VZCZCXRO9436
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHBK #1430/01 1301027
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 091027Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2986
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA IMMEDIATE 8695
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA IMMEDIATE 7560
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE 2028
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 5330
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 5947
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1671
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 4593
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 2280
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 5130
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 1523
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 0207
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0881
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0985
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0717
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI PRIORITY 5232
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHFJSCC/COMMARFORPAC  PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BANGKOK 001430 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR PHU, EAP/MLS FOR AARON COPE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM EAID TH BM
SUBJECT: MGBM01: RTG, THAI NGOS SENDING CASH, SUPPLIES TO 
BURMA 
 
REF: A. BANGKOK 1414 THAI PM TO URGE BURMA ACCEPT AID 
 
     ¶B. SECSTATE 48651 HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE TO CYCLONE 
        NARGIS 
 
BANGKOK 00001430  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) The MFA reported to us that the RTG was already in 
the process of transferring USD 300,000 to the Burmese 
government and that the Royal Thai Air Force delivered three 
planeloads of relief supplies as of May 8.  Thus far, RTG 
assistance has been limited to the delivery of supplies only, 
and the Thai offer to send a medical team was rebuffed by the 
Burmese.  The Thais expect to send in additional flights with 
supplies in the coming days as part of an operation being 
organized by the Office of the Royal Thai Armed Forces 
Supreme Commander.  In addition, several private Thai 
businesses, various Burmese exile groups, and cross-border 
NGOs are organizing their own relief efforts.  Officials at 
the Canadian and Australian Embassies also shared their 
assistance plans to date.  While the Canadians face many of 
the same access hurdles as the USG, the Australian Ambassador 
was able to intervene with the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok in 
order to secure a visa for an Australian national working 
with World Vision.  End summary. 
 
---------------------------------- 
RTG CONTRIBUTING TO RELIEF EFFORTS 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Ambassador delivered reftel B points to Prime 
Minister Samak Sundaravej on May 8 (ref A) and post followed 
up later in the day with MFA Burma Senior Desk Officer 
Jirusaya Birananda.  According to Birananda, several entities 
in the RTG and Thai private sector were organizing the 
delivery of much-needed supplies to Burma in response to 
Burmese government's request for international assistance 
following the damage wreaked by Cyclone Nargis.  Jirusaya 
emphasized that all humanitarian assistance to date had been 
in the form of cash and commodities.  Jirusaya stated that 
the Burmese government flat out rejected the Thais' offer to 
send a medical team to support Burmese health workers 
responding to the disaster, saying that they only wanted 
supplies for the time being.  She opined that perhaps the 
Burmese could not accommodate additional people at this stage 
and that therefore, the RTG would not press the matter but 
rather await further guidance from the Burmese. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The primary RTG agencies providing the bulk of 
humanitarian assistance to date are the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Energy, Thai 
Red Cross, Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand 
(EGAT), and the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT). 
Jirusaya described the Royal Thai Air Force Supreme Command 
as coordinating the collection and transportation of the 
following items (except where noted) as follows: 
 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
-- USD 100,000 donated to the Burmese Ambassador to Thailand 
in the name of the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Association 
 
Ministry of Public Health 
-- Medicine and medical supplies valued at approximately USD 
 
BANGKOK 00001430  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
325,000 
 
Ministry of Energy 
-- food 
-- electrical supplies 
-- plastic sheets 
-- roofing materials 
 
Thai Red Cross 
-- 1,000 'living bags' (consisting of basic foods, household 
supplies, first aid kits, plastic bags, and similar items) 
-- Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (head of the 
organization) expected to donate water purification systems 
and tablets via the Thai Red Cross 
 
EGAT 
-- USD 200,000 transferred to its counterpart in Burma 
-- electrical equipment 
 
PTT 
-- 100,000 liters of diesel fuel 
-- food 
 
--------------------------- 
ACTIVITIES ALONG THE BORDER 
--------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Burmese exiles and cross-border NGOs we spoke with 
stated they have very limited contact with their colleagues 
inside Burma.  Overall, there is little direct assistance 
they can contribute to relief efforts.  However, they remain 
vocal in the international community admonishing the State 
Peace and Development Council (SPDC) for maintaining the May 
10 referendum date and for not doing enough to respond to 
disaster victims. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Well-known Burmese activist and founder of the Mae 
Tao Clinic Dr. Cynthia Maung spearheaded an appeal to the 
international community urging that governments and the UN 
deliver aid to disaster victims without waiting for proper 
visas from the Burmese government.  Joined by the National 
Health and Education Committee - Burma (NHEC), the Burma 
Medical Association (BMA), and the Back Pack Health Worker 
Team (BPHWT), the letter called for immediate assistance and 
claimed that "any delays in providing aid to our (Burmese) 
people just adds to the unbearably long list of crimes 
against humanity already committed by the military junta." 
 
