US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK703

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 000703 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/BCLTV, P 
PACOM FOR FPA HUSO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2015 
TAGS: EAID, ECON, PREL, MARR, MOPS, TH, Tsunami, POL/MIL 
SUBJECT: THAILAND SUPPORTS TIMETABLE FOR WITHDRAWAL OF U.S. 
MILITARY ASSETS FROM TSUNAMI AFFECTED REGION 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 15234 NOTAL 
     B. BANGKOK 508 
     C. BANGKOK 524 
     D. BANGKOK 525 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce.  Reason 1.4 (b and d) 
 
1.  (C)  Reftel A requests Post query the RTG for its views 
of the planned withdrawal of U.S. military assets from the 
tsunami affected region.  Utapao naval air base, which is 
 
SIPDIS 
located in Thailand, serves as the regional hub for Combined 
Support Force 536 (CSF 536).  Nodes from that hub, known as 
Combined Support Groups, in Sri Lanka, Southern Thailand, and 
Indonesia have coordinated relief from Utapao and U.S. Naval 
ships.  Reftel B outlined the Country Team's concurrence with 
the drawdown of Combined Support Group Thailand (CSG-THAI) 
which took place on January 22. 
 
2.  (C)  On January 15, Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz 
explained to the Defense Minister that CSF 536 would draw 
down once relief efforts could be handed over fully to 
civilian agencies, NGOs and International Organizations 
(reftel D).  From January 17-19, PACOM Commander ADM Fargo 
briefed the proposed timetable for withdrawal of forces from 
Utapao to the Thai Defense Minister, Supreme Commander, 
Foreign Minister and Prime Minister (reftel C and septels). 
All concurred with the timetable.  ADM Fargo explained to PM 
Thaksin Shinawatra that relief units could all be redeployed 
from Utapao by the end of February or early March.  Thaksin 
approved of the plan and said that if the US needed to 
maintain its deployment of relief-related forces at Utapao a 
short while past its anticipated redeployment from Indonesia 
it would be "no problem."  We have emphasized to our Thai 
interlocutors that, although CSG-THAI's mission has been 
accomplished, a number of U.S. military relief operations 
remain underway or are planned.  These tasks are being 
undertaken under the supervision of JUSMAGTHAI and the 
Embassy with the full support of PACOM.  They include 
forensic work underway by teams from the Joint POW/MIA 
Accounting Command, Civil Affairs projects, engineering 
assessments and upgrades and improvements at Utapao.  The 
Thai Government is aware of these and has expressed 
appreciation. 
 
3.  (C)  Post is in regular contact with representatives of 
third-country militaries embedded in the Multinational 
Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT) based at CSF-536 HQ at 
Utapao.  Those officers have been regularly briefed on 
redeployment and transition plans and have not indicated any 
objections to us. 
 
4.  (C)  Post has conducted a comprehensive media campaign to 
highlight work being done in Thailand and being conducted 
from Utapao to assist Indonesia and Sri Lanka.  A few fringe 
newspapers have claimed that our work at Utapao and in Aceh 
is designed to create a permanent base presence in the region 
but the vast majority of Thai media support U.S. relief 
efforts.  We will continue to monitor media developments but 
do not anticipate any adverse reaction to a planned 
withdrawal from Utapao as outlined in reftel A. 
BOYCE