US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK7454

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 007454 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/BCLTV, INR/B 
PACOM FOR FPA (HUSO) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PTER, TH, Southern Thailand 
SUBJECT: SOUTHERN VIOLENCE: AMBASSADOR CALLS ON PRIVY 
COUNSELOR PALAKORN 
 
REF: BANGKOK 5503 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce. Reason 1.4 (b,d) 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY: Ambassador called on Privy Counselor 
Palakorn Suanrath to discuss the situation in southern 
Thailand.  Palakorn -- who served as director of the Southern 
Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC) prior to its 
2002 dissolution by Prime Minister Thaksin -- is known to be 
a close advisor to the royal family on the South.  Palakorn 
believes Thaksin's decision to give the police primacy in the 
South -- coupled with a personal lack of understanding of the 
situation -- has exacerbated the violence in the region.  He 
emphasized the ethnic rather than religious nature of the 
conflict.  Palakorn was dismissive of the National 
Reconciliation Commission and said efforts to establish a 
dialogue with separatist groups would likely end in failure. 
Ambassador expressed serious concern over past 
"disappearances" and rumors that the government might use 
extra-judicial killings (EJKs) to target suspected militants. 
 END SUMMARY 
 
2.  (C)  On November 30 Ambassador called on Privy Counselor 
Palakorn Suanrath.  Palakorn -- who served as director of the 
Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC) from 
1997 to 2001 -- is known to be a close advisor to the royal 
family on the South and travels with the Queen to the region 
during her annual visits (NOTE: Biographic information 
attached. END NOTE). 
 
THAKSIN MISSTEPS FUEL THE PROBLEM 
-------------------------------- 
 
3.  (C)  Palakorn said that Thaksin's decision to give the 
police primacy in the South shortly after taking office in 
2001, coupled with a lack of understanding of the historical 
factors, has exacerbated the violence in the region (reftel). 
 He lamented that Thaksin had ignored the successful policies 
created in the 1980s by then Prime Minister Prem and 
characterized Thaksin's dissolution of the highly successful 
SBPAC and the combined Civilian, Military, and Police command 
(CMP-43) in April 2002 as the "turning point" in the unrest. 
Thaksin's advisors convinced him that the joint commands were 
"Democrat Party institutions," which could not be trusted. 
Palakorn expressed concern that Thaksin was still not getting 
reliable information on the situation from his senior 
advisors. 
 
CONCERN OVER DISAPPEARANCES 
------------------------- 
 
4.  (C)  Palakorn said that Thaksin's decision in 2001 to 
appoint Police General Sant Sarutanond as Police 
Commissioner-General was another turning point in the 
southern situation; "that's when people started to 
disappear."  He believes that General Sant was directly 
involved in the disappearance of prominent Muslim lawyer 
Somchai Neelapaiji in March 2004 and that Thaksin either 
approved the operation, or was at least aware that government 
agents would carry it out. 
 
5.  (C)  Ambassador strongly emphasized USG concern over this 
and other reported cases of disappearances.  He expressed 
deep unease over recent speculation that that RTG planned to 
take a more aggressive approach to the South, potentially 
leading to EJKs of suspected militants.  Palakorn said he had 
also "heard these reports," but indicated that specific 
concern over Interior Minister Chitchai's involvement in 
ordering such operations may be overstated.  He opined that 
Chitchai, while an advocate of harder measures, understood 
the potential negative ramifications of EJKs and was looking 
at several different approaches to dealing with suspected 
militants. 
 
6.  (C)  Palakorn believes that General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, 
the recently appointed Thai Army commander, will not have a 
significant impact on southern policy.  Many had hoped that 
Sonthi, a Muslim, would act as a moderating influence. 
However, Sonthi -- who is "a Bangkok Muslim" -- has little 
experience in the South and does not have special access or 
influence. 
 
NO END TO VIOLENCE WHILE THAKSIN IN POWER 
----------------------------------------- 
 
7.  (C) Palakorn opined that it was possible to reduce the 
intensity of the conflict in the South to the levels seen 
over the previous twenty years, i.e. prior to 2004.  However, 
he indicated that this process would probably take years, and 
would not happen until Thaksin was out of office.  He 
emphasized how much antipathy many southern Muslims feel 
toward Thaksin and the Thai police.  He also noted that it 
would take some time for the majority of "insurgent cells" -- 
made up primarily of young men -- to break up. 
 
THAILAND'S TROUBLED RELATIONSHIP WITH MALAYSIA 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
8.  (C)  Palakorn indicated that former Malaysian Prime 
Minister Mahathir's visit to Thailand on November 21 and 22 
was considered a success by the royal family, but that 
Thaksin's relationship with his Malaysian counterparts 
remained troubled.  He noted that Thaksin blamed Malaysian 
Prime Minister Badawi for not cooperating with RTG efforts on 
the South.  However, Thaksin himself had made little effort 
to reach out to Badawi and failed to understand Malaysian 
concerns over the situation. 
 
