US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK1901

UNCLAS BANGKOK 001901 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, L/PM, PM/ISO, INR AND DRL 
PACOM FOR FPA HUSO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MASS, MARR, PREL, PHUM, TH, HUMAN RIGHTS VETTING 
SUBJECT: THAILAND:  EMBASSY/STATE DEPARTMENT HUMAN RIGHTS 
VETTING FOR EXERCISE BALANCE TORCH (BT) 05-2 
 
REF: A. STATE 042012 
     B. BANGKOK 1163 
     C. STATE 021314 - GUIDANCE 
     D. 03 STATE 34981 - GUIDANCE 
 
 1.  As authorized per Ref A, with the exception of the 25 
regiment noted in Para 3 below, Embassy verifies that the 
Department of State possesses no credible information of 
Gross violations of human rights by the Royal Thai units 
identified below to participate in Balance Torch 05-2, as of 
this date.  However please note additional comments from 
Bangkok in Para. 3.  Embassy Bangkok's Political Officer 
Robert J. Clarke is the verifying officer for the Department 
of State. 
 
2.  Selected units are: 
 
ROYAL THAI ARMY UNITS 
Special Warfare Command, 1st Special Forces Division, 1st 
Special Forces Regiment 
-     (Approx. 20 personnel) 
1st Army Area, 1st Infantry Division, 1st Infantry Regiment 
(Approx. 440 personnel) 
2nd Army Area, 3rd Infantry Division, 3rd Infantry Regiment 
(Approx. 220 personnel) 
4th Army Area, 5th Infantry Division, 25th Infantry Regiment 
(Approx. 220 personnel) 
 
ROYAL THAI NAVY 
HQ, Special Warfare Group (Approx. 50 personnel) 
 
3.  Thai media reports indicated that members of the 25th 
Infantry Regiment were involved in the April 28, 2004 assault 
upon militants holding the Krue Sae Mosque in Pattani 
Province.  32 militants who had occupied the mosque and who 
were part of a series of regional attacks against Thai 
Government institutions and murders of Thai officials were 
killed by Thai special forces who stormed and retook the 
mosque.  An independent commission was set up by the Royal 
Thai Government to investigate the incident and concluded 
that excessive force was used in retaking the mosque.  The 
investigation did not/not name the 25th Infantry Division as 
having committed human rights violations.  MG Surapun 
Wongthai, G-3 for the Royal Thai Army, has assured JusmagThai 
that no members of the 25th Infantry Division have been 
implicated, or are expected to be implicated, with excesses 
associated with retaking the mosque.  Embassy Bangkok notes 
that an added feature of the training these units will 
receive in this exercise is an expanded Human Rights Training 
Course. 
BOYCE