THAILAND RESPONSE TO ACTION REQUEST ON CUBA REVIEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 001217 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CCA - ZAMBRANO E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2019 TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL CU TH SUBJECT: THAILAND RESPONSE TO ACTION REQUEST ON CUBA REVIEW FOR SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF LIBERTAD ACT REF: STATE 48487 Classified By: POL Counselor George Kent, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Thailand does not have significant economic or political interests in Cuba. Nevertheless, we provide information on Thai-Cuban ties below, as requested reftel. End summary. ¶2. (C) Response: (a) - Has the host country, in Post's opinion, worked to promote the advancement of democracy and human rights in Cuba? Thailand has not specifically worked to advance democracy and human rights in Cuba; this is in keeping with Royal Thai Government (RTG) policy not to intervene in the domestic affairs of a sovereign nation unless prompted by the UN or other multilateral fora, according to MFA Latin America Division official Trit Kiriratnikom. (b) - Has the host country made public statements or undertaken other governmental actions, such as resolutions in the national assemblies condemning human rights abuses in Cuba; or actions in support of civil society in Cuba through host country's diplomatic missions or other fora? Because of the above-mentioned policy and lack of significant relations, Thailand has not made public statements or taken other actions supporting civil society in Cuba or condemning human rights abuses in Cuba. (c) - Have there been any high-level diplomatic visits between Cuba and the host country in the past six months? No. (d) - What is the nature of investments (and names, if known) that host country businesses have in Cuba? The Bank of Thailand (BOT) reports no investment from Thailand to Cuba. Commercial banks are required to report to the BOT all foreign currency transactions that come into or go out of Thailand, including any involving Thai investments overseas. (e) - Are there any bilateral trade agreements or other cooperative agreements between host country and Cuba? There are no trade agreements between Thailand and Cuba, but there is some limited bilateral trade between the two. In 2008, the total trade was less than $10 million. The primary Thai export to Cuba was rubber ($3.6 million) and the primary import from Cuba was tobacco products ($0.7 million). In 2007 total trade was $7.1 million, and in 2006 total trade was $31.63 million. (f) - Are there any exchange programs between host country and Cuba, including but not limited to: scholarships for host country nationals to study in Cuba; Cuban-paid medical travel for host country nationals; and Cuban doctors working in host country? Limited exchange programs do exist between Cuba and Thailand, according to Trit. Cuban experts come to Thailand for agriculture and fisheries training and, in return, Thai students go to Cuba for physical education courses. The coaches of the 1996 and 2000 Thai Olympic boxing teams were Cubans. There were also attempts to establish cooperation in the area of medical vaccines, but nothing has materialized. JOHN