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THE NATION: Abducted Australian and



Abducted Australian and Thai friend believed to be safe

posted at 13:00 hrs (Bangkok time) 

MAE SOT, March 30 -- An Australian man and a Thai woman are believed to be safe and well
after spending their third night in captivity in a guerrilla base on Myanmar's eastern border, officials
said Monday. 

Australian embassy officials in Bangkok and Yangon (Rangoon) said Australian Nick Cheesman
and his friend Ngamsuk Rattanasathien had not been heard from since their alleged abduction
Friday. 

But embassy spokesmen said they were understood to be in good health and negotiations were
underway at top diplomatic levels to secure their speedy release. 

Cheesman, 28, and Ngamsuk, 30, were allegedly abducted by soldiers from the Democratic Karen
Buddhist Army (DKBA) on Friday as they took photographs on the Thai side of the volatile border.

''The story seems to be that they will be taken around a few of the DKBA's bases to take some
photographs and then they will be released,'' Australian embassy spokesman in Bangkok Peter
Stanford said. 

''But it's a matter of very serious concern and we're pulling all the stops to resolve it.'' 

Thai military sources said the pair had gone to the narrow river to photograph a DKBA village on
the other side which was badly damaged during an attack by rival Karen National Union (KNU)
forces on Thursday. 

But reports vary about whether they were abducted at gunpoint or whether they were merely invited
to cross the river to document the life of the guerrilla troops. 

The DKBA has denied the pair were abducted at gunpoint, Thai army sources who have spoken to
the guerrillas said, adding that they would be released a few days. 

''They (the DKBA) have confirmed that the two people are safe and were not kidnapped -- they
were invited to report and take photographs in the camp,'' the source said. 

The DKBA is a pro-Yangon force which has staged a series of deadly attacks on KNU-affiliated
refugee camps on the Thai side of the border in recent weeks. 

Some sources have said Cheesman -- an English teacher in the area for about five years who
speaks fluent Karen -- had contacts with the DKBA and frequently crossed the shallow river
marking the frontier. 

Colleagues of Cheesman at international organisation Burma Issues have rejected claims that the
Australian knew DKBA leaders. 

''We understand that he and his friend are safe, being taken care of and will be released soon,'' a
spokesman for Burma Issues in Bangkok said. 

''In this sort of situation it's hard to know what might happen but I feel confident that they're safe.'' 

Australian embassy officials said members of the Mae Sot-based organisation were closely involved
in negotiations which were underway with local DKBA commanders. 

Australian foreign affairs officials have set up a task force to handle the situation, while the Myanmar
(Burmese) and Thai ambassadors in Canberra have been called in for briefings. 

The Australian embassy in Yangon is trying to gain access to the DKBA's remote jungle base, but
an official there said it was proving difficult to make direct contact. 

Australian official Trent Ley has been dispatched from Bangkok to Mae Sot to ''monitor''
developments, embassy officials said. 

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer was said to be taking a ''keen interest'' and was
expected to address Australian parliament on the latest situation on Monday. 

Australian aid workers in Sydney said the alleged abduction was not a ''hostage situation.'' 

Tensions along the border mounted Monday as Karen refugees in Thailand braced for more attacks
from pro-Myanmar troops -- including hundreds of DKBA soldiers -- massing along the border. 

Border sources said more than 2000 Myanmar-based troops had moved closer to the border
opposite Um Phang district south of here, apparently in preparation for an assault on KNU bases
and the Nu Po refugee camp. 

A virtual curfew was in place after 8pm (1300 GMT) in the district center of Mae Sot, with locals
fearful of raids by DKBA infiltrators, sources here said. (AFP)