News: 2/21/1996

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21/2/96

(1) Job Brokers, 37 Illegal Burmese Workers Held

Kanchanaburi 

TWO job brokers and 37 Burmese were charged with immigration
offenses yesterday.

Acting on a tip, police stopped Term Chaisitha and his wife
Malai, of Thong Pha Phum, in their truck.

The couple led police to a hill behind the Mitaphand Hotel, where
the Burmese were waiting to be taken to factories in Samut
Songkhram Province.


22/2/96

(2) Burma Rebel Groups Meet On Rights Of Minorities Mae Hong
Song

REPRESENTATIVES of 1 l Burmese organizations opposed to Rangoon
met yesterday to map out ways to help ethnic minority groups
whose human rights have been violated by the military junta, said
a senior Thai authority here.

About 40 participants were reported to have taken part in a
two-day seminar, which ended yesterday.

The seminar, entitled The State Law and Order Restoration Council
and Human Rights Violations, was attended by representatives from
the Karenni National Progressive Party, Karen National Union, All
Burma Students' Democratic Front, Pa-o National Organization,
Muslim Liberation Organization of Burma, the Kayan group, Palaung
State Liberation Party, Wa National Organization, All Burma
Muslim Union and non-governmental organizations.

They claimed the SLORC had abused human rights of its minority
groups, which have been fighting Rangoon for greater autonomy.

It was resolved that the SLORC's violations would be unmasked and
that the organizations will seek help from foreign organizations
in Europe and America to support the minorities.

(3) Karen Rebels Leave Key Base On The Border
Somchit Rungchamratrasmee
The Nation     

MAE SOT - Renegade Karen Buddhist forces who have for the past
several months intruded violently into refugee camps in northern
Tak province have moved from one of their key bases on the border
with Thailand, according to Thai and Karen sources.
 .
Thai officers in Mae Sot district said the armed troops of the
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have also stopped crossing
the Moei River into Thailand, probably because Thai authorities
begun talks with them on Feb 14.

The officers believed that a delegation of the Karen National
Union (KNU), which is in Moulmein for the second round of
ceasefire talks with the Burmese junta, had also requested
Rangoon to persuade the DKBA to stop its violent harassment and
kidnapping of Karen refugees in Thailand.

The ruling Burmese State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC) "must have promised the KNU delegation that they would
help the talks with the DKBA", said one officer.

The DKBA was set up towards the end of 1994 by a group of young
turks who accused KNU leaders, most of whom are Christian, of
practicing religious discrimination against Buddhist members.

KNU sources said their team, led by Padoh Mansha, left on Feb 14
for a ceasefire meeting in Moulmein with a SLORC delegation led
by Southern Commander Lt Gen Ket Sein.

They added that the Karen delegates must have also asked Ket Sein
to help resolve the DKBA matter.

Thai officers said they detected that DKBA forces had on Monday
withdrawn from the Kawmoora camp, which is opposite Baan Wang Pa
in Mae Sot, and returned to their headquarters at Myainyingoo
temple.

The order for the withdrawal must have come from DKBA leader and
Buddhist monk U Thuzana, they added. The DKBA captured Kawmoora
from the KNU on Feb 19 a year ago.

Tha Song Yang district chief Pallop Sripa said yesterday he had
received no report of DKBA intrusions into camps in Tha Song Yang
since he crossed the Moei River to talk with the armed Karen
group on Feb 14.
     
He said the DKBA had been "unusually quiet" for the past few days
and that he had requested local Thai officers to investigate the
situation.

Pallop said Tha Song Yang authorities and Army troops deployed in
the area since the DKBA intrusions began would continue their
24-hour surveillance of the border as the intruders could return.

(4) Reopening Of Border Crossing Vital To Economy
Mae Hong Son

THE Thai-Burmese border crossing points in Mae Hong Son should be
reopened to improve the province's gloomy economy, according to
the provincial Chamber of Commerce deputy chairman.

Somchai Sitthisantikul said his agency is waiting for the
authorities to reply to its request to reopen the border
crossings at Ban Nai Soi and Ban Huay Pueng in Muang District.

The reopening is expected to boost the province's economy which
has been seriously affected since the Third Army Region demanded
the closure in July 1994.

Mae Hong Son's trade volume dropped from 10.76 billion baht in
1994 to 9.21 billion baht in 1995 after closure of the
Checkpoints. In addition the value of jewellery imports decreased
by 200% and cattle trade by 60%, he said.

Following the closure, there have been reports of increased
smuggling across the border and of government officials extorting
money from Thai and Burmese smugglers.

National Security Council deputy secretary-general Khachadpai
Burusapatana said during a recent inspection tour to Mae Hong Son
that there is no evidence to prove that some officials had
benefited from closure of the Thai-Burmese border. 

However, he supported the reopening of the Mae Sai-Tachilek
checkpoint in Chiang Rai and the Mae Sot-Myawaddy checkpoints in
Tak because the agency had been frequently informed about illegal
Burmese immigrants and smuggled Burmese natural resources.

In response to reports about corruption among Thai border
officials caused by closure of the checkpoints, the Naresuan Task
Force recently urged agencies responsible for Ban Huay Pueng
crossing point in Muang Mae Hong Son to explain the accusations.

Ban - Huay Pueng checkpoint officials allegedly took bribes in
exchange for allowing Thai and Burmese traders to transport
merchandise such as cattle and logs across the border.

The officers were also accused of collecting 3,500 baht from each
motorist and 500 baht from every motorcyclist wanting to pass the
checkpoint.

(Typed Research Department, ABSDF-MTZ)