VZCZCXRO9668
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHBK #2842/01 3090936
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 050936Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8850
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE 2169
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 002842 
 
SIPDIS 
 
GENEVA FOR RMA 
DEPT FOR PRM/ANE AND PRM/A; EAP/MLS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2019 
TAGS: PREF PHUM SMIG TH LA
SUBJECT: THAILAND AND LAO HMONG: PM ABHISIT PUSHES 
TRANSPARENCY, FM KASIT CONFIRMS NO LARGE SCALE RETURNS SOON 
 
REF: BANGKOK 2724 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission James F. Entwistle, reasons  1.4 
 (b) and (d) 
 
 ¶1. (C) Summary.  During a November 5 call by Peace Corps 
Director Aaron Williams on Prime Minister Abhisit, the 
Ambassador raised concerns regarding Lao Hmong in Petchabun 
and stressed the need for transparent processing of the 
"screened-in" Hmong.  PM Abhisit told the Ambassador that he 
had pushed for transparency for the Hmong during a meeting 
with Lao counterpart on the margins of the recent October 
23-25 ASEAN Summit.  EAP Deputy Assistant Secretary Scot 
Marciel and the DCM stressed during a separate November 5 
meeting with Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya that it was 
important to insure fair and transparent treatment for the 
Hmong, particularly for those "screened-in."  The Foreign 
Minister said that PM Abhisit and the Lao PM, and his own 
meeting with the Lao FM, had agreed that the Hmong could not 
all be returned by the end of the year and assured DAS 
Marciel that RTARF would not attempt to hurriedly return the 
Hmong as RTARF had proposed to us last week (reftel).  End 
summary. 
 
PRIME MINISTER PUSHES TRANSPARENCY 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C)  During visiting Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams' 
November 5 call on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, which 
centered on the Peace Corps Thailand's role in strong 
bilateral relations (septel), the Ambassador raised RTG plans 
for expediting the return of Lao Hmong in Petchabun  to Laos 
(reftel).  The Ambassador stressed the importance of 
expeditious and transparent processing of the "screened-in" 
Hmong, with a goal of third-country resettlement, and 
therefore the need to conduct as much of this processing as 
possible within Thailand prior to a return of the Hmong to 
Laos.  The Ambassador also emphasized to the Prime Minister 
the need to provide the USG with a list of the "screened-in" 
Hmong.  The Ambassador underscored our desire to assist the 
Thai government as it coordinated with non-governmental 
organizations resettlement of the Hmong to other countries. 
 
¶3. (C) PM Abhisit took the Ambassador's points on board, 
replying that while he understood that it would not be 
practical to "just send them back," the RTG had already 
delayed action on this issue for one year.  Abhisit explained 
that he had pushed for transparency for Hmong who were 
returned to Laos during a meeting with Lao Prime Minister 
Bouasone Bouphavanh at the October 23-25 ASEAN Summit. 
 
FM SAYS CONFIRMS NO LARGE SCALE RETURNS SOON 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) During a separate November 5 meeting with Foreign 
Minister Kasit Piromya to discuss Burma, EAP Deputy Assistant 
Secretary Scot Marciel also raised RTG plans for the more 
than 4,000 Lao Hmong in Petchabun.  DAS Marciel stressed to 
the Foreign Minister that it was important to insure that the 
Hmong were treated fairly and those who were returned did not 
fear for their safety.  The DCM told FM Kasit that the 
Embassy had been dismayed to learn October 26 from Royal Thai 
Armed Forces (RTARF) Director of Border Affairs LTG Nipat 
Thonglek that plans had been made to deport all the Hmong to 
Laos in early November.  That said, Refcoord and visiting PRM 
Director Elizabeth Hopkins  had received a much more positive 
signal November 4 from MFA and RTARF officials who had 
explained that the RTG did not intend to return the Hmong 
soon.  It was important for the U.S., the RTG, and other 
members of the international community to work together to 
find a solution for those Hmong who cannot safely return to 
Laos, both those in Nong Khai and those in Phetchabun who had 
been "screened-in" by the RTG, the DCM stressed.  The DCM 
also told Kasit that the USG would try to continue to fund 
NGO activities in Petchabun through April 30, as RTARF has 
requested. 
 
¶5. (C) FM Kasit confirmed for DAS Marciel and the DCM that 
the Thai and Lao PMs, and separately the FMs, had agreed 
during their meetings at the ASEAN Summit to push back the 
bilaterally agreed-upon deadline from the end of this year 
for return of the Hmong, due to absorption rate concerns. 
 
BANGKOK 00002842  002 OF 002 
 
 
The RTARF understood these commitments, Kasit said, and would 
not try to move all the Hmong by the end of the year.  FM 
Kasit also stressed the need for transparency and the 
involvement of the IOM. 
 
¶6. (C) FM Kasit noted he had met a group of Wisconsin and 
Minnesota-based Hmong in the late summer and had encouraged 
them to initiate projects that would improve the lives of 
Hmong in Laos, suggesting that Thailand could also contribute 
to such projects.  This would help to address factors that 
had led the Hmong to flee to Thailand, Kasit said.  Kasit had 
raised this idea with Lao FM Thongloun Sisoulith in their 
meeting on the margins of the ASEAN summit; the Lao FM in 
reply had emphasized the difficulty that would arise if 
foreign assistance was seen as being directed towards only 
the Hmong, suggesting it was better to promote wide-ranging 
development in Laos.  Kasit hoped to meet again soon with 
U.S.-based Hmong representatives in order to further explore 
this idea.  The Lao FM had also assured equal treatment to 
the Hmong, including passport issuances, Kasit added. 
JOHN