ADMIRAL KEATING'S MEETINGS WITH THAI PM ABHISIT,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 000556 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2019 TAGS: PGOV MCAP PREL PTER TH SUBJECT: ADMIRAL KEATING'S MEETINGS WITH THAI PM ABHISIT, DEFMIN PRAWIT HIGHLIGHT MIL-MIL RELATIONSHIP BANGKOK 00000556 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Eric G. John, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. In February 17 meetings during the visit of PACOM Commander Admiral Timothy Keating, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan stressed the importance of the U.S.-Thai military relationship and the Cobra Gold military exercise. PM Abhisit highlighted the development of disaster relief capacity as key for the region and noted the upcoming ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Voluntary Demonstration of Response as a mechanism to make ARF more effective. ¶2. (C) Comment. Admiral Keating,s visit, coming during closing ceremonies of Cobra Gold, reinforced to the Thai the value of the U.S.-Thai military relationship. As highlighted by Admiral Keating, Cobra Gold continues to be the key military exercise in Asia, an event that benefits regional security while allowing our military unique training opportunities. End comment. PRIME MINISTER AND MINDEF STRESS IMPORTANCE OF COBRA GOLD -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) During February 17 meetings with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, PACOM Commander Admiral Timothy Keating stressed the success of this year,s Cobra Gold exercise, the twentieth-eighth annual iteration. With over twelve thousand troops participating from the United States, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore, Cobra Gold is the centerpiece of PACOM,s military exercise program and was of significant importance to regional security, Keating said. ¶4. (C) Prime Minister Abhisit emphasized the value that the RTG places on Cobra Gold and highlighted the importance of the exercise to developing regional capacity to respond to humanitarian disasters. Prawit stressed to Admiral Keating Cobra Gold,s constructive impact on regional security, particularly as the exercise has evolved in a multilateral event. Prawit thanked Admiral Keating for the positive role that the U.S. has played in the development of the Thai military and expressed confidence in continued close cooperation. DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL RELIEF CAPABILITIES IMPORTANT -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Further to RTG interest in building humanitarian disaster relief capabilities, PM Abhisit noted the success of relief flights conducted from the Thai Naval Air Station Utapao in the aftermath of cyclone Nargis in 2008 and sought Admiral Keating,s views on the operations. Admiral Keating told the Prime Minister that coalition operations had been a great success, but noted that more could have been done for people affected by the cyclone if the Burmese regime had allowed greater international relief efforts. ¶6. (C) PM Abhisit said the RTG, as chair of ASEAN, saw the upcoming ASEAN Regional Forum Voluntary Demonstration of Response in the Philippines as a noteworthy event in making ARF a more effective organization. Admiral Keating told the Prime Minister that the event was important for the region and that the USG hoped for as much participation as possible from all ARF nations (Note: PM Abhisit made no mention about Thailand's possible participation). STOPPING PIRACY KEY FOR THE RTG -------------- ¶7. (C) Turning to maritime piracy, the Prime Minister asked the PACOM Commander for his thoughts on how to better control the problem. Admiral Keating told PM Abhisit that the MALSINDO arrangement and cooperation between Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand in patrols of the Strait of Malacca had resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of incidents of piracy in the Strait. As such, it was an excellent example for use by the international community as BANGKOK 00000556 002.2 OF 002 it looked to develop a solution to piracy in the Gulf of Aden. HOPE COMMON INTERESTS HELP TO SHAPE RISE OF CHINA -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C) In response to Admiral Keating,s inquiry about PM Abhisit,s view of the rise of China, the Prime Minister said that he viewed Chinese development to be positive on the whole. Abhisit said he hoped common interests that China shared with Thailand and the international community would help encourage China to develop in a constructive manner. JOHN