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BurmaNet News 15th May #172
------------------------- BurmaNet ---------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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The BurmaNet News: 15th May 1995
Issue #172
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Contents:
NATION: GOVT SAID TO BE CONSIDERING SENDING TOP OFFICIAL TO RANGOON
NATION: SURIN HITS BACK AFTER BURMA'S ALLEGATIONS
NATION: ARMY NETS HUGE WEAPONS HAUL AFTER RAIDING TWO KAREN CAMPS
NATION: KAREN CAMP RAID YIELDS MORE ARMS
ABSDF: THANKS GIVING LETTER TO INDIAN GOVERNMENT
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===== item =====
GOVT SAID TO BE CONSIDERING SENDING TOP OFFICIAL TO RANGOON
13.5.95/The Nation
The government will step up diplomatic efforts with Rangoon to
ease tension along the frontier with Burma following the
failure of low-key talks and protest notes to curb border
incursions , informed government sources said yesterday .
The Foreign Ministry is considering sending a senior official
to Rangoon to clear up misunderstandings and discuss ways to
resolve the problem.
The move was discussed during a two hour meeting on Thursday
with the ministries concerned which was called by the National
Security Council [NSC] to review the situation, the source
said.
" The protest note might not be enough as the [Burmese ]
ambassador could only act as messenger between governments and
might not have any real authority ," he added .
The Foreign Ministry has filed eight protests against the
repeated violent border incursions, which include burning the
camps of Karen refugees in Thailand and the killing of three
Thai policemen last week.
Deputy Foreign Ministry Surin Pitsuwan said yesterday he was
not aware of any plans to send a senior person to Rangoon.
An informed source at the Foreign Ministry said the ministry
had to be very careful in initiating high -level dialogue with
Rangoon. " If this is going to happen, we will not talk to the
press first, " said the source.
NSC chief Charan Kullavanijaya yesterday confirmed that he had
called a meeting on Thursday meeting to review and evaluate
efforts to settle the border problem .
The meeting followed Tuesday's issuing of a letter by Rangoon
accusing Thailand of continuing to lodge and arm the Burmese
ethnic insurgency against the Burmese government .
" The letter is an indication of whether or not Burma wants to
befriend us." Charan said . He did not elaborate .
The letter , which also accused that Thai military of causing
injury to " innocent civilians " during its reprisals against
Army [DKBA] last week , was passed to a Thai military attache
in Rangoon by his Burmese counterpart.
The same letter was conveyed to the Foreign Ministry by
Rangoon's ambassador to Thailand , U Tin Win, who called on
Deputy Permanent Foreign Secretary Saroj Chavanavirat on
Tuesday . It was later made available to the press.
The letter accused Thailand of continuing to support the Karen
National Union and drug warlord Khun Sa, but ended on a
positive note saying the two nation's armies still had good
relations.
The Thai Army has been widely accused of being indecisive in
its handling of the border situation, leading to the
escalation.
Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said on Thursday he would call a
meeting next week of ministers handling border problems to
discuss whether the existing Thai-Burmese joint border
mechanism is an effective negotiating body.
Border areas in Mae Hong Son and Tak provinces were still
tense yesterday, although there were no further incidents.
School teachers said they were uncertain whether 10 school in
Sop Moei would open as scheduled next Tuesday, border
authorities said.
Tak Deputy Government Phoolchai Niamwattana said the joint
security forces remained on full alert along the border as the
Burmese army had moved 300 troops from Myawadi to the area
opposite Ban Phayaw in Mae Sot district . Another 400, backed
with heavy weapons, had reinforced the area opposite Mae
Ramaad district.
===== item =====
SURIN HITS BACK AFTER BURMA'S ALLEGATIONS
13.5.95/The Nation
The Foreign Ministry yesterday strongly criticized as "
incorrect and unacceptable " recent allegations by Rangoon
that Thailand is harbouring anti-Burma terrorists and
supporting drug traffickers.
