This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS BANGKOK 001760
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR S/CT, EAP/BCLTV
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PGOV ASEC KFRD TH KRCM TIP
SUBJECT: TIP/PISCES UPDATE
REF: (A) 03 BANGKOK 4051 (B) 04 BANGKOK 8783
1. (SBU) Summary: Washington-based Terrorist Interdiction
Program(TIP)/PISCES Director Keith McCoy and Program Officer
Julie Reynolds along with PISCES Thailand Coordinator Tang
Penland met with Thai Immigration Bureau and National
Security Council (NSC) officials February 20-25 to discuss
the future scope of the PISCES border control management
system in Thailand. The parties agreed to incorporate
additional features into the PISCES system, to discuss
incorporating other features, and to modify target delivery
dates. Initial installation at Thailand's three major
airports is scheduled for May 2005, installation at 14
border points currently using an Office of the Narcotics
Control Board (ONCB) system by November 2005, and the
remaining 39 ports of entry completed by December 2006. End
Summary.
2. (SBU) Immigration Bureau (IB) Commissioner Amarin
Niemskul advised the PISCES team members February 24 that
the IB had decided to cancel its existing contract with a
local Thai company which was to develop a duplicative system
similar to PISCES (discussed Ref A). Prior to the
cancellation of the local contract, PISCES development and
installation was to occur in two phases. Phase I would
include the full PISCES system installed at Thailand's three
major airports. However, during Phase II (installation at
the remaining border points), the Thai system to be
developed under the separate contract was to be primary,
with PISCES only supplying certain add-on components such as
fingerprint scanners and document readers.
3. (SBU) While the scope of the cancelled contract was to
provide system applications similar to PISCES, it also
called for development of tangentially related back-office
functions that were not part of the PISCES package.
Commissioner Amarin provided the PISCES team with a
prioritized list of 28 system applications that were to have
been developed under the local contract and requested that
these features now be incorporated into the PISCES scope of
work. The PISCES team noted that seven of the 28
applications were core to immigration processing and already
incorporated in the PISCES design for Phase I (airports).
With the cancellation of the local contract, the PISCES team
agreed that those seven software applications plus the
necessary hardware would be provided at the remaining ports
of entry under Phase II.
4. (SBU) The PISCES team further agreed to consider
developing some or all of the additional 21 software
applications not directly linked to basic immigration
processing that had been slated for development under the
cancelled local contract. The PISCES program team agreed to
send technical personnel to Bangkok within the next two
months for detailed discussion on design aspects of the
additional system features. The parties agreed that
applications deemed tangential to the principal PISCES
function may be developed separately with an interface
linking them to the core border management application.
5. (SBU) The parties also discussed and revised future
PISCES installation target dates. The parties agreed to
extend the target date for Phase I (airports) installation
by two months to May 2005. The parties further agreed to
divide Phase II - the remaining border points - into two
parts, thereby creating Phase II and Phase III. The new
Phase II, to be completed by November 2005, includes 14
sites that currently operate a border control system
developed by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board
(ONCB). The new Phase III includes the remaining 39 border
points. Phase III sites are scheduled for completion by
December 2006. The additional tangential system functions
are anticipated to be completed for Phase II installation,
at which time they will also be added to the already
installed Phase I airport sites.
6. (SBU) The PISCES team briefed NSC Secretary General
Winai Phattiyakul on the above developments. General Winai
continues to be actively engaged in monitoring the progress
of the PISCES project and has repeatedly provided positive
influence in overcoming negotiation stumbling blocks.
BOYCE