This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 001521 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM TH TRT
SUBJECT: THAILAND POLITICAL UPDATE MARCH 10: 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton, reason 1.4 (b) (d) 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY: Suspicions fall on a rogue element of the 
military or police in the case of the small explosion at a 
privy councilor's house. Boycotting parties are challenging 
the suspicious candidates they claim have been paid by TRT to 
run.  Civil servants in the tax department are 
surreptitiously checking the PM's tax records looking for 
transgressions to leak to the opposition.  Planning for the 
next round of demonstrations continues.  End summary. 
 
BOMBING AT PRIVY COUNCILOR'S HOUSE -- CUI BONO? 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2.  (C) Most contacts, including those in the military, seem 
to believe that rogue military or police officers were behind 
the small explosion at the house of revered Privy Councilor 
Prem Tinsulanonda on Thursday. The argument is that some 
elements in the military who support PM Thaksin believe that 
the perception of dangerous disorder would give the military 
an excuse to intervene, shut down the opposition protests, 
and appeal to the King to endorse the April 2 elections and 
therefore support Thaksin.  Several opposition politicians 
told us on March 10 that the act could be an effort by some 
on the government side to justify imposition of the Emergency 
Decree that was adopted last year, and so far been applied 
only in the South.  (Comment: we still see no evidence of 
planned military intervention.  However, tensions are 
increasing and this mysterious bombing certainly raises 
everyone's level of concern.  End comment.) 
 
THAI RAK THAI WORKING HARD 
-------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C)  During lunch on March 10, opposition Chart Thai (CT) 
party MP (and son of Chart Thai leader Barnharn Silpa-archa) 
Warawut Silpa-archa, said that there are six candidates for 
his constituency seat in Suphan Buri, in contrast to his one 
opponent in last year's election.  Warawut complained that 
these individuals were obviously ringers hired by the TRT to 
furnish an opposition for its candidate, due to the national 
opposition parties' boycott of the elections. (See Bangkok 
1475 for an explanation of why it is so important for TRT to 
have at least one opposition candidate in constituencies 
where it is weakest.)   Warawut said that despite the 
susceptibility of these candidates to legal challenge he 
expects that Thaksin will manipulate the election process 
successfully and the full 500 seat Parliament will convene 
within 30 days of the polls as constitutionally mandated. 
(Warawut claimed that one candidate slipped and admitted to a 
TV interviewer that he had backdated party membership 
document.  The press is full of similar colorful stories.) 
Warawut also said that some of his pals in TRT are unhappy 
with the PM, since he is jeopardizing the whole party for his 
personal interests. 
 
CIVIL SERVICE OUT TO GET THAKSIN? 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C)  A high-ranking civil servant in the Ministry of 
Finance told us that the employees in the Revenue Department 
were busy combing through Thaksin's tax records looking for 
dirt to leak to the opposition.  He also confirmed that some 
civil servants were wearing black on designated days to show 
their opposition to the PM.  Contacts in the MFA has also 
confirmed that some employees there are participating in this 
action. 
 
DEMONSTRATION ISSUES 
-------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) A contact in the military who is also Chairman of the 
Bangkok Mass Transit Authority said he was ordered to have 
several thousand buses in standby mode during the upcoming 
demonstrations. These are to rapidly evacuate a massive crowd 
from the city center if the situation deteriorates. He told 
us he had several thousand bus drivers with their buses 
standing by throughout last weekend. No one had made 
allowances for the overtime pay this extra effort would 
require, so he paid for them out of his "Chairman's Fund"  of 
500,000 baht. 
 
 
 
 
BOYCE