VZCZCXYZ0006
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBK #1673/01 1541048
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021048Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3233
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS BANGKOK 001673 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PM/DTTC FOR BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC KOMC TH
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: PRE-LICENSE END-USE CHECK ON 
LICENSES 050059704, 050089662, AND 050095708 
 
REF: STATE 44819 
 
¶1. (U) Thai Ministry of Commerce lists the subject company as 
Kamolrat Commercial, not Kamolart as reftel. 
 
Registration No. 0605543000353 
Registered Date: September 14, 2000 
Status: limited company 
Capital Registration: 10,000,000 baht 
Executives: Anuchit Kanphakdi, Chatri Sukthawi, Lt. Gen. 
Saman Thammachari, and Wha Phansi. 
Authorized executive members for legal commitments: Anuchit 
or Chatri. 
Company Location: 99 Moo 3, Tambon Nong Pling, Amphoe Muang 
Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Sawan Province. 
The company has submitted annual financial reports for 
2000-2006. 
Purpose of Company: To sell weapons and military equipment. 
 
¶2. (U) The reftel telephone number did not work and the area 
code would be located in Bangkok, not Nakhon Sawan.  Kamolrat 
Commercial was listed in the phone directory as 056-300-144 
and 056-300-135 under the address provided reftel. 
 
¶3. (U) POL FSN May 21 visited the Nakhon Sawan District 
Office and the Nakhon Sawan Provincial Commerce Office, some 
240 kilometers north of Bangkok.  Both offices confirmed the 
existence and registration of Kamolrat Commercial.  From 
their records, there was no derogatory or negative 
information on the company.  The District Office record's of 
gun permit indicate that the reftel lots of weapons will not 
be shipped to Nakhon Sawan for inspection. 
 
¶4. (U) POL FSN visited Kamolrat May 21 in Nakhon Sawan.  The 
company's location was confirmed as stated reftel.  Kamolrat 
was located in a large munitions factory called Royal 
Ammunitions or Olympic Arms & Ammunitions.  Post conducted a 
Blue Lantern investigation on the facility in May 2005.  The 
compound was well-guarded with CCTV and other safety 
precautions.  The Kamolrat Maintenance Chief stated that the 
company was not yet in full operation in Nakhon Sawan since 
the company's administrators had not yet completely moved to 
the site, rather some work from home in Bangkok.  The 
facility was located in an empty three-story new structure 
with an empty factory located adjacent for a future project 
to manufacture foreign-designed pistols in Thailand.  A Thai 
military officer had been assigned by Ministry of Defense to 
supervise the operations of this company. 
 
¶5. (U) Chatri Sukthawi, a Kamolrat executive, answered 
questions regarding the company.  He and his group of 
companies have been under the Blue Lantern examination in the 
past.  Chatri said his company has been in the weapon 
business since 2000 and was certified by the Ministry of 
Defense in 2003 or 2004 to expand its business to manufacture 
and repair in Thailand foreign-designed pistols.  The company 
had approached Glock and Steyer from Austria; Beretta from 
Italy; Armslucks from the Philippines; and Colt, Smith & 
Wesson and HTI from the U.S. for a possible joint venture. 
The building structure was complete and the company was in 
the process of installing machines.  Chatri said Kamolrat was 
an authorized representative in Thailand for Colt. 
 
¶6. (U) Chatri said Kamolrat understands restrictions on 
United States Munitions List items.  Chatri himself 
understood these restrictions well as he owned Supnakorn 
Partnership, Akekapatt Fire Arms Part., and Kamolrat 
International Co., Ltd.  Chatri confirmed the reftel purchase 
of three lots of weapons, as contracted by the Bureau of 
Territorial Defense Volunteer, Department of Provincial 
Administration, Ministry of Interior.  The weapons would be 
shipped directly from the U.S. to Bangkok and then to the 
Bureau's warehouse without transiting the company's facility 
in Nakhon Sawan.  Chatri said the first lot (DTC 050059704 - 
550 pieces) had arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok 
and was pending import clearance.  The second and the third 
lots (DTC 050089662 - 550 pieces and DTC 050095708 - 650 
pieces) were being manufactured in the U.S.  Chatri did not 
present any related documents and said the documents were in 
Bangkok.  He promised to send to the Embassy but none had 
arrived as of June 2. 
 
