US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK706

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 000706 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/BCLTV, OES; PACOM FOR FPA HUSO, OSD 
FOR OSD/ISA (STERN AND POWERS) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2015 
TAGS: EAID, MOPS, PREL, PGOV, OVIP, TH, Tsunami, POL/MIL 
SUBJECT: PACOM ADM FARGO'S MEETING WITH THAI FM SURAKIART, 
JANUARY 19, 2005 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce.  Reason: 1.4 (b, d) 
 
 1. (C) Summary:  In their January 19 meeting, FM Surakiart 
told ADM Fargo that the U.S. had "won the hearts of Asians" 
with its rapid and massive relief to Thailand and other 
tsunami-devastated countries.  He expressed pride in the 
 
SIPDIS 
Royal Thai Government's (RTG) contribution of quick approval 
for use of Utapao as a regional hub for assistance. 
Surakiart highlighted that Thailand will host a conference 
January 28-29 on a regional tsunami early warning system 
(EWS) and pressed for ministerial level attendance.  ADM 
Fargo discussed his views on the state of U.S. efforts in Sri 
Lanka and Indonesia.  He indicated that the U.S. would wind 
down its military relief operations in Thailand and Sri Lanka 
in a few weeks, but would keep the Combined Support Force 
headquarters until U.S. military efforts in Indonesia were 
complete.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) On January 19, Foreign Minister (FM) Surakiart 
Sathirathai warmly welcomed U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) 
Commander Admiral Thomas Fargo and thanked him for United 
States' assistance to Thailand and other nations in the 
region after the tsunami.  ADM Fargo said he regretted 
visiting under such difficult circumstances and expressed his 
heartfelt sympathies to the Thai people over their 
significant losses.  He reported that in every 
disaster-struck country he had visited in the region he had 
observed a pattern of people working together on recovery. 
 
STRONG THAI PITCH ON JANUARY 28-29 EWS MINISTERIAL IN PHUKET 
 
3. (SBU) FM Surakiart agreed and said that the efficient and 
prompt assistance rendered by the U.S. had "won the hearts of 
Asians."  He underscored that Prime Minister (PM) Thaksin had 
approved the U.S. request to use Utapao as a regional hub 
less than a day after being asked, and pledged that Thailand 
would continue to work closely with the U.S.  Surakiart then 
added that the response is entering into a 
reconstruction/rehabilitation phase in which the United 
Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGO) would play a 
greater role in working with governments.  He said that, in 
order to maintain momentum on a regional tsunami emergency 
system (EWS) after the World Conference on Disaster Reduction 
(WCDR) in Kobe, Thailand will host an EWS meeting January 
28-29 in Phuket.  Forty countries, including the U.S., were 
being invited to send minister-led teams.  FM Surakiart asked 
who might lead the U.S. delegation. 
 
4. (SBU) ADM Fargo said he was not familiar with the 
Thai-hosted EWS ministerial, but was sure that the U.S. would 
be supportive.  He said that if NOAA Administrator Dr. Conrad 
Lautenbacher, a retired Navy Vice Admiral, were available, he 
was very knowledgeable about EWS and would have answers to 
contribute.  FM Surakiart said NOAA participation is very 
welcome, but stressed the importance of political support. 
PM Thaksin and visiting Nordic Prime Ministers had agreed on 
this point and Thailand was inviting foreign ministers. 
After exploring whether Dr. Condoleezza Rice had yet been 
confirmed as Secretary of State, Surakiart suggested that 
perhaps Robert Zoellick, former U.S. Trade Representative, 
might attend for the U.S. "in his new hat" (Deputy Secretary 
of State-designate).  Ambassador Boyce said it was difficult 
to say who would be available but we would seek to ensure 
that a high-quality U.S. delegation attends. 
 
KEY ROLE OF UTAPAO 
 
5.  (SBU) ADM Fargo agreed with Surakiart's assessment that 
Thailand's immediate approval of Utapao for a regional hub 
was critical to the rapid U.S. relief response.  There was no 
delay in providing U.S. assistance to Thailand and also to 
Sri Lanka and Indonesia.  U.S. Naval ships were dispatched 
the day after the tsunami struck, but the C-130s operating 
out of Utapao were faster to arrive in the region.  Surakiart 
commented that Secretary Powell was the first foreign 
minister to call and offer Thailand assistance.  ADM Fargo 
said that the U.S. humanitarian response was probably the 
fastest he had seen in his career and had proceeded very well. 
 
ASSISTANCE FOR SRI LANKA AND INDONESIA 
6. (C) FM Surakiart asked for an assessment of the situation 
and current relief effort in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.  ADM 
Fargo said Sri Lanka had lost over 40 thousand people, but 
was now past the emergency response stage, with no additional 
loss of life, and had entered into 
rehabilitation/reconstruction.  India, among other countries, 
was continuing to provide help.  Surakiart interjected that 
Thailand had contributed token relief funds to Sri Lanka and 
Indonesia.  ADM Fargo said that the LTTE (Liberation Tigers 
of Tamil Eelam) allowed, and in some cases controlled 
distribution of relief in Sri Lanka's northeastern provinces, 
also hit hard by the tsunami.  He said that he had spoken 
with the President of Sri Lanka and discussed phasing out 
U.S. military efforts by the end of January. 
 
