VZCZCXRO4387
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHBK #5766/01 3170744
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 130744Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0613
RHMFIUU/US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION WASHINGTON DC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RULSJGA/COMDT COGARD WASHDC
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 4386
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0673
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCNEXC/EXPORT CONTROL AND RELATED BORDER SECURITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 005766 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC YWONG, ACHURCH, KCROUCH, ROWEN, EAP/MLS 
DRICHELSOPH, BBLACKSHAW 
CBP/INA FOR RWATT 
DEPT OF ENERGY FOR NNSA TPERRY 
AMEMBASSY HANOI FOR PECKSTROM 
AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR FOR RMOODY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC KNNP KSTC MNUC PARM PREL TH VN
SUBJECT: EXBS: THAILAND/VIETNAM ADVISOR MONTHLY REPORTING 
CABLE - OCTOBER 2007 
 
BANGKOK 00005766  001.3 OF 002 
 
 
SUMMARY 
 
¶1. (U) EXBS Advisor and ISN/ECC Desk Officer met with key 
Thai export and border control officials, October 1-2.  All 
Thai ministry officials were supportive of U.S. training and 
cooperation.  EXBS Advisor visited Laem Chabang port and 
conducted initial deconfliction coordination with CSI team 
assistance for proposed International Seaport Interdiction 
Training in January 2008.  Advisor conducted introductory 
visit to Vietnam from October 28 to November 3, meeting with 
key embassy and Vietnamese government officials and 
conducting site visits to the Lang Son border crossing and 
Haiphong port. 
 
SITE ASSESSMENTS AND MEETINGS 
 
¶2.  (U) On October 1-2, EXBS Advisor and ISN/ECC Desk Officer 
conducted introductory meetings with key export control, 
border security and foreign affairs officials.  At the Port 
of Bangkok, Managing Director Mr. Chalermchai Meekun-iam 
welcomed U.S. interest and assistance.  Although most of the 
senior Port Authority staff and training facilities are 
located in Bangkok, most U.S. trade passes through the port 
of Laem Chabang (to the south of Bangkok in Chon Buri), which 
is therefore the focus of U.S. security interests.  At the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Worawoot Pongprapapant, 
Acting Director, North American Division, also welcomed U.S. 
cooperation.  Mr. Worawoot's primary concern was the one 
hundred percent cargo scanning requirement contained in the 
recently-passed 9/11 law.  He said that the Thai government 
would need to keep in close touch regarding the specific 
provisions, due to the potential significant lead time and 
resources needed to meet the new requirements. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Mr. Visudhi Srisuphan, Director-General of Royal 
Thai Customs, was very supportive of the cooperative 
relationship his agency has developed with its U.S. 
counterparts.  Deputy Director-General Sunggorn Puengpradit 
led a follow-on meeting to discuss potential upcoming events. 
 He supported seaport and land border interdiction training, 
and said his Office of International Cooperation would stay 
in close touch regarding other potential activities.  He is 
also very supportive of our ongoing Container Security 
Initiative (CSI) and Megaports programs.  Ms. Suchana 
Choocherd, Director, Bureau of Trade Measures, Department of 
Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce, welcomed our visit, but 
expressed concerns regarding lack of resources and capacity 
for effective export control.  She said that her bureau was 
not staffed to monitor a national system, and that it may be 
more practical for each ministry to monitor items pertaining 
to their own specific areas of expertise.  Given the level of 
technical sophisticatio 
n, dual-use items are often difficult to identify.  Seminars 
on developing a control list and industry outreach would be 
very useful.  Training in end-user certification and 
post-shipment verification would also be helpful.  A well-run 
system that avoided delays in shipment would be very 
important.  As with the Foreign Ministry, the new one hundred 
percent scanning requirement by the U.S. was a concern. 
 
¶4.  (U) General Vaipot Srinual, Director-General for Policy 
and Planning, Ministry of Defense, concurred on the need to 
closely monitor weapons and other potentially harmful 
exports.  He asked whether other ASEAN countries were 
participating in similar programs.  He also asked whether 
there had been any significant complaints of problems with 
third parties due to damage to or delay of their cargo.  He 
tasked the Chief of his Munitions Export Control Section to 
be the point of contact for future cooperative efforts.  Mr. 
Sirichai Keinmeesuke, Deputy Director-General, Office of 
Atoms for Peace, offered several helpful comments.  He 
recommended that the Ministry of Industry be included in 
 
BANGKOK 00005766  002.3 OF 002 
 
 
strategic trade control training.  He said that his office 
was already running some training on detection and handling 
of nuclear contraband for the customs and other border 
control agencies.  He said that commodity identification 
training was very helpful and important, especially for 
front-line supervisors.  In this regard, h 
e suggested that access to the U.S. National Targeting Center 
would be helpful. 
 
¶5.  (U) On October 17, EXBS Advisor met with CSI team at Laem 
Chabang to view port facilities and CSI and Megaports 
projects.  Advisor also discussed preliminary plans for U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection to conduct an International 
Seaport Interdiction Training (ISIT) event at Laem Chabang, 
particularly with respect to deconflicting other 
working-level activities.  It was decided that the last two 
weeks of January would be an acceptable timeframe. 
 
¶6.  (U) From October 28 to November 3, EXBS Advisor conducted 
an introductory visit to Vietnam (reported SEPTEL).  Advisor 
met with key members of embassy Country Team, Vietnamese 
Customs and Border Army, and visited major ports of land and 
sea entry in Lang Son and Haiphong.  Although there is 
significant export and border control assistance being 
provided to Vietnam, additional targeted assistance would be 
useful - future visits will be devoted to developing specific 
proposals. 
 
TRAINING CONDUCTED 
 
¶3.  (U) None. 
 
EQUIPMENT DELIVERED 
 
¶4.  (U) Twenty sets of night vision binoculars were delivered 
to the Vietnamese Border Army for use in patrolling remote 
areas. 
 
IMMINENT TRAINING/EQUIPMENT UPDATE 
 
¶5.  (U) An Export Control Legal-Regulatory Workshop will be 
conducted in Bangkok, November 26-29.  Venue arrangements are 
complete and the final list of participant names has been 
received from respective RTG ministries.  A third set of 
Tracker equipment has been received for Vietnam, and will be 
delivered to the Ministry of Industry as soon as transfer 
coordination is complete. 
 
SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS 
 
¶6.  (U) None. 
BOYCE