US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK4238

UNCLAS BANGKOK 004238 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, USPAC FOR FPA HUSO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, TH 
SUBJECT: THAILAND: CENSURE OF TRANSPORT MINISTER ENDS IN 
AFFIRMATIVE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE 
 
REF: BANGKOK 4001 
 
 1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The Thai Parliament voted overwhelmingly 
and along party lines not to censure Transport Minister 
Suriya Jungrungreangkit for irregularities related to bribes 
reportedly paid by InVision Corporation to win a procurement 
contract for airport scanners at Bangkok's new international 
airport.  While the outcome of the no confidence vote came as 
no surprise, Thai media stories are characterizing the 
parliamentary debate as an example of democratization in 
Thailand.  It remains to be seen whether the opponents of PM 
Thaksin's Government can continue to use the scanner scandal 
effectively to attack him.  Rumors abound that Thaksin will 
continue to do damage control by reshuffling the Cabinet, 
perhaps as early as mid-July.  END SUMMARY. 
 
VOTE COMES AS NO SURPRISE 
 
2.  (U)  On June 29, the Thai Parliament responded to more 
than 14 hours of debate held the previous day by voting not 
to censure Transport Minister Suriya.  As expected, the 
voting went mainly along party lines:  367 opposing censure, 
119 in favor, with 7 abstentions.  None of the ruling Thai 
Rak Thai (TRT) MPs present voted to punish Suriya while all 
of the opposition Democrat and Chart Thai MPs voted in favor 
of censure.  The two MPs from the Mahachon Party abstained. 
Six MPs were absent. 
 
FOCUS ON SNOH 
 
3.  (U)  While the vote was never in doubt, pundits were all 
watching how TRT faction leader Snoh Thienthong would vote. 
Snoh has been involved in a very public feud with PM Thaksin 
-- even threatening to leave the TRT with his supporters. 
Speculation over whether Snoh would fall on his sword over 
the case died once he opted not to attend the vote on 
censure.  Notably, Snoh's son, Sorawong Thienthong, voted 
with his TRT colleagues against censure. 
 
OPPOSITION LEADER PROVIDES THEATER 
 
4.  (U)  The most colorful part of the parliamentary debate 
centered on Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva locking 
horns with the well-coached Suriya.  Among other things, 
Abhisit alleged that InVision Corporation paid bribes through 
a local contracting company to TRT officials in order to win 
the airport baggage scanner contract and that those TRT 
officials in turn used that money to finance TRT's 
overwhelming electoral victory in February.  Abhisit also 
erroneously claimed that a report issued by the U.S. Justice 
Department alleged bribes were paid to a Thai political party 
-- a charge Suriya refuted. 
 
PUBLIC OPINION MIXED -- DEMOCRACY SUPPORTED 
 
5.  (U)  The national media generally credited Abhisit with 
having won his verbal sparring match with Suriya, even though 
the final vote went Suriya's way.  The Nation newspaper 
heralded the censure debate as "an exemplary demonstration of 
checks and balances at work in a parliamentary democracy."  A 
number of Thai political observers have taken to quoting a 
recent Asian Wall Street Journal editorial which noted that 
InVision was allegedly involved in bribing officials in three 
countries -- the Philippines, Thailand and China -- but that 
only Thailand chose to conduct its own inquiry into the 
matter. 
 
COMMENT 
 
6.  (SBU)  By ensuring that Snoh's supporters, including 
Snoh's son, marched in step with the rest of the TRT, Thaksin 
demonstrated his firm control over his Party.  It remains to 
be seen whether the corruption scandal can continue to help 
Abhisit breathe new life into the Democrat Party -- or 
whether Abhisit's performance in the debate will improve his 
ability to win new supporters for his Party.  Rumors continue 
to circulate widely in Bangkok that, in response to the 
corruption scandal and as a way to show his characteristic 
decisiveness, Thaksin might shuffle his Cabine