7. (C) Indonesia is a different matter, ADM Fargo said.  The 
west coast of Aceh and the city of Banda Aceh were 
devastated.  There are vast stretches with no trees or houses 
left standing.  Whole villages are gone, with only a few 
concrete building foundations remaining.  The flood waters 
had receded, but the salt sea water had rendered fields 
unusable for agriculture.  Major roads were wiped out, with 
sections of the shoreline swept away.  However, the airport 
at Banda Aceh is fully functional and the U.S. and others 
continue to deliver relief supplies.  ADM Fargo said that the 
Indonesia government had indicated its sense that Aceh would 
be in the reconstruction stage by the end of March.  In fact, 
the U.S. military expected to end its emergency relief role 
in Indonesia well before that, perhaps by mid-February, when 
the UN and the aid "professionals" would take over. 
 
8. (C) Surakiart asked about political conflict in Aceh and 
problems with the rebels.  ADM Fargo said that was an 
important point, but the rebels had not threatened the relief 
effort.  He noted that a USD 5 billion -- maybe higher -- 
reconstruction effort over several years was needed and this 
might provide an opportunity for the Aceh conflict to move 
towards resolution.  Surakiart said he hoped that would 
result and added that Thailand had spoken at the Jakarta 
ASEAN Summit of the need to deflect aid to countries that 
needed it most. 
 
THAILAND WELCOMES TECHNICAL, PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE ASSISTANCE 
 
9. (SBU) For its part, Surakiart repeated, Thailand would 
continue to push for a regional EWS to be implemented and was 
occupied with reconstruction, and rehabilitation of damaged 
natural resources, such as coral reefs.  Dr. Yongyuth 
Mayalarb, Advisor to the FM, chimed in that Thailand welcomes 
technical assistance and advice on such rehabilitation 
projects, but does not want international funding from 
governments to go through the RTG.  International assistance 
could go directly to local people or to them through NGOs. 
Surakiart said that there was already an excess of immediate 
relief supplies and offers from everywhere.  Thailand, he 
said, hoped for real people-to-people efforts.  A donor, for 
example, might rebuild a local school and provide uniforms 
and replacement books. 
 
10. (SBU) ADM Fargo said reconstruction was still a complex 
task to organize and would need to be synchronized in some 
fashion.  Surakiart said that Deputy Prime Minister Suwat 
Liptapanlop was in charge of ensuring that international 
assistance is sent to the devastated areas and coordinating 
with local authorities to see what they need.  The RTG would 
do all infrastructure replacement, he said, and some 
relocation elsewhere might be necessary in some cases.  ADM 
Fargo said that in Indonesia records had been wiped out and 
sometimes it was not even known who owned plots of land, 
which is why he was interested in how Thailand approached 
comprehensive planning for reconstruction. 
 
COBRA GOLD; TIMETABLE FOR CONTINUING OPERATIONS AT UTAPAO 
 
11. (SBU) ADM Fargo highlighted that Cobra Gold had been 
important to the U.S. ability to respond quickly and to adopt 
a multilateral approach.  The habits of cooperation developed 
in Cobra Gold had been invaluable.  This year, he said, Cobra 
Gold might be smaller, but humanitarian civic actions that 
were originally part of the exercise would be relocated to 
the areas hardest hit by the tsunami.  The Combined Support 
Group-Thailand (CSG-T) was winding down its work in Phuket 
very shortly, except for forensics experts who would be 
available for as long as Thailand needs them.  ADM Fargo said 
Indonesia operations would continue to about mid-February, 
and that military relief headquarters at Utapao would 
probably redeploy by the end of February.  FM Surakiart 
responded that the RTG would support this timetable. 
 
TRANSITION TO UN COORDINATION 
 
12. (SBU) Surakiart said that at the Jakarta ASEAN meeting, 
there had been discussion of how much had been learned 
regarding how the UN can work with military forces to respond 
to disaster.  In Thailand, it had been clear that there was 
no alternative, and there had been no question about U.S. use 
of Utapao.  But the UN had a standby arrangement and 
coordinating role.  ADM Fargo said that one reason the 
operation at Utapao was called a "combined support force" was 
that it was not exclusively military.  The UN and NGOs and 
military had worked confidently together in an unprecedented 
way.  FM Surakiart agreed.  He said that only the U.S. could 
have pulled together this effort, and everyone knew that the 
U.S. military was at Utapao to help. 
 
13. (U)  Participants:  In addition to FM Surakiart, the Thai 
MFA team included his advisor Dr. Yongyuth Mayalarb, Deputy 
Permanent Secretary Pisan Manawapat, East Asia Director 
General (DG) Nopadol Gunavibool, Americas and South Pacific 
DG Nongnuth Phetcharatana, Ambassador Lieutenant Commander 
Itti Ditbanjong, and several notetakers.  The U.S. side 
consisted of ADM Thomas Fargo, Ambassador Ralph Boyce, PACOM 
Foreign Policy Advisor Ravic Huso, several members of ADM 
Fargo's staff and an Embassy notetaker. 
BOYCE