VZCZCXRO9581
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHKL #0225/01 0920059
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 010059Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA IMMEDIATE 1739
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA IMMEDIATE 2624
INFO RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNS/COMSOCPAC HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0763
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000225
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
S/CT FOR FEIERSTEIN, PALMER, ALLEGRA
EAP FOR ALLAN, KLEINE, WAYMAN, TAYLOR
JIACG FOR WELCH, KOEHR, BAHR, NICHOLSON, NEWELL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PREL ID RP MY
SUBJECT: PREPARATIONS FOR THE TRI-BORDER POLICYMAKERS'
CONFERENCE (T3PC)
REF: A. 7NOV07 RSI-JAKARTA/MANILA/KUALA LUMPUR E-MAIL
B. 7MAR08 RSI-JAKARTA/MANILA/KUALA LUMPUR E-MAIL
1. (SBU) Preparations for a policymakers conference involving
officials from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia are
moving forward. PACOM and S/CT have committed funding for
the event, scheduled to take place May 4-7, 2008 at the
Shangri-La hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The maritime
policy division of Malaysia's National Security Council has
agreed to the U.S.-facilitated event. The tightly focused
conference involving a small number of participants is
intended to promote cross-border cooperation and coordination
between relevant agencies from Indonesia, the Philippines,
and Malaysia in their tri-border operating area. The T3PC
concept includes the involvement of a limited number of
embassy officers with PACOM personnel to facilitate
discussion among the conference delegates.
Why Another Tri-border Conference?
----------------------------------
2. (SBU) Combating transnational crime, including terrorism,
and enhancing regional stability in the tri-border region
require greater awareness, capability and coordination among
the three nations. Three rounds of U.S.-facilitated
conferences for security officials from Indonesia, Malaysia
and the Philippines have forged better communications and
understanding in the tri-border area, and improved prospects
for increased trilateral cooperation over the longer term to
address common threats. While earlier conferences have been
productive, their effectiveness has been diminished at times
by mismatches among the delegations in terms of their rank,
interagency breadth, and depth of knowledge of tri-border
security policies. In addition, in the larger conference
setting, the opportunities for exchanges between policymakers
from the three countries have been limited. To address these
areas, the May Tri-border Policymakers Conference is designed
as a smaller event with opportunities for extensive
interchange between more senior officials who have
responsibilities for aspects of maritime and border security.
This event provides an opportunity to enhance relationships
among officials of the three countries, identify new
opportunities for collaboration, elicit political support for
programs currently in train or being planned for the
tri-border area, and expose a core group of policymakers to
other possibilities for advancing maritime security.
3. (SBU) The draft agenda includes plenary sessions and
breakout groups focused on domain awareness, threats and
trends, security organization development, capacity building,
security policy and practice (refs A and B). The full agenda
will be shared separately.
Action Requested
----------------
4. (SBU) We invite Embassies Jakarta, Manila and Kuala Lumpur
to designate two or three working-level experts on security
forces, ports/borders, and regional security policy. The
teams would meet with PACOM counterparts prior to the
conference, facilitate policymakers' discussion during
break-out sessions, and remain afterward to consolidate
outcomes and coordinate reporting and take-aways. PACOM
funds will pay for the embassy teams' travel, per diem, and
lodging.
5. (SBU) We also invite embassies to recommend delegations
comprised of 5-6 policymakers at the agency Deputy Director
or Under Secretary level representing the 5-6 host government
agencies most deeply involved in issues impacting tri-border
security. By way of comparison, the Malaysian delegation
will likely include representation from the NSC, Joint Forces
HQ, Coast Guard, Marine Police, Customs, and MFA S.E. Asia
Division. Once delegates are recommended, embassies will
have the opportunity to quickly assure that there is
sufficient parity among the three delegations, and if
necessary, make adjustments. When final lists are agreed,
embassies may begin human rights vetting of host nation
officials. Embassies would be asked to extend invitations to
the foreign delegates drawing on stock language that will be
provided separately. Ideally, posts would contact foreign
KUALA LUMP 00000225 002 OF 002
officials and extend invitations one month before the event.
6. (SBU) Please send the names, titles, and organizational
affiliations of recommended delegates and embassy teams by to
Jason Donovan (DonovanJ@state.gov).
KEITH