THAILAND COMMITTED TO PEACEFUL RESOLUTION FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 003208 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS NSC FOR PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV TH CB SUBJECT: THAILAND COMMITTED TO PEACEFUL RESOLUTION FOR BORDER DISPUTE WITH CAMBODIA Classified By: Ambassador Eric G. John, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Supreme Commander General Songkitti Jaggabartra OCTOBER 24 told the Ambassador that Cambodia recently had reinforced troops near Preah Vihear temple. Nevertheless, the Thai government remained committed to a peaceful resolution to the dispute. Songkitti said the United Nations had recently given the final approval for Thailand to deploy a battalion of troops to Darfur and the Thai military was targeting deployment for May 2009. Songkitti promised to continue to work closely with the international community to insure fair and transparent processing of Lao Hmong refugees in Thailand. ¶2. (C) Comment. OCTOBER 24 meetings between the two sides' Prime Ministers in Beijing on the margins of ASEM and by local military commanders in Cambodia are positive movements for the border dispute. More telling, however, will be whether Thailand and Cambodia can make tangible progress when the Joint Border Commission (JBC) begins talks. The Thai Parliament is expected to consider next week the August 19 provisional framework that provides for bilateral negotiations through the JBC. End comment. THAI GOVERNMENT MAINTAINS BILATERAL TALKS ARE KEY -------------- --- ¶3. (C) Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) Supreme Commander General Songkitti Jaggabartra OCTOBER 24 told the Ambassador (accompanied by Poloff) that Cambodia had sent more troops and weapons to the area near the disputed territory around the Preah Vihear temple. The Thai military believed that there were now approximately 2,700 or 2,800 Cambodian troops situated in low lands below the temple. The Cambodian military had also deployed six multiple rocket launchers and several 130 millimeter artillery pieces to the area in recent days. Despite these actions, the Thai military believed that a peaceful solution would be found. Therefore, the Thai military only maintained approximately 600 Thai troops on the Thai side of the border in the area near the temple. ¶4. (C) The Thai government and military remained committed to resolving the problem bilaterally through negotiations, Songkitti said. A meeting of the countries' Prime Ministers in Beijing and ongoing military talks through the Regional Border Committee were positive steps toward a peaceful solution. Involvement by the international community would not be necessary, Songkitti told the Ambassador, because the JBC would provide for direct bilateral talks. CAMBODIAN POLITICS A CONCERN -------------- ¶5. (C) Songkitti believed that the underlying problem in the border dispute was that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was dealing with heightened domestic political demands and was using Preah Vihear to deflect the demands. Despite the success of Hun Sen's party in the late-July election, other political actors in Cambodia were demanding increased roles in the political process. Hun Sen understood the recent history of politics in Southeast Asia in that leaders who had been in power for extended periods of time, such as Marcos and Suharto, saw their dominance increasingly challenged as years passed, Songkitti explained. THAILAND TO WORK WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ON HMONG -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The Ambassador reiterated the USG view that a transparent screening process was needed for Hmong refugees in Petchabun. Songkitti promised to continue to work closely with the USG and the international community to insure that the Hmong would be treated fairly, both in Thailand and in BANGKOK 00003208 002 OF 002 Laos for those that choose to return. The RTARF was continuing discussions with the Vientiane government to insure that the Hmong who wanted to go back to Laos would be provided education and other social services in order that they could lead normal lives. THAILAND EXPECTS TO DEPLOY TO DARFUR IN MAY-JULY NEXT YEAR -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Songkitti told the Ambassador that United Nations had recently given formal approval to Thailand to deploy a battalion of troops to Darfur. Necessary training for the troops has already commenced and the RTARF is targeting a May 2009 deployment to UNAMID. JOHN