The ministry totally rejects allegations by Burma's ministry
of defence which could imply that Thailand has allowed Burmese
insurgents , including drug warlord Khun Sa, to hide here and
to travel in and out of the country and implement
anti-government activities, Deputy Foreign Minister Surin
Pitsuwan said.
Thailand and Burma have been engaged in border conflicts after
incursions by a Karen splinter group which attacked Karen
refugee camps in Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces.
Rangoon's defence ministry , in a statement issued by its
embassy here, alleged that the border problems occurred
because Thailand has been harbouring the terrorists.
" The problems that have occurred on the Thai-Myanmar [Burma]
border are a consequence of Thailand having harboured for
various reasons terrorists who seek to oppose Myanmar," the
statement said.
Surin yesterday stressed that Thailand has the absolute right
according to internationally -accepted standards and
international law to provide shelter for people escaping
internal fighting in their homeland.
" With its merciful provision of shelter, Thailand should not
be accused of providing shelter for anti -government
insurgents," Surin said.
"It is not important who the refugees are and which side they
belong to- anti- government or government .If they flee the
fighting into our land , we have to accept them on
humanitarian grounds and on a temporary basis.
"When the internal situation returns to normal , they will
return home on their own , " Surin said.
He stressed that the conflict was between Thailand and Burma
and that Thailand did not want to upgrade the problem to Asean
level. Asean groups Brunei , Indonesia, Malaysia , the
Philippines , Singapore, and Thailand.
The minister also referred to Burma's statements about attacks
by Khun Sa, such as one launched through Mae Sai, Thailand ,
on the Burmese town of Tachilek on Mar 20.
The statement said that when the Burmese army launched
offensives against the drug traffickers , they were able to
take refuge in , and bring reinforcements of manpower and
materials through , Thailand.
Surin said the international community had recognized
Thailand's attempts to suppress drug trafficking and related
activities and therefore the criticism from Rangoon was
unacceptable.
Referring to a recent report that Khun Sa carries a Thai
identity card, Surin said if that was true, the identity card
would certainly be revoked.
He said without elaboration that Thai authorities are
considering revoking the ID cards of certain people.
===== item =====
ARMY NETS HUGE WEAPONS HAUL AFTER RAIDING TWO KAREN CAMPS
14.5.95/The Nation
MAE HONG SON-- The Army said yesterday it has seized more war
weapons in the latest on two Karen refugee camps in Mae
Sariang and Sop Moei districts.
The operations at Mae Lamaluang and Baan Paumaloo camps on
Friday came after the first coordinated raids which netted big
caches of arms from four refugee camps in Tak province on
Wednesday .
The weapons confiscated from the Mae Hong Son camps included
27 AK-47, seven M-16 and eight HK-33 assault rifles, three
rocket launchers and a large assortment of ammunition, Col
Piboon Boocha, commander of the 35th Border Task Force said.
He said the raids were part of efforts to step up security on
the border and to reduce tension with the Burmese government
and its troops, both of which have accused Thailand of
supporting the Karen National Union [KNU].
The colonel said the situation along the Thai-Burmese border
was returning to normal after months of incursions by armed
insurgents from Burma .
Piboon said soldiers had been sent to provide security for
people in the areas prone to fighting. He urged people to
informs his task force if there was trouble.
On Wednesday, about searched Saiko , Baan Huay Manok, Baan
Koekoe and Baan Ma Hla camps in Tak's Mae Sot district.
They seized five machine guns, four rocket launchers, 29 M-16
assault rifles, four hand grendes and more than 3,000 rounds
of ammunition.
Deputy Army Commander -in -Chief Chettha Thanajaro said
yesterday Thailand and Burma still had a good relationship ,
despite the attacks on Karen refugee camps in Thailand .
He said the Foreign Ministry had asked the Burmese government
to produce evidence to back its charges that Thai forces had
injured innocent people during reprisal attacks against the
renegade Democratic Karen Buddhist Army in Burma.
He said it was more appropriate thta the ministry should
handle the border issue as soldiers were responsible only for
protecting the country's sovereignty .
" I do not be believe the situation will get any worse," he
said.