¶7. (U) POL FSN May 22 visited the Bureau of Territorial 
Defense Volunteers and met Somchai Kiat-kongkaew, 
Chief of Welfare Section, who is responsible for the 
purchase. Somchai and his Bureau were under the Blue Lantern 
examination a few times in the past. Also present was Surasak 
Phonyangsong, Chief of General Affairs Section of the Bureau. 
 
 
Question: How many purchase orders did the GOT submit to US 
applicant, Colt Defense, LLC? 
 
Response: The Bureau had planned to purchase 1,800 Colt M4s 
for use by its personnel.  The purchase was divided into 
three separate lots via Kamolrat Commercial Co., Ltd, 
numbering 1,750 pieces, as detailed reftel.  More purchases 
are expected in the future.  The Bureau may have ordered 
other types of guns from the Colt in the past via other 
companies. 
 
Question: Can the GOT confirm its orders for the firearms 
listed on these license applications? 
 
Response: Yes, but only verbally.  The Bureau was unable to 
provide related documents because they were at other offices 
in Ministry of Interior.  The Bureau did present Purchase 
Contract No. 104/255 1, dated February 15, 2008, signed 
between the Bureau and the Kamolrat Commercial, for the first 
lot.  However, the number ordered as appeared in this 
contract was 500, not 550 as stated reftel.  The Bureau said 
Kamolrat Commercial would provide the extra 50 pieces to the 
Bureau for free.  This was a verbal commitment, not in 
contract form.  The lot was scheduled to be delivered to the 
Bureau on August 3,2008. 
 
Question: Why is the GOT party to three licenses to acquire 
these rifles instead of one large license? 
 
Response: The Bureau and Chatri of Kamolrat Commercial said 
the reason for this was the Bureau's budget plan and approval 
process for the purchases.  The purchases had been approved 
in three lots, two in 2007 and one in 2008.  Chatri added 
that his company desired to limit purchases to approximately 
ten million baht (approximately $312,000) including taxes and 
transportation costs.  Kamolrat therefore preferred to 
purchase smaller lots.  Smaller lots also reduced the risk of 
losses to delays in production, delivery problems, and 
losses. 
 
Question: Did Colt Defense LLC recommend several small orders 
as opposed to a large order? 
 
Response: Chatri and the Bureau denied this. The smaller 
orders were an agreement between the Bureau and the Kamolrat 
Commercial. 
 
Question: Why is the GOT purchasing this large quantity of M4 
carbines?  Are they undergoing a modernization program, 
increasing numbers for personnel, etc? 
 
Response: The Bureau said it was modernizing weapons and had 
increased the number of personnel.  The Bureau had been 
authorized 1,800 more personnel in addition to 17,743 members 
nationwide.  3,699 are posted to the troubled southern region 
(Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat Provinces and four districts of 
Songkhla Province) of Thailand.  The additional personnel 
would be assigned to Southern Thailand.  The new weapons 
would be used for security operations in the South as well as 
border areas nationwide.  The weapons would remain government 
property. 
 
Question: What weapons will these M4 carbines replace? 
 
Response: They would replace Ml6 and M16 A2 weapons. 
 
Question: What is the GOT going to do with the older weapons 
that are being replaced? 
 
Response: The Bureau representatives stated the weapons would 
remain in use or stored in the Bureau's warehouse as reserve 
weapons.  The Bureau lacked weapons for its operations. The 
M16s would not be destroyed at this point. 
 
Question: Confirm the receipt of the firearms on 050089662 
and 050059704. 
 
Response: The Bureau representatives stated the Bureau had 
not received any of the new weapons. 
 
¶8. (U) Additional information: 
 
- Chatri stated that the weapons for license 050059704 (550 
pieces) had arrived in Thailand but were pending import 
clearance.  The weapons in licenses 050089662 (550 pieces) 
and 050095708 (650 pieces) were still being manufactured in 
the US. 
 
- The Bureau, although verbally confirming the purchase of 
weapons in three lots, had only presented Post one written 
purchase contract for 500 and not 550 Colt M4s.  The officers 
did not know the license number for this transaction.  As of 
May 30, the Bureau representatives said the purchase 
contracts for the other two lots are still being processed 
within the Ministry of Interior. 
JOHN