VZCZCXRO1953
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHBK #1690/01 0810310
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 220310Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5741
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHMBRA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI
RHOVVKG/COMSEVENTHFLT
RULSJGI/COGARD INTELCOORDCEN WASHDC
RULSJGA/COMDT COGARD WASHDC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHFJSCC/COMMARFORPAC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 001690 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER MARR SCNV TH
SUBJECT: THAILAND: WHO NEEDS A COAST GUARD? 
 
REF: BANGKOK 01676 (MARITIME SECURITY) 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Susan Sutton, reason 1.4 (b) and (d) 
. 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) The lack of a single organization that represents the 
Coast Guard mission hinders Thailand's ability to safeguard 
its coastline and collaborate with other countries.  Factors 
impeding the development of a Thai Coast Guard with effective 
interagency coordination include stove-pipes, "rice bowls" 
and bureaucratic inertia.  Culturally the people are 
struggling to understand the importance of changing the 
status-quo to add yet another government agency.  Although 
Thailand has established cooperation with Japan and United 
States Coast Guards, the absence of a Thai Coast Guard makes 
coordination inefficient.  End Summary. 
 
 
COAST GUARD 
----------- 
 
¶2. (C) A Thai Coast Guard has long been regarded as essential 
in preventing and suppressing terrorism, transnational 
crimes, piracy, illegal arms trade, human trafficking, abuse 
of maritime resources and other illegal activities. Recent 
Thai Scholars studying abroad at the United States National 
War College produced nine papers on the need for a Thai Coast 
Guard, according to CAPT Somchai Choksaenguan--instructor at 
Thai Army War College.  While these authors believe in the 
development of a Thai Coast Guard, they recognize the 
challenges of competing interest among existing 
organizations, lack of resources, and difficulty in 
attracting good recruits. 
 
¶3. (C) Somnuck Sakavanich--Director of Thailand's Marine 
Harbor Division--when confronted with exploring how to 
develop a Thai Coast Guard, rhetorically asks "how are we 
going to recruit good troops with our existing manpower 
shortage?"  In concept, the authorities think a Thai Coast 
Guard makes sense but when officers at all levels are asked 
if they would join the Coast Guard the answer has 
overwhelmingly been no, according to Somnuck.  Recruitment of 
existing Royal Thai Navy (RTN) and police officers already 
proved futile when Somnuck solicited interest in the Coast 
Guard. Their response--"it is not prestigious to be in the 
Coast Guard."  Additionally, the Thais are resistant to 
adding another government agency and dealing with change. 
 
MARITIME ENFORCEMENT AND COORDINATION CENTER (MECC) 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶4. (C) Instead of a Coast Guard, the National Security 
Council has set up the MECC to oversee the prevention of 
maritime terrorism. The RTN through the MECC acts as the 
coordinating organization of the four MECC agencies--Marine 
Police, Customs Department, Fishery and Agricultural 
Department and Harbor Department.  This organization 
functions in the aggregate as a Coast Guard but not as a 
single-structure agency.  These agencies have varying 
responsibilities to engage in maritime activities to a point 
but are restricted in their authority.  Therefore, the 
ability to execute efficient and effective outcomes are 
restricted due to stovepipes and the underdeveloped 
interagency process.  Separate organizational budgets and 
credit-sharing contribute to the inefficiency.  To help in 
the division of labor and focus, the RTN currently divides 
Thailand into three zones which match the RTN operational 
control infrastructure of responsibility. Zone One under the 
responsibility of the First Naval Area Command, located in 
Sattahip, is in charge of the upper part of the Gulf of 
Thailand.  Zone Two under the responsibility of Second Naval 
Area Command, located in Songkla Province, is in charge of 
the lower part of the Gulf of Thailand.  Zone Three under the 
responsibility of Third Naval Area Command, located in Phuket 
Province, is in charge of the Andaman Sea. 
 
¶5. (C) Somnuck noted the RTN has the duty to protect the 
national interest at sea in close conjunction with the five 
MECC agencies.  The RTN has combined its efforts with other 
 
BANGKOK 00001690  002 OF 002 
 
 
governmental agencies by means of workshops and scenario 
exercises for exchange of knowledge to promote working a 
relationship for future operability, and also to conduct 
bilateral and multilateral naval exercises with other 
countries. 
 
¶6. (C) Looking internationally, the Thai MECC works with the 
Japanese Coast Guard and United States Coast Guard but lacks 
the skill-sets to integrate their structures into a Thai 
architecture. Despite the lack of a sister Coast Guard 
structure, Thailand is working with Japan to support the 
International Maritime Objectives (IMO) in an initiative to 
pair developed countries with undeveloped countries to 
support state security. 
 
¶7. (C) COMMENT: The reality of MECC's structure and the 
divided responsibilities between the RTN, Marine Police, 
Customs Department, Fishery and Agricultural Department and 
Harbor Department means that we do not have a clear partner 
to work with on maritime security.  For USG officially to 
work with Thailand on matters of coastline security, all five 
agencies need to be engaged collectively to acquire complete 
and accurate information. 
BOYCE