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THAI-BURMESE BORDER CONFLICT-Burmes
- Subject: THAI-BURMESE BORDER CONFLICT-Burmes
- From: BurmaJapan@xxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 06 Feb 1998 12:49:00
THAI-BURMESE BORDER CONFLICT
Last Modified: Tue, Jan 20, 1998
Burmese troops seize disputed river islet Where they plan to build
embankment
Supamart Kasem
Tak
Burmese troops seized a
disputed islet in the Moei
River in Mae Sot district on
Sunday to prevent Thai
officials from inspecting the
area prior to the planned
building of an embankment.
Some 50 armed Burmese
soldiers and a tractor were
sent to seize the islet in Ban
Mae Konekane of Tambon
Mahawan on Sunday after
talks between Thai and
Burmese local officials in
Myawaddy on Saturday over
the dispute caused by
Thailand's construction of an
embankment.
The tractor was withdrawn
yesterday after Army
Commander-in-Chief Gen
Chettha Thanajaro phoned his
Burmese counterpart, Lt-Gen
Maung Aye, to discuss the
latest border flareup. The
army chief also ordered the
suspension of the
construction of the
embankment.
At the talks in Myawaddy,
Thailand was asked to
suspend work while Burma
was asked to suspend the
piling work allegedly on Thai
soil and allow Thai officials to
survey the islet.
On Sunday the Burmese
troops prevented a Thai team,
led by Col Chaluay
Yaemphochai of the Fourth
Infantry Regiment Task Force,
from entering the islet to carry
out a survey.
However, Burmese workers
continued to dredge the river
opposite Ban Mae Konekane,
allegedly on Thai territory,
despite Thailand's protests.
After the incident, Thai
villagers led by the kamnan of
Tambon Mahawan, Narong
Huayphad, were sent to
negotiate with Burmese
authorities.
Mr Narong said Burma
wanted Thailand to suspend
construction of a concrete
embankment along the Moei
River and not to send troops
to the islet in exchange for the
suspension of its pole-driving
work.
"Thailand has a policy of
solving border problems via
negotiation. Thai officials had
informed Burma about the
construction of a concrete
embankment in Ban Mae
Konekane before operations
started but Burma did not
understand," he said.
The kamnan also urged
senior officials in the two
countries to try to quickly
settle the dispute.
Thara Chamnarnvej,
representative of Thai
contractor Jenjira Architecture
Company, said the project
would be ruined and plans to
reclaim Thai soil would fail
unless it was completed
before the start of the rainy
season in May because the
construction site would be
flooded.
Maj Jirawat
Wongsariyanarong, the head
of the Thai-Burmese Border
Coordinating Team, said
officials had told Burma about
the project before construction
started but Local
Thai-Burmese Border
Committee chairman Lt-Col
Saing Phone later sent a letter
to Thailand seeking the
suspension of the project.
Thai officials had told Burma
several times that the work
would not affect its territory
but Burma had sent five
protest letters to Thailand, he
added.
A 340-rai plot in Ban Mae
Konekane was cut off from the
mainland in 1993 following
severe floods. Thailand had a
two-million-baht embankment
built in the area in May 1994
to prevent further soil erosion
but the embankment was later
destroyed by another flood.
Last year, the Public Works
Department hired Jenjira
Architect Co, with a
14.9-million-baht budget, to
construct a 1.5-kilometre
concrete embankment in the
area.
The project was started on
December 12 last year and
scheduled to be completed on
January 22 but has been
delayed by the dispute.
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