US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK3930

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 003930 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, USPACOM FOR FPA HUSO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2015 
TAGS: PINR, MOPS, PHUM, TH, BM, BURMA 
SUBJECT: (C) THAILAND: ALLEGED USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS 
ALONG THAI BORDER (C-AL5-00590) 
 
REF: A) STATE 101852 B) RANGOON 714 
 
Classified By: Classified by Political Counselor Robert J. Clarke, Reas 
on: 1.4 (c) and (d) 
 
 1. (S)  Summary:  The senior Thai Foreign Ministry (MFA) 
official covering Burma told poloffs that the Royal Thai 
Government (RTG) has no hard evidence confirming the reported 
use of chemical weapons by the Burmese Army against ethnic 
Karenni soldiers near the Thai border in February 2005. 
These reports originated with representatives of NGOs in 
Thailand and the international NGO Christian Solidarity 
Worldwide (CSW) which described the claimed effects of 
chemical weapons on Karenni soldiers.  Subsequently, two 
Burma Army defectors claimed that they saw chemical weapons 
stocks and had witnessed the firing of chemical weapons 
mortars by Burmese troops.  The RTG says it has investigated 
the chemical weapons use claims and found no solid evidence 
substantiating the reports.  Responses to specific questions 
in Reftel can be found in keyed answers below.  Embassy 
Rangoon and Consulate General Chiang Mai have cleared on this 
message.  End Summary. 
 
2. (S)  Please find responses to questions in Reftel 
Paragraph 4, section A, below. 
 
1) On June 13, Minister Counselor Damrong Kraikruan,the MFA 
Burma Desk Officer, told poloffs that the RTG took note of 
allegations reported by CSW and "indirectly" contacted CSW 
and others to investigate the claims.  He said the RTG had 
not found any credible evidence of chemical weapons use.  He 
stated that neither CSW nor the United Nations had contacted 
the RTG about this issue, and indicated that the RTG is not 
any longer actively investigating this issue. 
 
2) Damrong stated that some Thai officials, whom he did not 
name or identify by agency, had asked Burmese SPDC officials 
about the reports.  The Burmese, he said, denied any use of 
chemical weapons. 
 
3) Poloff spoke with Dr. Martin Panter of CSW, who stated 
that he had learned about the alleged chemical weapons attack 
from a well-known resident private Amcit in Thailand, David 
Eubanks.  Eubanks is the founder of an NGO, the Free Burma 
Rangers (FBR), which clandestinely crosses the Thai-Burma 
border with armed Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) 
escorts to provide humanitarian relief, mostly medical, to 
displaced ethnic minority persons and others in Burma. 
Panter stated that CSW had been documenting human rights 
abuses in Karen, Karenni and Mon states for more than 15 
years.  CSW, he said, previously reported on suspected 
chemical weapons use by the Burma Army but there was very 
little international interest.  Panter stated he has been 
coming to the Thai Burma border area since 1987, first to 
teach health and tropical medicine in refugee camp clinics 
and later in some areas inside Burma.  He has worked mostly 
with the Karen, and began working with Karenni at their 
invitation in 1992.  He stated that CSW has an ongoing health 
project in the large Mae La refugee camp outside of Mae Sot, 
Thailand.  He noted that in 1995 there was a report of 
biological weapons use by the Burma Army's 7th Brigade of the 
Burma Army, but CSW did not issue a public report at that 
time due to lack of evidence. 
 
4) Post is not aware of any official investigation by the 
United Nations in Bangkok.  Panter told Poloff that the UN 
Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma, Prof. Paulo 
Pinheiro, had contacted CSW, but Panter did not know the 
status of Pinheiro's inquiries. 
 
3. (S)   Poloff contacted David Eubanks, who recounted that 
he had been deep inside nearby Karen State in early February 
when a contact of his at the Karenni National Progressive 
Party (KNPP) headquarters called him by satellite phone to 
report that shells had landed at the base which emitted a 
strange odor and smoke that caused burns and nausea to some 
of the KNPP fighters.  A few days later,  Eubanks claimed he 
had proceeded to the KNPP camp and accompanied 3 injured KNPP 
fighters to a private Christian hospital in Chiang Mai, where 
they were treated by an expatriate physician.  Eubanks then 
contacted Panter, who arrived in Chiang Mai from Australia, 
where he resides, in early March.  Panter claimed that he 
used "Jane's Biochemical Weapons Guide," a matrix of 
examination criteria used in determining the treatment of 
those suspected of being exposed to chemical weapons attacks, 
to perform individual evaluations, including a medical 
history and physical examination.  He stated that his 
examinations indicated "a very high likelihood" of a chemical 
attack.  Panter returned to Thailand in mid-April when two 
Burma Army soldiers defected to the Karenni. The two teenage 
soldiers claimed that they had been required as new Burma 
Army conscripts to haul mortar shells stored in boxes marked 
with skull and crossbones.  They claimed they had witnessed 
the firing of these shells by troops wearing gas masks and 
gloves. 
 
4. (S) The following are responses to questions in Reftel 
Paragraph 4, section B. 
 
1) There is no evidence that the RTG is attempting to ignore 
the reported use of chemical weapons in order to maintain 
good relations with the SPDC.  In fact, their willingness to 
bring it up directly with the Burmese authorities indicates 
how seriously they have taken this issue. 
 
2) MFA official Damrong stated that if the allegations proved 
to be true, it would have a "very serious" impact on 
Thai-Burma relations. 
 
3) Damrong said no samples of chemical weapons use (clothes, 
shell casings, etc.) were received by the RTG.  There is no 
indication the RTG visited the site of the claimed use of 
chemical weapons. 
 
4) The RTG did not approach CSW directly, which was confirmed 
by CSW.  Damrong indicated that the RTG had "indirectly" made 
inquiries, but did not provide details.  (Comment: Damrong's 
use of "indirectly" means that Thai intelligence assets were 
involved.  End Comment.) 
 
5) According to David Eubanks of FBR, an unnamed expatriate 
medical doctor, who has worked two years at a private 
Christian hospital in Chiang Mai, treated three Karenni men 
who were exposed to the claimed chemical agents.  The doctor 
determined that they were exposed to some chemical substance 
but, since the doctor had no training in chemical weapons, 
could not determine what it was.  The three men were later 
taken to a Thai hospital, where the Thai doctors refused to 
treat them.  FBR claims to have videotaped interviews with 
the three Karenni men and still photo footage of their 
wounds.  Eubanks opined that it was tear gas or some other 
chemical agent that caused their wounds.  Eubanks claims that 
the KNPP provided him with shell fragments and soil samples, 
which he sent to a friend of his, a retired Thai Army 
General. Eubanks said his former General friend has not 
contacted him since he handed over the samples.  He also 
claimed that some journalists from the UK were given soil 
samples, which reportedly tested negative for chemical agents 
by a laboratory in the UK.  Eubanks said he passed on the 
information to CSW because FBR could not run the story 
publicly out of fear of offending the Thai government. 
BOYCE