MINOR CLASHES ERUPT ALONG THAI BORDERS WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 003021 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV TH CB BM SUBJECT: MINOR CLASHES ERUPT ALONG THAI BORDERS WITH CAMBODIA AND BURMA REF: A. PHNOM PENH 814 ¶B. BANGKOK 2854 ¶C. BANGKOK 2487 ¶D. BANGKOK 2464 ¶E. STATE 86724 ¶F. BANGKOK 2428 ¶G. PHNOM PENH 679 BANGKOK 00003021 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission James F. Entwistle, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY AND COMMENT -------------- ¶1. (C) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told us October 6 that the Cambodian military had violated the August 13 agreement between Thailand and Cambodian by digging a trench in the disputed territory near the Preah Vihear temple. This violation led directly to the October 3 clash that left two Thai soldiers and at least one Cambodian injured. In contrast, both the MFA and the Royal Thai Army (RTA) downplayed a October 4 incursion into Thai territory by the Burmese junta-backed Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), which targeted the house of a local district leader. ¶2. (C) Comment: The Thai-Cambodian border conflict remains tense, but the Thai public, distracted by the domestic political drama and the October 5 Bangkok governor's election, has yet to seize on the recent clash. The incident highlights the need for continued Thai-Cambodian discussions on the border conflict; the Thai parliament still has not approved the framework approach tentatively reached by both sides due to the Thai government's ongoing focus on ongoing internal political tensions. Ambassador will call on the new Thai Supreme Commander October 7 and will urge that the two sides resolve the conflict peacefully. The DKBA incursion into Thai territory is the second such incident this year; earlier in the year, suspected DKBA assassins murdered a KNU leader resident in Thailand. End Summary and Comment. Cambodia violated the agreement -------------- ¶3. (C) Mongkol Visitstump, Counselor in the Department of East Asian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told us October 6 that four unarmed Thai paramilitary rangers who were on patrol October 3 in an area approximately one kilometer west of the Preah Vihear temple discovered a Cambodian military unit digging trenches in an area the RTG claims to be Thai territory. The Thais approached the Cambodian troops to ask them to quit their activities and to leave the area but the Cambodians refused. According to the Thai rangers, the Cambodian troops called their commanding officer to ask for instructions on how to respond. The Thai paramilitary troops reportedly heard the Cambodian local commander tell the Cambodian troops to fire on the Thais; as the unarmed Thais began to retreat, the Cambodian troops opened fire. A Thai unit in the area came to assist the rangers and returned fire, Mongkol said. ¶4. (C) Colonel Saranyu Viriyavejakul, Aide de Camp to RTA Commander Anupong, told us October 6 that the Cambodian troops had initiated the conflict by firing shots in the air, then attacking the Thai paramilitaries with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). Thai troops in the area came to assist the unarmed rangers, and a five minute clash ensued that left two Thai soldiers injured. Thai troops reported that three Cambodian troops were injured (note: Cambodian media reported that only one Cambodian soldier was hurt. end note). Saranyu told us that conflict occurred in a disputed area that has been patrolled jointly. After the clash, a Thai captain had initiated communication with his Cambodian counterpart, and the two sides had agreed to remove troops from the area of the clash, Saranyu said. BANGKOK 00003021 002 OF 002 ¶5. (C) The MFA's Mongkol told us that the Foreign Ministry had thought that the border area had calmed after the clash. However the Cambodian Foreign Minister had, in the Thai view, enflamed the situation by calling in the Thai ambassador in Phnom Penh. The Cambodian note protesting the clash utilized insulting language that accused Thai troops of being responsible for the clash, Mongkol said. In response, MFA Permanent Secretary Virasakdi Futrakul had called in the Cambodian Charge d'Affaires late October 4 to explain the Thai position and to protest the aggressive actions of the Cambodian troops. The MFA stated that Thai maps show the area of the clash to be in Thai territory. Mongkol claimed that Cambodian troops had also violated the Regional Committee's August 13 agreement that both sides would refrain from altering the area around Preah Vihear temple. Looking forward -------------- ¶6. (C) Mongkol told us that no dates have been finalized for the next round of talks on the border conflict, but that the RTG was exploring appropriate dates for meeting with Cambodia. Mongkol confirmed that the border conflict would be a topic for discussions when Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Cambodia on October 13. ¶7. (C) Saranyu told us that the RTA viewed international coverage of the border conflict as biased toward the Cambodian position. This was due to Cambodian government's skillful use of the media, Saranyu said. With the Thai press and government focused on the political tensions in Bangkok, Cambodia had been able to influence the international media in a way that supported the Cambodian position on the conflict. Thai-Burma border incursion by DKBA downplayed -------------- - ¶8. (C) Separately, both the MFA and the RTA confirmed media reports of an October 4 incursion by the Burmese junta-backed Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) into Thai territory in Tak Province. The MFA told us that DKBA troops had entered Mae Klong Klee village, but that the motivation for the aggression was still unclear. The DKBA may have made the move to target the residence of the village headman as retaliation for his support for the Karen National Union (KNU). The MFA said it was investigating the situation, but speculated that the DKBA aggression could be a traditional post-rainy season effort to extend control into areas that had come under the influence of the KNU. The RTA's Colonel Saranyu told us that the DKBA unit had fired a RPG at the village headman's house, but the grenade had failed to explode. Both the MFA and the RTA downplayed the clash and said that the Thailand-Burma Border Township Committee (TBC) was the appropriate mechanism for looking into the incident. JOHN