VZCZCXRO6478
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHBK #2595/01 2820935
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 090935Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8571
RHMFIUU/US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION WASHINGTON DC
RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUCNEXC/EXPORT CONTROL AND RELATED BORDER SECURITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJL/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 002595
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC JFRIEDMAN, ACHURCH, ROWEN, LSPRINGER,
EAP/MLS DSMITH, MFORINO, AWEST
CBP/INA FOR BMCCRAY
DEPT OF ENERGY FOR NNSA TPERRY
AMEMBASSY HANOI FOR JBOCKLAGE
AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR FOR MMCNAMARA
AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH FOR MSWEENEY
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC KNNP KSTC MNUC PARM PREL TH VN CB CH
SUBJECT: EXBS: THAILAND/VIETNAM/CAMBODIA ADVISOR MONTHLY
REPORTING CABLE - SEPTEMBER 2009
BANGKOK 00002595 001.2 OF 002
SUMMARY
1. (U) Commonwealth Trading Partners (CTP) conducted an
Anti-Corruption and Integrity Awareness Workshop in Thailand,
Sep. 14-15. Advisor conducted meetings with post and
Vietnamese officials in Hanoi and a visit to Lao Cai border
crossing, Sep. 21-25. Advisor met with officials from
Thailand's senior civil service training institute to discuss
organizational codes of conduct on Sep. 29. EXBS continues
to assist DEA in transferring chemical analysis equipment to
Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security. Advisor conducted
consultations in Washington, D.C., Aug. 31-Sept. 1.
SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS
2. (U) Advisor and Program Assistant visited Lao Cai border
crossing, Sep. 22-23. Lao Cai is Vietnam's main border
crossing into Yunnan, China. Customs officials told us that
in 2008, 644 thousand tons of imported goods and 499 thousand
tons of exported goods passed through the crossing station.
Commodities are mostly consumer goods. Volume is expected to
increase significantly over the next few years as the
Kunming-Haiphong highway is completed. As China will more
feasibly be able to export for the global market from this
region, it's likely that dual-use commodities will also begin
to flow through this point. This would also increase the
utility of a Megaports facility at Haiphong. Border Army
officials said they were using a set of EXBS-provided night
vision binoculars in the district, and had a significant list
of additional desired equipment. This list can be refined
during upcoming training seminars.
3. (U) Advisor met with the Vice Director and other officials
from Vietnam's Forensic Science Institute on Sep. 25. The
Forensic Institute is part of the Ministry of Public
Security. Although the Institute has worked with DEA for
some time, this was their first exposure to the EXBS program.
Advisor briefed officials on EXBS objectives and activities,
and then updated them on efforts to transfer surplus chemical
analysis equipment (gas chromatography - mass spectrometry)
from DEA to the Institute, including installation and
technical training. One of the officials had previously
trained on this equipment in the U.S. Institute officials
agreed that this equipment would be useful in analyzing
suspected WMD compounds, and agreed to work closely with
Customs and other agencies in doing so.
4. (U) Advisor briefed officials from the Vietnamese General
Department of Customs on proposed FY10 EXBS activities.
Officials expressed their appreciation for the excellent
training received at RADACAD in July, and agreed that the
proposed FY10 program seemed logical and useful. They will
examine the proposals in more detail and provide any
additional comments as soon as possible. They also commented
that they have found the material presented in past workshops
very useful, and suggested that it be stored on a website to
facilitate wider distribution. This would be particularly
useful for briefing superiors and other high-level policy
officials, as well as enforcement officers at remote border
locations.
5. (U) Advisor participated in embassy Hanoi's Maritime
Security Working Group on Sep. 25. Advisor discussed the
upcoming USCG Boarding Officer Course for the Marine Police,
and described other maritime law enforcement training with
Thailand and Cambodia. Advisor solicited suggestions for
future multilateral training events to facilitate greater
regional maritime cooperation.
6. (U) Advisor and the Asia Regional Anti-Corruption Advisor
from the American Bar Association (ABA) met with officials
from King Prajadhipok's Institute (KPI), Thailand's senior
civil service training facility, on Sep. 29. The meeting had
been requested by KPI following the EXBS Anti-Corruption
BANGKOK 00002595 002.2 OF 002
Workshop (see below) to provide more detailed information
regarding organizational codes of conduct. Officials agreed
that it might be useful for KPI to revise its code in
accordance with international best practices, which could
then be used as a model for other organizations in the Thai
bureaucracy. Officials agreed to brief KPI senior management
on this proposal, and to follow-up with a request for
additional assistance as necessary.
TRAINING CONDUCTED
7. (U) Commonwealth Trading Partners (CTP) conducted an
Anti-Corruption and Integrity Awareness Workshop in Thailand,
Sep. 14-15. The workshop was hosted by King Prajadhipok's
Institute, with additional presentations by the Thai National
Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), the Regional
Anti-Corruption Advisor of the American Bar Association and
post's Resident Legal Advisor from the Department of Justice.
Fifty-two officials from several government and private
organizations attended, including the NACC, KPI, Public
Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), Office of the
Auditor General, and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO).
KPI, AMLO and Customs officials expressed interest in
additional assistance; Advisor will follow-up.
EQUIPMENT DELIVERED
8. (U) Advisor delivered 19 personal radiation detectors to
Thai Customs on Oct. 8 (documents forwarded separately).
IMMINENT TRAINING/EQUIPMENT UPDATE
9. (U) U.S. Coast Guard will conduct WMD Boarding Officer
Courses for the Vietnamese Marine Police in Haiphong and Phu
Quoc, Oct. 12-23. Distribution of radiation pagers will
occur during the course so that user training can be
conducted concurrently. CTP will conduct a UNSCR 1540
Implementation Workshop in Phnom Penh, Oct. 14-16.
DOE/INECP will conduct an Industry Outreach Seminar with the
Thai Ministry of Commerce on Oct. 21. They will also conduct
follow-up meetings concerning establishment of national
Commodity Identification Training with Thai Customs and the
Police on Oct. 22.
10. (U) Other pending actions include the final phase of
Vietnam's Tracker Demonstration Project and a visit by
Vietnamese officials to Korea for briefings on the YesTrade
export control system.
SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS
11. (U) None.
12. (U) Points of contact for the EXBS Program are: William
Comley, Regional Advisor, comleywa@state.gov, (66-2)
205-4621; Kamolrat Chotesungnoen (Dao), Thai Program
Assistant, Kamolrat@state.gov, (66-2) 205-4403; Nguyen Thi
Huong Giang, Vietnam Program Assistant, NguyenGH@state.gov,
(84-4) 3850-6241.
ENTWISTLE