VZCZCXRO0332
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHBK #0082 0050951
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 050951Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3798
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 3447
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 8689
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI PRIORITY 2894
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS BANGKOK 000082 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR P, EAP, EB 
NSC FOR MORROW 
TREASURY FOR OASIA 
COMMERCE FOR EAP/MAC/OKSA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON TH
SUBJECT: LEGISLATOR OFFERS TO HELP SPREAD USG VIEWS 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) On January 5, Dr. Vachara Phanchet, a member of the 
National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and Secretary of its 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, called on the Ambassador 
seeking cooperation between his committee and the Embassy on 
issues including trade and restoring Thailand's reputation in 
the wake of the September coup.The Ambassador welcomed the 
opportunity to keep channels of communication open but 
bluntly advised that the current government must closely 
adhere to its schedule for restoring democracy and 
immediately lift martial law as it has repeatedly pledged to 
do. Vachara acknowledged that the regime has sometimes failed 
to "meet words with actions" but added that Privy Council 
President Prem Tinsulanonda "wants to see everything go as 
planned." Vachara did not make any attempt to defend martial 
law. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Vachara said that Prem believes that additional 
economic ministers need to be named. This would mean that 
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pridiyathorn 
Devakula would likely lose his position as Finance chief. 
Vachara complained that Pridiyathorn visited the NLA after 
the crash in the stock market following the December 18 
application of strict capital controls "unrepentant for his 
mistake."   When we expressed our concern about proposed 
amendments to the Foreign Business Act, Vachara claimed that 
the NLA "will stop them just as we stopped the attempt to 
continue the national lottery." 
 
¶3. (SBU) Comment: Vachara is a wealthy (chairman of the 
Sittipol Group, joint venture partner in Thailand with 
Mitsubishi Motors), young (he pointed out that he is the 
"fourth youngest" NLA member) former Vice Minister of Public 
Health during the Thaksin regime. He was anxious to let us 
know that he speaks regularly with Prem and PM Surayudh (whom 
he says he is seeing tonight) and is open to USG views 
including the necessity of lifting marital law and holding 
elections as soon as possible. He invited embassy officers to 
meet with his committee whenever we have any issues we think 
the NLA should consider. While he is probably not as 
important as he thinks he is, we will avail ourselves of his 
offer to help disseminate our views. 
BOYCE