===== item =====
KAREN CAMP RAID YIELDS MORE ARMS
15.5.95/The Nation
The Thai Army have seized a large amount of weapons during a
raid on a Karen refugee camp , the second discovery in four
days, the Thai-Burmese border area commander said yesterday .
The weapons allegedly belong to Karen National Union
guerrillas, Colonel Philbul Burcha said.
More than 150 border patrol police and soldiers stormed the
Mae Lama Luang Refugee Camp and a nearby village in Mae Hong
Son province late on Saturday, and confiscated rocket
launchers, sub- machine guns, anti-tank rockets and more than
20,000 rounds of ammunition, he said.
" We will continue to search for weapons that might be hidden
in the refugee camps to demonstrate to the Burmese government
that Thailand does not support anti-Rangoon guerrillas,"
Phibul said.
Former officers of the KNU reportedly stored the arms in the
two villages which lie opposite Manerplaw -one of the last two
KNU strongholds which fell to Rangoon forces earlier this
year, he said .
That fighting sent some 10,000 Karen across the border, where
they joined some 60,000 ethnic people already in Thai refugee
camps.
About 400 Thai border troops launched the first pre-dawn raids
on Wednesday against refugee camps at Huay Ma Noke, Sho Klo,
Kler Kho and Mae la in Tak province , south of Mae Hong Son,
and a quantity of arms were seized.
The searches came after the Burmese government and a Karen
splinter group complained that Thailand was harboring anti-
Rangoon terrorists.
===== item =====
THANKS GIVING LETTER TO INDIAN GOVERNMENT
We would like to express our deep satisfaction and happiness
for the highest award of Jawaharlal Nehru of India to our
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 1991 Noble Peace Prize
Winner.
On behalf of the Burmese people, we are doubly very proud of
the support of Indian government for our country's freedom and
democracy.
Central Leading Committee
All Burma Students' Democratic Front(MTZ)
Southern Command
Date: 13th May, 1995
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NEWS SOURCES REGULARLY COVERED/ABBREVIATIONS USED BY BURMANET:
ABSDF-DNA: ALL BURMA STUDENT'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT [DR. NAING AUNG]
ABSDF-MTZ: ALL BURMA STUDENT'S DEMOCRATIC FRONT [MOE THEE ZUN]
AMNESTY: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
AP: ASSOCIATED PRESS
AFP: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
AW: ASIAWEEK
Bt.: THAI BAHT; 25 Bt. EQUALS US$1 (APPROX),
BBC: BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION
BF: BURMA FORUM
BKK POST: BANGKOK POST (DAILY NEWSPAPER, BANGKOK)
BRC-CM: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-CHIANG MAI
BRC-J: BURMESE RELIEF CENTER-JAPAN
CPPSM:C'TEE FOR PUBLICITY OF THE PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE IN MONLAND
FEER: FAR EAST ECONOMIC REVIEW
GOA: GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA
IRRAWADDY: NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY BURMA INFORMATION GROUP
KHRG: KAREN HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP
KNU: KAREN NATIONAL UNION
Kt. BURMESE KYAT; UP TO 150 KYAT-US$1 BLACK MARKET
106 KYAT US$1-SEMI-OFFICIAL
6 KYAT-US$1 OFFICIAL
MOA: MIRROR OF ARAKAN
MNA: MYANMAR NEWS AGENCY (SLORC)
THE NATION: A DAILY NEWSPAPER IN BANGKOK
NCGUB: NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION OF BURMA
NLM: NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR (DAILY STATE-RUN NEWSPAPER,RANGOON)
NMSP: NEW MON STATE PARTY
RTA:REC.TRAVEL.ASIA NEWSGROUP
RTG: ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT
SCB:SOC.CULTURE.BURMA NEWSGROUP
SCT:SOC.CULTURE.THAI NEWSGROUP
SEASIA-L: S.E.ASIA BITNET MAILING LIST
SLORC: STATE LAW AND ORDER RESTORATION COUNCIL
TAWSJ: THE ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL
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USG: UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
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