EXBS: THAILAND/VIETNAM/CAMBODIA ADVISOR MONTHLY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 002868 SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/ECC JFRIEDMAN, ACHURCH, ROWEN, LSPRINGER, EAP/MLS DSMITH, MFORINO, AWEST CBP/INA FOR BMCCRAY DEPT OF ENERGY FOR NNSA TPERRY AMEMBASSY HANOI FOR JBOCKLAGE AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR FOR MMCNAMARA AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH FOR MSWEENEY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC KNNP KSTC MNUC PARM PREL TH VN CB SN JP SUBJECT: EXBS: THAILAND/VIETNAM/CAMBODIA ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING CABLE - OCTOBER 2009 REF: A. BANGKOK 002594 ¶B. HANOI 001198 BANGKOK 00002868 001.2 OF 003 SUMMARY ¶1. (U) Advisor met with officials from Thai Customs and the Ministry of Commerce to discuss proposed activities for FY10. Advisor also transferred remaining radiation pagers to Customs. Hanoi Program Assistant coordinated FY10 proposals for Vietnam. The U.S. Coast Guard conducted WMD Boarding Officer Courses for the Vietnamese Marine Police in Haiphong and Phu Quoc, Oct. 12-23. EXBS donated personal radiation pagers concurrently. Commonwealth Trading Partners (CTP) conducted a UNSCR 1540 Implementation Workshop in Phnom Penh, Oct. 14-16. DOE/INECP conducted an Industry Outreach Seminar with the Thai Ministry of Commerce on Oct. 21. DOE officials also conducted follow-up meetings concerning establishment of national Commodity Identification Training with Thai Customs on Oct. 22. Two Thai and two Cambodian officials attended the Export Control Academy at the University of Georgia, Oct. 26 - Nov. 6. Advisor attended the PSI exercise Deep Sabre II in Singapore, Oct. 27-30. DEA chemical analysis equipment has been shipped to Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security. EXBS will complete the grant documentation and provide WMD technical training. SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS ¶2. (U) Advisor met with officials from Thai Customs and the Ministry of Commerce to discuss proposed EXBS activities for FY10. Officials were very cordial and appreciative of U.S. assistance. Both organizations agreed with activities as planned. Advisor also briefed training proposals to members of post's Law Enforcement Working Group (LEWG). Post concurred with training plan (see REFTEL). ¶3. (U) Hanoi Program Assistant and POLOFF finalized coordination of FY10 Vietnam EXBS program proposals with Customs and post law enforcement agencies. No significant changes were requested. ¶4. (U) Advisor met with Australian embassy POLOFF responsible for nonproliferation issues on Oct. 8. Advisor discussed Thai progress on export control and border and port security over the past two years, and provided an information paper on EXBS program assistance. Australia does not currently have any export control or border security assistance activities planned in Thailand, but is more than willing to assist as able. (Officials from DOE's International Nonproliferation Export Control Program (INECP) are currently coordinating with Australia for an instructor for a workshop in Hanoi in December.) ¶5. (U) Advisor and DOE/INECP officials conducted follow-up meetings concerning establishment of a Thai national Commodity Identification Training (CIT) program with Customs officials on Oct. 22. Thai officials agreed to move ahead with the program, using 2010 for planning and beginning implementation in 2011. The next coordination meeting is tentatively planned for Feb., in conjunction with another CIT workshop. ¶6. (U) Advisor attended the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) exercise Deep Sabre II in Singapore, Oct. 27-30. Advisor also visited the main office of the "ReCAAP" program (Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia). Potential opportunities for regional EXBS support include Singapore's Changi Command and Control Center Information Fusion Center (CC2C IFC),ReCAAP, the Asian Heads of Coast Guards forum and Japanese Coast Guard programs, though all will have to be tailored to meet political and other constraints. TRAINING CONDUCTED BANGKOK 00002868 002.2 OF 003 ¶7. (U) The U.S. Coast Guard conducted WMD Boarding Officer Courses for the Vietnamese Marine Police (VMP) in Haiphong and Phu Quoc, Oct. 12-23. Approximately 45 officers participated. This was the first training activity under the recently-established USCG-VMP Partnership Program. Future training events will include appropriate interagency participation. Further details were provided in reference b. ¶8. (U) Commonwealth Trading Partners (CTP) conducted a UNSCR 1540 Implementation Workshop in Phnom Penh, Oct. 14-16. Eighteen senior officials from the National Counterterrorism Committee, Ministry of Commerce, Customs and ports participated. This was the second event in Cambodia's nascent EXBS program, following a Senior Policy Exchange in Washington last May, and will help place in context subsequent enforcement training planned for 2010. ¶9. (U) Officials from DOE/INECP conducted an Industry Outreach Seminar with the Thai Ministry of Commerce on Oct. ¶21. Approximately 150 representatives from Thai industry participated. Prominent sectors included chemicals, electronics, metals and freight forwarders; academics and related government agencies also attended. Japan will be sponsoring another outreach event in February. Advisor will work with Ministry of Commerce counterparts to prepare a draft National Control List in time for the next EXBS industry outreach seminar, tentatively scheduled for August ¶2010. ¶10. (U) Two officials each from Thailand and Cambodia attended the Export Control Academy at the University of Georgia, Oct. 26 - Nov. 6. Thai officials were from the Office of Atoms for Peace and National Intelligence Agency; Cambodian officials were from the National Counterterrorism Committee and Customs. EQUIPMENT DELIVERED ¶11. (U) Radiation pagers were donated to Thai Customs in conjunction with an FY10 training coordination meeting on Oct. 7. ¶12. (U) Distribution of radiation pagers to the Vietnamese Marine Police occurred during the Boarding Officer Courses. USCG trainers provided operator training and included the devices in boarding procedures. IMMINENT TRAINING/EQUIPMENT UPDATE ¶13. (U) Thai and Vietnam Program Assistants will be out of country Nov. 17-27 for the annual EXBS LES Conference in Frankfurt, GE. Advisor will be in U.S. on annual leave, Nov. 24 - Dec. 3. ¶14. (U) Chemical analysis equipment from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has been shipped to the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security's Forensic Science Institute. EXBS will complete the grant documentation and provide WMD technical training. ¶15. (U) Other pending actions include the final phase of Vietnam's Tracker Demonstration Project and a visit by Vietnamese officials to Korea for briefings on the YesTrade export control system. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS ¶16. (U) None. ¶17. (U) Points of contact for the EXBS Program are: William Comley, Regional Advisor, comleywa@state.gov, (66-2) 205-4621; Kamolrat Chotesungnoen (Dao),Thai Program Assistant, Kamolrat@state.gov, (66-2) 205-4403; Nguyen Thi BANGKOK 00002868 003.2 OF 003 Huong Giang, Vietnam Program Assistant, NguyenGH@state.gov, (84-4) 3850-6241. JOHN