US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK1760

UNCLAS BANGKOK 001760 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR S/CT, EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, ASEC, KFRD, TH, KRCM, TIP - Trafficking in Persons 
SUBJECT: TIP/PISCES UPDATE 
 
REF: (A) 03 BANGKOK 4051  (B) 04 BANGKOK 8783 
 
1.  (SBU)  Summary: Washington-based Terrorist Interdiction 
Program(TIP)/PISCES Director Keith McCoy and Program Officer 
Julie Reynolds along with PISCES Thailand Coordinator Tang 
Penland met with Thai Immigration Bureau and National 
Security Council (NSC) officials February 20-25 to discuss 
the future scope of the PISCES border control management 
system in Thailand.  The parties agreed to incorporate 
additional features into the PISCES system, to discuss 
incorporating other features, and to modify target delivery 
dates.  Initial installation at Thailand's three major 
airports is scheduled for May 2005, installation at 14 
border points currently using an Office of the Narcotics 
Control Board (ONCB) system by November 2005, and the 
remaining 39 ports of entry completed by December 2006.  End 
Summary. 
 
2.  (SBU) Immigration Bureau (IB) Commissioner Amarin 
Niemskul advised the PISCES team members February 24 that 
the IB had decided to cancel its existing contract with a 
local Thai company which was to develop a duplicative system 
similar to PISCES (discussed Ref A).  Prior to the 
cancellation of the local contract, PISCES development and 
installation was to occur in two phases.  Phase I would 
include the full PISCES system installed at Thailand's three 
major airports.  However, during Phase II (installation at 
the remaining border points), the Thai system to be 
developed under the separate contract was to be primary, 
with PISCES only supplying certain add-on components such as 
fingerprint scanners and document readers. 
 
3.  (SBU) While the scope of the cancelled contract was to 
provide system applications similar to PISCES, it also 
called for development of tangentially related back-office 
functions that were not part of the PISCES package. 
Commissioner Amarin provided the PISCES team with a 
prioritized list of 28 system applications that were to have 
been developed under the local contract and requested that 
these features now be incorporated into the PISCES scope of 
work.  The PISCES team noted that seven of the 28 
applications were core to immigration processing and already 
incorporated in the PISCES design for Phase I (airports). 
With the cancellation of the local contract, the PISCES team 
agreed that those seven software applications plus the 
necessary hardware would be provided at the remaining ports 
of entry under Phase II. 
 
4.  (SBU) The PISCES team further agreed to consider 
developing some or all of the additional 21 software 
applications not directly linked to basic immigration 
processing that had been slated for development under the 
cancelled local contract.  The PISCES program team agreed to 
send technical personnel to Bangkok within the next two 
months for detailed discussion on design aspects of the 
additional system features.  The parties agreed that 
applications deemed tangential to the principal PISCES 
function may be developed separately with an interface 
linking them to the core border management application. 
 
5.  (SBU) The parties also discussed and revised future 
PISCES installation target dates.  The parties agreed to 
extend the target date for Phase I (airports) installation 
by two months to May 2005.  The parties further agreed to 
divide Phase II - the remaining border points - into two 
parts, thereby creating Phase II and Phase III.  The new 
Phase II, to be completed by November 2005, includes 14 
sites that currently operate a border control system 
developed by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board 
(ONCB).  The new Phase III includes the remaining 39 border 
points.  Phase III sites are scheduled for completion by 
December 2006.  The additional tangential system functions 
are anticipated to be completed for Phase II installation, 
at which time they will also be added to the already 
installed Phase I airport sites. 
 
6.  (SBU)  The PISCES team briefed NSC Secretary General 
Winai Phattiyakul on the above developments.  General Winai 
continues to be actively engaged in monitoring the progress 
of the PISCES project and has repeatedly provided positive 
influence in overcoming negotiation stumbling blocks. 
 
BOYCE