DIALOGUE WITH SEPARATISTS WILL NOT PRODUCE RESULTS 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
9.  (C)  Palakorn said it would not be possible for the RTG 
to establish a meaningful dialogue with leading separatist 
groups.  He said that recent reports that the RTG was quietly 
reaching out to the Barasi Revolusi Nasional Coordinate 
(BRN-C) and other separatist groups -- while likely true -- 
would not prove successful. (NOTE: septel will report on RTG 
exploratory talks with separatist groups. END NOTE) He said 
that in the past the RTG had limited success in setting up 
informal talks in Malaysia with separatist leaders.  However, 
given the personal animosity felt towards Thaksin by the 
militants and the fractured relationship with Malaysia, a 
similar rapprochement was unlikely. 
 
LOW EXPECTATIONS FROM THE NRC 
----------------------------- 
 
10.  (C)  Palakorn said he has very low expectations for the 
National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) and questioned 
whether its chairman -- former Prime Minister Anand 
Panyarachun -- understood the South well enough to present 
recommendations that would ameliorate the situation. 
Moreover, while Anand intends to finish the commission's work 
he feels that he has been "set up" by Thaksin and that the 
government has little intention of following his 
recommendations. 
 
QUEEN REMAINS FOCUSED ON PLIGHT OF SOUTHERN BUDDHISTS 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
11.  (C)  Palakorn accompanied the Queen during her recently 
completed month-long annual visit to the South.  She is 
"saddened" by the extreme security measures in place for her 
when she is in the region -- she only travels by helicopter 
-- and feels she has been "cut off" from the local populace. 
He indicated that the Queen remains concerned about "innocent 
Buddhists" hurt in the conflict.  The Ambassador asked if she 
was also concerned about Muslim victims of the violence. 
Palakorn respond that "until a few months ago 99 percent of 
the victims were Buddhists." (NOTE: Our information suggest 
that while a majority of victims are Buddhists, a significant 
number are Muslims. END NOTE) 
 
SITUATION IS LOCAL/ETHNIC NOT INTERNATIONAL/RELIGIOUS 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
12.  (C)  Palakorn emphasized that the conflict in the South 
remained primarily based on ethnicity and not on religion, 
and that the sense of Malay identity, rather than Islam, 
remains the core factor in the unrest.  He noted that 
following the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, there 
were greater calls for Islamic solidarity in the South, but 
this remains a secondary factor in the conflict.  He 
emphasized that there are no indications of direct outside 
involvement in the South. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
13.  (C)  Palakorn offers a rare glimpse of the royal 
family's views on both the southern situation and Thaksin. 
Palakorn indicated that the King was carefully considering 
how to address the South in his birthday remarks, set to be 
delivered on December 4.  The speculation from such a well 
placed and high-level source that Prime Minister Thaksin 
might have been aware of the planned disappearance of the 
lawyer Somchai is troubling.  Post will continue to 
forcefully advocate at all levels strong U.S. views about 
respect for human rights in the South. END COMMENT 
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: PALAKORN SUWANRATH 
------------------------------------- 
 
14.  (C)  Privy Counselor Palakorn Suwanrath was born on July 
14, 1948, in Bangkok, to a prominent family.  His father, 
Phuang, was a well respected technocrat who worked 
extensively with the royal family.  Palakorn spent his early 
life in Songkhla, where his father was posted, before moving 
to Bangkok to pursue his secondary education.  He obtained a 
BA in political science from Chulalongkorn University and a 
MA in political science from Ohio University.  He attended 
the National Defense College in 1994. 
 
15.  (U)  In 1973 Palakorn became a career Ministry of 
Interior (MOI) officer, starting in the Policy and Planning 
Bureau.  He worked his way through the ranks, eventually 
becoming the Vice Governor of Satun in 1989 and Vice Governor 
of Prachuap Khirikhan in 1991.  Palakorn became Governor of 
Pattani in 1992 and Chiang Mai in 1996. 
 
16.  (U)  In December 1997, he was appointed Director of the 
now-defunct Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center 
(SBPAC), located in Yala, while serving concurrently as 
Deputy Perm-Sec at MOI. 
 
17.  (U)  Beside his Interior posts, Palakorn has also served 
as a board member of the Expressway and Rapid Transit 
Authority of Thailand, Chairman of the Executive Board of the 
Metropolitan Electricity Authority, Chairman of the Executive 
Board of the Provincial Electricity Authority, and as a board 
member of the Electricity-Generating Authority of Thailand 
(EGAT) and the Government Savings Bank. 
 
18.  (C)  On July 18, 2001, Palakorn resigned his position at 
the SBPAC -- 7 years before his slated retirement.  The 
following day he was appointed Privy Counselor by the King. 
At that time there was widespread public speculation that he 
was forced to resign because of conflicts over the handling 
of the southern situation with then Interior Minister 
Purachai Piamsombun and Prime Minister Thaksin.  Most 
observers saw his immediate appointment to the Privy Council 
as a sign of the King's displeasure with Thaksin.  However, 
Palakorn told the Ambassador that this was not the case.  He 
said during his father's funeral in April 2001 the King 
informed him that he would be given a "special position" in 
the future.  Palakorn says he was tapped to join the Privy 
Council on July 9, 2001, obligating him to resign immediately 
from the MOI.  Palakorn explained that his current position 
on the Privy Council precluded him from talking publicly 
about the timing of his appointment, which fed speculation 
that the appointment was a deliberate slap at Thaksin by the 
King. 
 
19.  (C)  Palakorn is married to Khunying Dhasaniya; they 
have a grown son. END BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 
BOYCE