US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK6519

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 006519 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/13/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINS, PREF, MY, TH, Southern Thailand, Avian Influenza 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER 
CHIDCHAI TO DISCUSS THAI SOUTH; AVIAN INFLUENZA 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce for reason 1.4 (b) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY. On October 13, Ambassador Boyce paid a 
courtesy call on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of 
Justice Chidchai Vanasatidya. Chidchai was generally upbeat 
about the RTG's progress in addressing the Southern problem. 
He stated that the militants clearly wanted to provoke 
another major crackdown in order to shore up popular support 
for their cause. The RTG, he said, would not fall into that 
trap. Chidchai mentioned that there would be education 
reforms in the South in order to bring the teachings of 
pondok schools more in line with the national curriculum. He 
also criticized Malaysia for what he labeled an attempt to 
create an international incident over the fate of the 131 
Thais who claim to be refugees.  The Ambassador urged 
Thailand to cooperate with its poorer neighbors to address 
the threat posed by a potential avian flu pandemic in the 
region. END SUMMARY 
 
2. (SBU) On October 13, Ambassador Boyce paid a courtesy call 
on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Chidchai 
Vanasatidya. (NOTE: Chidchai previously served as Minister of 
the Interior from February until August 2005. END NOTE) The 
Ambassador began by asking DPM Chidchai about recent comments 
made by General Pallop Pinmanee, an administration hawk, in 
which he criticized the RTG for an ineffective and "weak" 
strategy towards the violence in the South. Chidchai replied 
that the General's comments had been made in a closed session 
of a workshop and that his comments had been leaked to the 
press. These comments represented only General Pallop's 
personal views. 
 
MILITANTS WANT TO PROVOKE A LARGE-SCALE RESPONSE; CHIDCHAI 
SAYS RTG IS NOT TAKING THE BAIT 
 
3. (SBU) Chidchai was generally upbeat about the RTG's recent 
progress in addressing the Southern problem. He stated that 
the Thais were getting better intelligence in the problematic 
"red zones" where insurgent activities were worst. Chidchai 
repeatedly noted that the "modus operandi" of the insurgents 
was to try a provoke a harsh response from the RTG.  Such a 
crackdown would inevitably arouse the anger of the local 
population, who would become more sympathetic to the demands 
of the militants.  Chidchai said that the RTG was being very 
careful not to fall into the militants' trap.  Still, he 
admitted that there was enormous frustration with the 
brutality of the insurgent attacks, which continued to kill 
and maim officers and civilians every day, and to disrupt the 
lives of all the people of the region. Regarding cooperation 
from the local people, Chidchai felt that "all residents" 
know more than they are telling authorities. 
 
4. (SBU) The Ambassador asked Chidchai about PM Thaksin's 
recent visit to the home of Mariya Useng, wife of a wanted 
Thai Malay separatist leader.  Chidchai responded that the 
visit was made in large part to inspire confidence among the 
Thai population, who could see that their PM was not afraid 
to visit the South, and that he was willing to face the 
Southerners head-on by attempting to meet separatist leaders. 
 The Ambassador noted that the Prime Minister's visit to the 
woman's private home could also be perceived as a threatening 
gesture by local Muslims. 
 
REFORMING THE PONDOKS 
 
5. (C) Chidchai told the Ambassador that the RTG had plans to 
institute educational reforms in the Southern provinces that 
would require private Islamic schools to adhere to the 
national curriculum.  He noted that many of these schools 
were teaching exclusively religious subjects, and were 
indoctrinating their students with dangerous Islamic 
fundamentalist ideals.  He said that it had been a mistake 
for the RTG to allow these schools to operate without 
oversight for so many years. He expressed concern that many 
students were not learning Thai, English or respect for Thai 
national institutions.  The Ambassador noted that Indonesia 
had a system that worked fairly well in which the government 
worked closely with Islamic schools to ensure that all the 
required elements of the national curriculum were taught 
alongside the school's religious programs. 
 
ANGER WITH MALAYSIA 
 
6. (C) Chidchai's expressed irritation with Malaysian Foreign 
Minister Hamid for his recent statements about the 131 Thais 
who have crossed into Malaysia to claim refugee status. He 
believed that the Malaysian Government was "crazy" to turn a 
minor incident into an issue which could have a damaging 
long-term effect on Thai-Malaysian relations. He commented 
that even the Indonesians have taken a more balanced and 
neutral response to the situation. Chidchai hoped that UNHCR 
would certify that these people were not refugees. 
 
AVIAN INFLUENZA 
 
7. (U) The Ambassador advised that Thailand should continue 
to prepare itself for the possibility of an avian influenza 
pandemic.  Although Thailand had many safeguards in place to 
guard against a breakout of avian flu, Cambodia, Laos and 
Vietnam remain highly vulnerable since they do not have the 
resources to guarantee a sufficient level of protection.  Due 
to the vulnerabilities of its neighbors, rural Thailand was 
still very much at risk should a pandemic break out. 
Chidchai concurred with the Ambassador's sentiments. 
BOYCE