Cablegate: Somalia and Piracy: Request for Further Information

VZCZCXRO2439
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHBK #0780 0720921
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 120921Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2219
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 5300
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5696
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 8459
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 4371
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0499
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 2225
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 4937

UNCLAS BANGKOK 000780

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR IO/UNP - JOE FITZGERALD, L/OES - ASH ROACH,
AF/RSA - JUN BANDO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM PBTS PREL UN UNSC IMO SO TH
SUBJECT: SOMALIA AND PIRACY: REQUEST FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

REF: SECSTATE 18101

1. (SBU) Please see paragraph two for questions from Thai MFA
Africa Director Tomwit Jarnson regarding reftel request.

2. (SBU) Poloff on March 11 conveyed reftel points eliciting
Thai assistance in addressing piracy off the Somali coast and
views on a United Nations Security Council resolution to MFA
Africa Division Director Tomwit Jarnson. Tomwit expressed
interest in the idea of a Security Council resolution,
particularly because Thai vessels and citizens have been
victimized by pirates in this vicinity. Tomwit said he
needed to coordinate any response internally, and said some
further information would be helpful: Have consultations with
the TFG begun? If so, what stage are they in? What is the
intended scope of the resolution? Would a resolution apply
to Somali waters only, or be intended to address piracy
generally? Finally, how would the resolution affect the
territorial waters of the surrounding states. Tomwit was not
prepared to provide the Thai government's views on these
questions prior to internal consultations.

2. (SBU) Regarding direct assistance, Tomwit said Thailand's
presence and interests in Africa were extremely limited.
Although he supports the multinational effort to patrol the
waters off the Somali coast, any kind of direct assistance on
the part of Thailand would be extremely difficult. Tomwit
said this too would require internal consultations.

----------------
Point of Contact
----------------

3. Please email response to paragraph 2 questions to
mullanr@state.sgov.gov.
JOHN

© Scoop Media