THAI-CAMBODIAN SPAT: THAKSIN REPORTEDLY TO VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 002867 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS, P; NSC FOR BADER E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PBTS TH CB SUBJECT: THAI-CAMBODIAN SPAT: THAKSIN REPORTEDLY TO VISIT TO PHNOM PENH THIS WEEK REF: A. BANGKOK 2849 ¶B. BANGKOK 1822 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission James F. Entwistle, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: In a move certain to inflame bilateral tensions, fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra reportedly will visit Phnom Penh November 12 to address the Cambodia Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Thai government has repeatedly stated that it will ask Cambodia to extradite Thaksin per a joint extradition treaty but Phnom Penh has publicly stated it will refuse the request. The appointment last week of Thaksin as an economic advisor to Hun Sen (Ref A) risks damaging prospects for negotiations to resolve border disputes, as the RTG plans to cancel a 2001 MOU that addresses mechanisms for overlapping sea claims in the weekly Cabinet meeting November 10, and the Thai Parliament appears likely to delay by three months or more approval for demarcation of disputed land borders, originally scheduled for routine approval in the November 9 session. The situation at the border remains calm, with informal Thai-Cambodian military talks increasing in an attempt to prevent the diplomatic dispute from sparking a broader conflict. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Comment: A visit by Thaksin to Phnom Penh would unquestionably increase political tensions. The move comes on the heels of more polls that show the Thai public mood moving significantly against Thaksin, as his and Hun Sen's actions have been judged by the public to have gone against Thailand's interests. Since several of the most credible, level-headed Thaksin associates told us November 4 that they had advised him against a Cambodia trip, the announcement raises the question that surfaced at the time of the April violence: whose advice is Thaksin taking? While we are encouraged that the two militaries have made principled efforts to ensure that the dispute does not raise military tensions, continued efforts by Thaksin and Hun Sen to provoke the Thai government would likely be seen by many Thai as reasonable justification for stronger reaction by the Thai government against Cambodia. We will continue to urge calm and restraint in our interaction with RTG officials. End comment. THAKSIN TO VISIT PHNOM PENH THIS WEEK -------------- ¶3. (U) According to November 9 media reports, fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will visit Phnom Penh this week to address the Cambodia Ministry of Economy and Finance. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that Thaksin would November 12 give a briefing to Cambodian economic experts, one week after being named economic advisor to Hun Sen. ¶4. (U) Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva reiterated publicly November 8 that the RTG would seek the extradition of Thaksin if he traveled to Cambodia. The two countries have an extradition agreement, but the Cambodia government has so far maintained publicly that it would not extradite Thaksin because the treaty contains a mechanism to deny extradition if a government considers the offense to be political in nature. (Note: Thaksin was convicted in October 2008 by the Thai Supreme Court for corruption, sentenced to two years' imprisonment; he skipped the country prior to the conviction after being released on bail. End note.) SETBACK TO BORDER AGREEMENTS -------------- ¶5. (C) The Thai Cabinet plans to cancel November 10 a 2001 Thai-Cambodian memorandum of understanding on overlapping sea claims in the Gulf of Thailand, according to news reports. The MOU, signed when Thaksin was premier, provides a framework for negotiated demarcation of the area in the Gulf of Thailand and on joint deals to develop gas and oil there. Scrapping the MOU could significantly slow resolution of the Preah Vihear border dispute, as Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban told EAP Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell in BANGKOK 00002867 002 OF 003 July, shortly after a meeting with Hun Sen, that he believed a grand compromise could be forged with Cambodia over the disputed territory around Preah Vihear temple and the overlapping sea claims (Ref B). ¶6. (U) The Thai parliament was initially scheduled to consider approval of agreed minutes of Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meetings in November 2008, and February and April of this year in the session starting November 9, but media are reporting such approval, required for the next round of JBC discussions, may now be delayed due to the recent escalations in Thai-Cambodian tensions. Approval