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THAI-BURMESE BORDER CONFLICT-Burmes



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                                      The tractor was withdrawn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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