THAI SUPREME COMMANDER ASSURES AMBASSADOR ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 001340 SIPDIS NSC FOR PHU, GENEVA FOR RMA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF KPKO MOPS TH SU UN LA SUBJECT: THAI SUPREME COMMANDER ASSURES AMBASSADOR ON SECURITY FOR ASEAN MINISTERIAL REF: BANGKOK 1305 Classified By: Ambassador Eric G. John, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Thai Armed Forces Supreme Commander General Songkitti Jaggabartra told the Ambassador that the Thai military was in the lead for security arrangements for the upcoming ASEAN ministerial meetings and assured that security would not be a problem during the visit of Secretary Clinton. Songkitti downplayed border tensions with Cambodia and emphasized that the RTG was committed to resolving the conflict through bilateral talks. The Ambassador stressed the importance of a transparent screening mechanism for Lao Hmong in Thailand so that those who had legitimate fears would not be forced back to Laos. Songkitti said he would raise the issue with the Lao and would try to work with the U.S. to address concerns. An officer accompanying Songkitti asked that the USG keep an eye on efforts by persons in the U.S. to subvert the Lao government. Songkitti predicted deployment of Thai peacekeepers to Darfur by the year's end. ¶2. (C) Comment. Songkitti appeared to fully understand concerns regarding the process of returning Hmong to Laos. That said, continued RTG statements (ref) that Hmong who have returned to Laos are better off than those in Thai camps does not address the screening for those who remain in Thailand and who may fear return to Laos. We will continue to press the Thai for genuine measures to protect those who fear returning to Laos. End Summary and comment. SECURITY NOT A PROBLEM FOR SECRETARY CLINTON VISIT -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) During a June 3 call on Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) Supreme Commander General Songkitti Jaggabartra, the Ambassador highlighted the importance of security arrangements for Secretary Clinton's July visit to Thailand for the ASEAN Regional Forum ministerial meeting in Phuket and likely bilateral meetings in Bangkok. Songkitti assured the Ambassador that security would not be a problem. RTARF Chief of Staff General Ratchakrit Kanchanawat was coordinating the security plan for Phuket that would involve units from the Thai Army, Navy, Air Force, and police, Songkitti said. There would be no problem with security for the Secretary's visit, Songkitti assured the Ambassador. ¶4. (C) The Supreme Commander agreed with the Ambassador that Thailand's democratic institutions had been strengthened by events over the past year. As such, Songkitti assessed the political situation in Thailand as much better than in the recent past. Resolution of the POLITICAL conflict would be played out in Parliament and through democratic processes such as elections rather than through protests and violence. MILITARY COMMITTED TO RESOLVING BORDER CONFLICT VIA TALKS -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Songkitti downplayed border demarcation tensions with Cambodia. While the underlying issues remained difficult, the Thai military assessed that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had used the conflict as a means to shore up domestic support. Songkitti stressed to the Ambassador that Thailand remained committed to peaceful resolution via the MFA-led Joint Border Commission and coordination on military matters through regular Regional Border Committee meetings and personal RELATIONS among military leaders of the two sides. For example, Songkitti said he would visit Cambodia soon to join a Buddhist ceremony with a senior Cambodian general. The international community did not need to become involved in the dispute, Songkitti said, because bilateral talks were more effective. AMBASSADOR STRESSES TRANSPARENT PROCESS FOR LAO HMONG -------------- -------------- BANGKOK 00001340 002 OF 002 ¶6. (C) The Ambassador stressed to Songkitti the importance of establishing a transparent screening mechanism to ensure that Lao Hmong in Thailand who had legitimate fears of repatriation would not be denied refugee status. While the majority of the Hmong likely do not have a claim to refugee status, the Thai government needed to clearly demonstrate that a process was in place whereby independent determinations could be made. Songkitti said that the Lao government had set up a village for returnees and the Thai government assessed that Hmong who had returned were treated fairly and were provided significant support. The Ambassador acknowledged the Lao government's efforts to support the returnees but emphasized to Songkitti that some of the remaining Hmong in the Petchabun camp likely had legitimate fears of return. Access to the screening process by an independent observer would go far in alleviating international concern, including that of the Administration and the U.S. Congress. Songkitti told the Ambassador that he looked forward to working with the U.S. on this issue and said he would discuss this issue with Lao leaders during a June 4 visit there. ¶7. (C) RTARF Chief of Staff General Ratchakrit raised concern that the Lao government had regarding support from those in the U.S. for resistance groups in Laos. Anything the USG could do to keep an eye on this issue would be much appreciated, Ratchakrit said. The Ambassador highlighted that the U.S. government was in the process of prosecuting a case against Vang Pao and 10 other Hmong who had been charged with plotting the overthrow of the Lao government. DARFUR DEPLOYMENT MOVING FORWARD -------------- ¶8. (C) The Ambassador raised with Songkitti Thailand's commitment of peacekeepers to UNAMID and urged the Thai military to deploy as soon as possible. Songkitti said now that the Sudanese government had granted visas to a Thai survey team, the Thai would deploy by the end of the year. A survey team would visit Darfur soon to determine requirements for construction of the Thai base. Once these requirements were assessed, an engineering team would be sent to Sudan. INSURGENT ATTACKS INTENDED TO ATTRACT ATTENTION -------------- -- ¶9. (C) The Ambassador raised recent violence in southern Thailand and asked for Songkitti's assessment of the situation. Songkitti dismissed the attacks as not serious and attributed the violence to efforts by insurgents to attract attention, to business disputes - such as those between hotel owners - that were commonly played out in the South via violence, and to criminal activities such as narcotics smuggling. Songkitti emphasized that over the past decade or so, insurgents routinely conducted larger scale attacks whenever a new Prime Minister took office. JOHN