MID-FEBRUARY BANGKOK LOCAL G8 CTAG MEETING

UNCLAS BANGKOK 000829 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS, IO, S/CT NSC FOR PHU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL PHUM PINR TH SUBJECT: MID-FEBRUARY BANGKOK LOCAL G8 CTAG MEETING ¶1. (SBU) On February 19, DCM attended the Bangkok meeting of the G8 Counterterrorism Action Group (CTAG),hosted by the Ambassador of Japan, Hideakik Kobayashi. Representatives from the embassies of Australia, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and Switzerland, also attended the event along with a member of the delegation of the European Commission and a senior officer from the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The agenda for the meeting included: - Discussion of Thailand's accession to the international counterterrorism conventions and protocols - Review of activities related to Thailand by CTAG members - Issues to be addresses at the CTAG local meetings this year - Discussion of terrorism related situations in and around Thailand ¶2. (SBU) Highlights of the meeting included a presentation by the UNODC on Asian countries accession to the various UN counterterrorism conventions. Thailand has ratified nine of the 16 conventions and protocols. There was also discussion on whether Thailand's new constitution would make ratification of the remaining conventions and protocols difficult. Discussion on terrorism related situations in and around Thailand focused on the insurgency in the South, with the Russian representative suggesting there are growing links between the militants and international terrorist organizations. (Note: While this is an issue of concern, we did not find his argument persuasive. End note.) ¶3. (SBU) The Embassy of Japan on March 11 issued a Chairman's Draft Summary of the meeting highlighting the issues the meeting agreed would be addressed at the CTAG local meeting this year. These issues, which will be addressed in a joint demarche to the Thai government, include: coordination and information sharing among Thai government departments; ratification of all counterterrorism conventions and protocols; effective enforcement of the amended law on document forgery; countermeasures against organized crime; and respect for human rights, rule of law, and equal access to judicial procedures. JOHN