US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK2261

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 002261 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SEOUL FOR AMBASSADOR HILL. DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV. HQ 
USPACOM FOR FPA (HUSO) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, TH, BM, BURMA, ASEAN, ARF - Asean Regional Forum, Southern Thailand, NRC - National Reconciliation Committee 
SUBJECT: THAILAND: AMBASSADOR HILL'S MEETING WITH 
OPPOSITION MP SURIN PITSUWAN 
 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission, Alex A. Arvizu, Reason: 1.4 (d) 
 
 1. (C) Summary: A/S Designate for East Asia and Pacific and 
U.S. Ambassador to Korea Christopher Hill met with opposition 
Democrat Party (DP) Deputy Leader and former Foreign Minister 
Dr. Surin Pitsuwan on March 29.  Surin urged the U.S. to 
continue to pressure Thailand and ASEAN partners to seek 
democratic reform in Burma by withholding the ASEAN 
chairmanship from the SPDC in 2006.  He stated that the ASEAN 
Regional Forum (ARF) should become more than just a 
discussion group, and suggested appointment of an ARF 
"special envoy" for the Korean peninsula. Surin opined that 
the new National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), chaired by 
former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun, might prove to be 
more than Prime Minister Thaksin bargained for.  End Summary. 
 
2. (U) U.S. Ambassador to Korea Christopher Hill, the A/S 
Designate for EAP, Ambassador Boyce and Poloffs from Embassy 
Seoul and Bangkok met with opposition DP Party Leader Dr. 
Surin Pitsuwan, a former foreign minister in the Chuan 
Leekpai administration.  The veteran Muslim MP recalled how 
former Secretary of State Colin Powell, at the ARF meeting in 
Phnom Penh in June 2003, had set the right tone for U.S. 
relations in Southeast Asia with the statement that although 
the fight against terror must be made, the U.S. must uphold 
human rights at the same time.  Surin said that he had 
recently spoken with some Thai economists who were surprised 
at the recent U.S. Human Rights Report chapter on Thailand. 
Surin's contacts were under the (obviously uninformed) 
impression that the US was only concerned about the war on 
terror and other security issues and no longer interested in 
human rights. 
 
KEEP THE PRESSURE ON BURMA 
 
3. (C) Surin stated that "Southeast Asia is coming back" in 
the area of human rights, citing recent democratic changes in 
Indonesia.  He commented that the current Thai government has 
an "authoritarian bent" under Prime Minister Thaksin.  He 
lamented being in the opposition and the magnitude of his 
party's defeat in the recent national elections, but said 
that the DP and other opposition parties will continue to 
debate the government, albeit with a weaker voice.  He 
stressed that, because of the governing Thai Rak Thai (TRT) 
party's dominance in Parliament, U.S. dialogue with the RTG, 
especially via ASEAN, is vital.  On Burma, Surin said he 
thought that U.S. approaches to ASEAN to "pressure" the SPDC 
to skip their slated 2006 chairmanship would meet with a 
favorable response at this time.  He suggested that one 
compromise would be to allow the SPDC to host some ASEAN 
meetings, but not serve as chair.  Surin thought that ASEAN 
was undertaking a "real evaluation" of the issue.  The EU and 
Australia were "coming around" to this point of view and, 
with help from the US, Japan might as well.  Ambassador Boyce 
mentioned his recent meeting with Japanese Deputy Foreign 
Minister Tanaka and Tanaka's recent meeting with Burmese 
Prime Minister Soe Win (Septel). 
 
ARF ROLE IN KOREAN PENINSULA? 
 
4. (C) Surin raised the issue of the ASEAN Regional Forum 
(ARF) and its need to play a more meaningful role in the 
region.  He suggested that an ARF "special envoy" to the 
Korean peninsula be appointed, not as a mediator, but as a 
"messenger" -- one who could gather information and share it 
among the members of the six-party talks.  Ambassador Hill 
said he would raise this idea in Washington once he takes up 
his new post. 
 
SOUTHERN THAILAND 
 
5. (U) On continuing violence in the three southernmost 
provinces of Thailand, Surin commented that the south has 
been a problem for many previous governments. The Thaksin 
government had seriously miscalculated by dismantling 
previous successful security structures shortly after it 
assumed power in 2001, Surin said.  This led to a crisis in 
human rights violations and in the rule of law as the 
government tried to quell rising violence.  Surin noted not 
only the thousands of suspected extrajudicial killings 
nationwide in 2003 during the government's anti-narcotics 
campaign -- which he said some put as high as 3,000 -- but 
claimed that he has heard of thousands of disappeared or 
"kidnapped" Muslim "suspects" in the South.  (Comment:  These 
numbers, in both cases, strike us as exaggerated.  End 
Comment.) 
 
EDUCATION REFORM, THE NRC AND COUNTERING THAKSIN'S WEEKLY 
RADIO ADDRESS 
6. (U) On other topics, Surin discussed the need for 
education reform in Muslim schools (pondoks or madrasas).  In 
most areas of the far south, he said, the traditional Muslim 
curriculum was taught in the morning, while the "modern" 
curriculum was left for the afternoons, resulting in a 
"half-baked" education that left the youth entering the job 
market with few skills or educational achievements.  The 
curricula in Thai, English, math, science and information 
technology must be strengthened.  Surin commented that the 
composition of the newly formed National Reconciliation 
Commission (NRC) was good, balanced and hopeful.  He wondered 
openly what the Commission will do with its 9-month mandate 
and expressed his hope that recommendations can be passed 
along quickly for action, and that meetings can be held as 
events take place.  Surin was pleased that Anand Panyarachun, 
the highly respected former prime minister, was not afraid to 
openly criticize Thaksin, noting Anand,s call for public 
release of the reports of the Independent Commissions 
investigating the incidents at the Krue Se mosque in April 
2004 and at Tak Bai in October 2004.  Surin noted that 
"Thaksin may come to regret appointing Anand."  He also 
mentioned the worrisome trend toward concentration of 
corporate and RTG control of the broadcast media and said 
that DP opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva will propose an 
equal air time "right of reply" to counter PM Thaksin,s 
influential weekly Saturday radio address. 
 
7. (U) Ambassador Hill did not have the opportunity to clear 
on this message. 
BOYCE