NAVIGATING THAILAND-CAMBODIA RELATIONS NO EASY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 003440

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MLS, NSC FOR PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PBTS TH CB
SUBJECT: NAVIGATING THAILAND-CAMBODIA RELATIONS NO EASY
TASK FOR THE MFA

REF: A. BANGKOK 3408 (BURMA DISCUSSION)

B. BANGKOK 3376 (PROGRESS...BORDER TALKS)

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Classified By: Political Counselor George Kent, Reason 1.4 (B, D)

SUMMARY AND COMMENT
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1. (C) Summary: The Thai MFA Director responsible for Burma,
Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos revealed to us November 18 that
Thailand-Cambodia relations have dominated his division's
workload the past several years, even factoring in the 2007
Saffron Uprising, Cyclone Nargis, and the international
profile of Burma policy. Kalayana Vipattipumiprates noted
that the MFA faced a tight deadline to obtain parliamentary
approval of a Joint Border Committee (JBC) plan to delineate
disputed Thailand-Cambodia border areas in order to
facilitate the next round of JBC meetings, scheduled for
January. Kallayana shared his perspectives on the role
played by unforgiving recollections of history and domestic
political dynamics in Cambodia in shaping dynamics in ongoing
Thailand-Cambodia border tensions.


2. (C) Comment: Kallayana is one of the MFA's sharpest
mid-level managers, is due for a rotation promotion in the
end of year reshuffle, and likely will continue to rise in
the Thai foreign service. His frankness about the
difficulties in managing Thailand's relationship with
Cambodia, aggravated by long-standing cultural and political
dynamics in both countries, suggests that the road forward
will continue to face twists and turns, as well as take
priority in terms of focus over Burma policy (ref A). End
Summary and Comment.

Managing Cambodia Relations Dominates Over Burma policy
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3. (C) Thai MFA Director of EAP Division II Kallayana told
us November 18 that Cambodia dominated his division's foreign
policy work, and joked that management of Thailand-Cambodia
relations caused him to "eat Tylenol like candy." He spent
the majority of his time focusing on Cambodia policy,
notwithstanding the Burma portfolio and developments like
Cyclone Nargis and the Saffron Uprising in Burma. Cambodia
policy affected multiple government agencies and had become a
political issue in parliament (Note: bringing down former FM
Noppadol Pattima). Fortunately, the MFA, the military, and
other agencies coordinated well on Cambodia policy, he
stated, and shared the same strategic perspective, even if
there were occasionally minor differences of opinion.

Race Against Time For Thai Parliamentary Approval
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4. (C) Kallayana described the momentum and atmosphere of the
November 10-11 JBC meetings and wrap-up November 12 meeting
between Foreign Ministers in Siem Reap last week (ref B) as
positive, and said that "we argue with smiles." The next
step is to secure parliamentary approval for the way forward
outlined during the JBC meetings to delineate the disputed
border areas, and to prepare the way for the next round of
JBC meetings in January in Phuket, a location chosen due to
the Cambodian FM's interest in visiting the island. The MFA
faced a tight schedule, since the Parliament's current
session ended November 28, and it would not reconvene until
January 21. Without parliamentary approval, the process
would again stall. (Note: The Thai parliament has a joint
House-Senate session scheduled November 24-25 to consider
international agreements, including the JBC efforts and
draft papers for the upcoming ASEAN summit.)


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Sees Long-standing Cambodian Leader Resentment of Thailand
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5. (C) Kallayana agreed with commentator Kavi
Chongkittavorn's assessment that the main Cambodian actors
like Hun Sen and Chea Sim carry significant chips on their
shoulders vis--vis the Thai that dates back several decades
that affect current dynamics, including Hun Sen's apparent
use of the current Thai distraction on internal politics to
try to rebalance the bilateral dynamic. Kallayana noted that
Hun Sen first encountered the Thai as an enemy "fighting in
the jungle" while Thailand supported their opponents, and
then dealt with them during the Paris Peace Negotiations
(ending in 1991). Even though Kallayana felt that Thailand
treated the Cambodians as negotiating equals in Paris, Hun
Sen and Chea Sim still viewed Thailand as not giving them the
respect they deserve, either in Paris or now.

Intra-CPP Tensions Shift Focus to Border
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6. (C) Kallayana suggested one of the factors in the dynamics
of Cambodian policy towards the border dispute was intraparty
tension between different factions within the Cambodian
People's Party (CPP); Hun Sen did not control all CPP MPs,
particularly the faction headed by Senate President Chea Sim.
Kallayana assessed that Hun Sen's desire to remain the
unquestioned leader prompted him to adopt a more aggressive
stance on the border.
JOHN