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