by Parliament is required by Section 190 of the Constitution before Thai negotiators can proceed with joint surveys and demarcation of disputed border areas, including near the Preah Vihear temple. A joint Senate-House meeting will be held this week, but the Bangkok Post reported Senator Khamnoon Sitthisaman as saying that legislators were likely to delay approval because of Hun Sen's actions in regard to Thaksin. Parliament would instead form a joint committee of MPs and senators to study the issue, Khamnoon said. The study could continue until next February, as parliament goes into recess November 28. ¶7. (C) Vasin Teeravechyan, the Thai JBC chairperson, told us November 9 that the request for Parliamentary approval was a normal procedure, and that the minutes had been agreed upon together at the last JBC meeting in April. As such, it was not unusual that Parliament would only now consider the issue. According to Vasin, the decision on when to convene a joint session of the House and Senate was the prerogative of the President of the National Assembly Chai Chidchob. A parliamentary official confirmed to us November 9 that the joint session would likely set up a joint extraordinary committee comprising of members of both chambers to scrutinize the issue for 90 days, before re-submission to the National Assembly. MILITARY COORDINATION AT THE BORDER BUT TRADE AFFECTED -------------- -------------- ¶8. (U) The situation at the border remained calm but cross-border trade and visits had been affected, according to media accounts. Thai Second Army Commander Wiwalit Jonsamret over the weekend publicly said that he had met with General Jia Dara, Cambodian Deputy Supreme Commander, to ensure order along the border. The two sides reportedly agreed that the ongoing spat was an issue between governments and that it should not impact relations between the two militaries. ¶9. (U) There were mixed reports about the effect of the diplomatic tiff on border trade. Thai daily Naew Na reported November 8 that the Thai-Cambodian dispute had reduced normal business along the border, alarming some local Cambodians to the point where they had begun to hoard food and other goods. The newspaper also reported a drop in number of Thais crossing border at Aranyaprathet to go to casinos in Poipet. REDSHIRTS ADVISE CAUTION...BUT ADVICE APPARENTLY UNHEEDED -------------- -------------- ¶10. (C) Thaksin's apparent decision to accept Hun Sen's invitation and travel to Phnom Penh will apparently come as a surprise to members of his inner circle. On November 4 we met separately with former Deputy Prime Minister and close Thaksin ally Sompong Amornvivat, as well as red-shirt leader Vira Musikapong, to discuss Thaksin's latest moves. Both Sompong and Vira told us that they had counseled Thaksin against going to Phnom Penh, arguing that there was little to be gained by making the trip. According to Sompong, simply suggesting he might travel to Cambodia had already triggered the desired result: an overreaction by PM Abhisit and the RTG. Sompong told us that he had advised Thaksin to avoid pushing the issue any further, suggesting to him that he try to strike a balance between making the government look bad -- which he said had already been accomplished by provoking a public reaction -- and damaging the national interest, which he risked doing by actually traveling to Cambodia. When we asked Sompong whether his advice had registered with Thaksin, BANGKOK 00002867 003 OF 003 he told us that he believed that it had, and predicted Thaksin would not go. POLLS AND MEDIA STRONGLY BACK ABHISIT -------------- ¶12. (SBU) If Hun Sen and Thaksin sought to bring pressure on Abhisit, their actions appeared to have backfired, at least in the short term. Support for Abhisit has shot up since the controversy over Thaksin and Cambodia started. An ABAC poll conducted November 6 showed that 83% of Thais believe that Thaksin's actions with Hun Sen had hurt Thailand. The same poll showed that the approval rating for Prime Minister Abhisit was 60%, while that of Thaksin had fallen to 21%. This stands in stark contrast to an ABAC poll conducted October 22-24, during the first days of the ASEAN Summit and Hun Sen's public offer to host Thaksin in Cambodia, which reported that the approval rate for Thaksin was 25%, while the rate for Abhisit was 22%. ¶13. (SBU) Editorials in Thai-language press have for the most part shown strong support Abhisit's actions to date in the dispute with Cambodia. Krungthep Turakit, a top business-oriented daily, called PM Abhisit's decision to downgrade Thai-Cambodian relations by recalling the Thai Ambassador in Phnom Penh the right move. Naew Na, another Thai-language daily, said that the poll numbers should make Thaksin and his lackeys realize that their actions have hurt the country. Kom Chad Luek, the third largest daily, called for Thaksin to resign from being a Thai. JOHN