¶6. (SBU) Jack Dunford, Executive Director of the Thai-Burma 
Border Consortium (TBBC) told us his cross-border assistance 
providers reported no major damage in Mon and Karen states. 
However, Dunford foresaw that further destabilization in the 
Irrawaddy delta region (where many Karen are from) had the 
strong potential to result in increased flows of refugees and 
migrants to Thailand.  He explained that there is a strong 
existing connection between those on the border and those in 
the Irrawaddy delta region, which could serve to draw more 
people to the border as things become more difficult in the 
delta region.  At the very least, he expected increased 
numbers of migrant workers to head for Thailand to seek any 
means possible to support families in the wake of the 
cyclone's destruction. Mae Tao Clinic staff told CG Chiang 
Mai that they were very concerned about the possibility of a 
large influx of unaccompanied minor children into Thailand in 
 
BANGKOK 00001430  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
the medium and long-term. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Members of the Thailand-based NGO Partners Relief 
and Development (which works closely with Free Burma Rangers) 
told CG Chiang Mai personnel that they have a way to courier 
cash inside Burma and distribute it, as well as the ability 
to truck supplies from Chiang Mai to the border within 48 
hours of receiving the cash and/or supplies.  While the 
Burmese Embassy in Thailand refused visas to Partners' 
medical team, on May 8 the organization shipped 400 boxes of 
the nutritional supplement Vitameal (valued at approximately 
USD 8,000). 
 
------------------------------------- 
UPDATE FROM AUSTRALIANS AND CANADIANS 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Officials from the Canadian and Australian Embassies 
in Thailand shared the latest on their efforts to provide 
humanitarian assistance.  Steve Rheault-Kihara, Political 
Counsellor at the Canadian Embassy, told us that Canada's 
Disaster Assessment team -- referred to as DART -- is en 
route to Bangkok and will arrive Saturday, May 10 at 0600. 
The team will arrive on their own cargo plane, which is a 
self-contained unit capable of providing medical assistance, 
water purification, and other emergency relief.  The four 
team members accompanying the plane are prepared to undertake 
an assessment of the situation in Burma (if allowed in) as 
part of a wider effort by the Canadians to provide 
humanitarian assistance to Burma.  Rheault-Kihara delivered 
the team members' visa applications to the Burmese Embassy 
earlier today, though he is not expecting a quick reply. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Mikaela Browning, Political Counselor at the 
Australian Embassy in Bangkok told us that the Australian 
Ambassador met with the Burmese Ambassador to Thailand to 
plead the case of the international community that the 
Burmese allow humanitarian aid workers to enter Burma 
soonest.  The Burmese Ambassador replied that he was willing 
do everything he could to facilitate this request and would 
relay it to the Ministry of Affairs in Nay Pyi Taw.  As 
evidence of this, the Burmese Ambassador cited his Embassy's 
immediate processing of the visa request for an Australian 
national seeking to enter Burma to work with World Vision. 
Browning noted that her Embassy has very good relations with 
the Burmese Embassy in Thailand.  However, they have no 
specific plans to use that relationship to push for 
additional visas for specific Australian nationals.  Rather 
they will continue to encourage the Burmese to push for visas 
for UNDAC officials, many of whom are Australian nationals. 
Browning cited that to date the Australian government has 
pledged USD 3 million to support relief efforts being carried 
out by World Vision and the World Food Program. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
THAI PRESS: "RTG IS BURMA'S FRIEND IN NEED" 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (U) Most reports in the Thai press focused on the 
severity of the storm, its victims and damage.  They 
highlighted the role of the Thai government, both in terms of 
providing assistance and acting as an intermediary between 
the Burmese and the international community to facilitate the 
transport of supplies and relief workers to Burma.  Local 
 
BANGKOK 00001430  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
press also reported that King Bhumibol had sent condolences 
to Burmese top General Than Shwe.  Finally, the Ambassador's 
May 8 meeting with PM Samak (ref A) and subsequent press 
conference with USAID officials received widespread coverage 
in print and broadcast media throughout Thailand. 
 
¶11. (U) This cable was coordinated with Consulate General 
Chiang Mai. 
JOHN