU). Surapong stated that Thailand had
respected the MOU, but Cambodians had violated it when they
established a Cambodian "squatter" village at the base of the
temple complex.


7. (C) Separately, Colonel Natchanok Teeptranon, Aide de Camp
of the 2nd Army Area Commander, told us that the situation
along the border remained calm and stable after the GBC
meeting. He described Thai and Cambodian troops sharing food
and talking amicably with each other. The Thais have noted
that Thai and Cambodian troops in the border area knew each
other well and have good cross-border communication.
Surapong also emphasized that the border units were in good
communication with higher commands, and he was confident that
conditions at the border (e.g., an accidental weapon
discharge) would not result in escalation beyond the national
authorities' control.

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TROOPS REMAIN AT PRE-MEETING LEVELS
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8. (C) According to Surapong, Thailand continued to maintain
approximately 500 soldiers in the immediate vicinity of Preah
Vihear, with Cambodia having a similar number on the other
side of the border. The Thai forces included army rangers
for whom the Preah Vihear area is part of their regular area
of operations. Various Thai demining troops are also in the
area. Both military forces were supplied with light arms and
rocket propelled grenades. July 22 Thai press articles
claimed that about 2,400 Thai military forces remained in
nearby areas to supplement those positioned the temple
complex, although Natchanok declined to confirm the exact
number of troops to us.

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LOCAL SENTIMENT CAUTIOUS BUT CALM
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9. (C) Local press reported that Thai villages near the Preah
Vihear temple complex had prepared for the possible exchange
of fire between Thai and Cambodian soldiers by digging
bunkers and conducting school evacuation drills. Local
administrators remained optimistic that the RTG would
successfully negotiate a resolution to the conflict and the
possibility of armed confrontation is not causing panic among
the villagers, Sisaket province ISOC intelligence officer
Lieutenant Phatthanaphong Saengphuwa told us on July 22.
Phatthanaphong stated that area sub-district heads and
village headman assured Phatthanaphong that they would not
make any movements that would exacerbate the situation.
While politicians in the capital remain preoccupied by claims
of sovereignty, Thai media quoted Thai vendors near the
temple as more concerned about lost revenues since the RTG
declared the site off limits to tourists.


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COMMENT
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10. (C) Thai officials continue to hold fast to their
sovereignty claims with no indication they expect a quick
resolution to the matter. However, the Thai military clearly
appears keen to prevent the political tensions from
escalating into any kind of military clash with Cambodia.
MFA Permanent Secretary Virasakdi has called us in on July 23
to discuss Preah Vihear. We will urge that all diplomatic
steps be taken to resolve the issue as well as efforts to
avoid inadvertent military confrontation.
JOHN