US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK6979

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 006979 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PTER, TH, NRC - National Reconciliation Committee, Southern Thailand 
SUBJECT: ANAND COMMENTS ON FINAL PHASE OF NRC'S PROCESS 
 
REF: (A) BANGKOK 6904 (B) BANGKOK 6853 (C) BANGKOK 
     6850 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR RALPH BOYCE.  REASON: 1.4 (D) 
 
1.  (C)  Summary:  The Ambassador called on National 
Reconciliation Committee (NRC) Head and former Prime Minister 
Anand Panyarachun on November 3 to discuss the NRC's wrap-up 
phase.  Anand said that Thaksin still has no idea of the root 
causes of the problem and has used his aides and media 
influence to snipe at the Committee.  He accused the Prime 
Minister of playing to latent nationalist and religious 
prejudices within the 95 percent non-Malay (i.e. ethnic Thai) 
population.  Nevertheless, Anand said, there are encouraging 
signs that some RTG officials working directly on the problem 
are good and that the work and pronouncements of the 
commission itself have sparked a dialogue within the Thai 
populace on how to comprehensively resolve the conflict and 
its causes.  Anand said that he hopes to wrap up and release 
the NRC's final report in late January.  End summary. 
 
 
2.  (C)  During a November 3 conversation with the 
Ambassador, NRC Head and former Prime Minister Anand 
Panyarachun said that he was "stepping back" from public 
comment on the south and focusing on the wrap-up drafting 
phase of the Committee's report.  Anand expressed his 
resentment over what he saw as Prime Minister Thaksin's 
"double game."  Thaksin may speak of his faith in the NRC to 
solve the problems of the south, Anand said, but the Prime 
Minister uses his officials and media connections to 
undermine its work.  The Ambassador noted that the issues in 
the region are complex and long-standing.  Anand agreed and 
said that Thaksin does not realize that this problem is more 
ethnic than religious or separatist based and has its roots 
in the region's history.  Instead, Thaksin is playing to 
religious and nationalist feelings of the 95 percent of 
non-Malay Thai.  Anand further accused Thaksin of having a 
"bigoted" view of the southern problem. 
 
3.  (C)  Anand noted that many friends and colleagues had 
warned him in the beginning that accepting the position of 
NRC Head was taking a poisoned chalice -- Thaksin would shift 
problems caused by his own policies to the NRC.  But without 
the NRC addressing the causes of the conflict, Anand said, 
the country would be "haywire" by now.  "We are engaged in a 
damage control exercise on Thaksin's failed approach to the 
region's problems, Anand said.  The King is very worried over 
the situation in the region, Anand added. 
 
4.  (C)  On the other hand, Anand affirmed that the NRC has 
successfully generated a dialogue in the country on the 
situation in the south and educated Thais on the issues, 
especially those who had previously held no opinion on the 
subject.  He also noted that some of the officials dealing 
directly with the problems seem to be getting the NRC,s 
message.  He described Army Commander in Chief Sonthi 
Boonyaratglin and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of 
Justice Pol. Gen. Chidchai Vanasatidya as better than their 
predecessors in coming to grips with the issues in the area. 
"I'm stepping back," Anand said.  "I have spoken out and it's 
time for those on the ground to begin implementing the 
reconciliation process."  Anand added that the Palace, 
spearheaded by Privy Councillors General Surayud Chulanont 
and Palakorn Suwanrath, have been particularly supportive of 
the committee's work and in articulating Palace concerns over 
the government's southern policy. 
 
5.  (C)  In response to the Ambassador's concern that recent 
comments by RTG officials could be construed as a prelude to 
a big crackdown, Anand shrugged and said that if Thaksin is 
determined to go down that road, there is nothing anyone can 
do.  Anand said that he was not unhappy about a recent leak 
of the NRC,s draft resolution (ref. C).  Although he did not 
authorize the release of the document, there was no harm done 
and it was indeed beneficial to put some points out to the 
public.  He added that the form that was released was not 
that of the to-be-completed list of recommendations.  Anand 
said that he hopes to have the final report ready for release 
by the end of January next year. 
 
6.  (C)  Comment:  Anand, no friend of the Prime Minister, 
was especially harsh in his criticism of Thaksin, accusing 
him of hindering through proxy the NRC's work.  In no 
uncertain terms, Anand made it clear that he sees Thaksin as 
a major part of the challenge in easing tensions in the 
southern border provinces.  End comment. 
- 
BOYCE