VZCZCXRO4213
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHBD #0203/01 1980217
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 170217Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3876
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RULSJGA/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000203 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR CA/VO, EAP/MTS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2017 
TAGS: CVIS CMGT CPAS KFRD PREL PINR BX
SUBJECT: BRUNEI (ALMOST) READY TO SIGN TERRORIST SCREENING 
INFO SHARING MOU 
 
REF: A. FRIEDMAN-FRELICK E-MAILS OF 6/27 AND PREVIOUS 
     ¶B. STATE 83571 
     ¶C. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 69 
 
Classified By: DCM Justin Friedman, reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (C) The GoB is ready to sign an HSPD-6 Memorandum of 
Understanding to share terrorist screening information with 
the USG.  The Foreign Ministry is looking to a high level 
meeting as a hook to push the Brunei bureaucracy to give 
approval to the text as it currently stands.  The GoB says it 
is still on track to begin issuing new e-passports in 
September to bring it back into full compliance with Visa 
Waiver Program requirements.  The new passports will also 
address a current weakness in tracking lost & stolen 
passports (LASP).  Brunei would prefer to share LASP data 
informally with the USG via its Washington Embassy.  Post 
recommends we delay a formal request for LASP sharing until 
after an HSPD-6 MoU is signed to avoid overloading the GOB 
bureaucracy and so further delaying an HSPD-6 agreement.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------- 
HSPD-6 MOU Text at Ad Ref 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) DCM negotiated an ad ref text of an HSPD-6 Memorandum 
of Understanding (MoU) with the GoB on June 27 (ref A). 
The GoB interagency team consisting of representatives from 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MoFAT), the MoFAT 
Research Department (external intelligence and analytical 
service), Internal Security Department (internal intelligence 
service), Police, Immigration Department, and Attorney 
General's Chambers agreed to the final USG changes and will 
soon provide us with a cleaned up document for final 
Washington review. 
 
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NEED A HOOK TO SIGN 
------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) On July 3, Dato Shofry Ghafor, the dual-hatted 
Permanent Secretary of MoFAT and Director of the Research 
Department told the Ambassador that he had been able to move 
the sluggish Brunei bureaucracy forward on the MoU based on 
the deadline of the on-again, off-again meeting between 
President Bush and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.  (At this time no 
such meeting is on the schedule.)  Shofry cautioned that 
without the deadline of some kind of high-level meeting, it 
would be difficult for him to push the Attorney General's 
Chambers to give final clearance on the ad ref text. 
 
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E-PASSPORT COMING 
----------------- 
 
¶4. (U) During the negotiations for the MoU, the GoB confirmed 
that it is still on track to begin issuing e-passports in 
September of this year (ref C).  Assistant Director of the 
Immigration Department Azmi Hafneh told DCM that the new 
passports would have unique passport numbers, a change from 
the old practice of using the Brunei citizen's personal 
identity card (IC) number as his/her passport number.  This 
old system created confusion when dealing with lost and 
stolen passports as the new passports would have the same 
number as the lost/stolen passport.  The only difference 
between passports was the new issuance date.  The new 
passports will also contain the IC number as well, but will 
have unique passport numbers. 
 
---------------------------------- 
OK IN PRINCIPLE ON LASP DATA SHARE 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) In response to ref B, the Immigration Department 
informed us that the GoB routinely informs INTERPOL of all 
lost and stolen passports (LASP).  On a monthly basis, the 
Immigration department forwards new LASP data to all Brunei 
Embassies.  In response to our request to be included on 
distribution for this data, Assistant Director Azmi said that 
in principle, the Immigration Department would have no 
objection to sharing this information with the USG.  However, 
 
BANDAR SER 00000203  002 OF 002 
 
 
his preferred method would be to have the Brunei Embassy in 
Washington provide the data directly and informally to the 
Department. 
 
¶6. (C) COMMENT: Post believes that Brunei embassy officials 
in Washington will be reluctant to share LASP data without 
specific instruction from MoFAT.  Given our experience 
negotiating the HSPD-6 MoU, a formal approach for LASP data 
sharing would likely be confused by the GOB bureaucracy with 
the HSPD-6 MoU, complicate GoB consideration of the HSPD-6 
MoU, and slow down securing the final GoB approval.  We 
recommend finalizing the HSPD-6 MoU and establishing a track 
record of data sharing before making a more formal pitch for 
LASP data sharing. 
SKODON