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BKK Post, April 18, 1998. BORDER



April 18, 1998. BORDER

Tourism plan with Burma on the cards
Jurin, Saw Lwin to meet in Chiang Rai
Supamart Kasem

Ajoint tourism development plan will be high on the agenda during next 
week's meeting between Thai and Burmese authorities.

PM's Office Minister Jurin Laksanavisit is scheduled to meet Burma's 
Minister of Hotels and Tourism, Maj-Gen Saw Lwin, in Chiang Rai's Mae 
Sai district on April 25-26.

Mr Jurin, who oversees the Tourism Authority of Thailand, has planned to 
raise the joint tourism development plan at the two-day meeting, said a 
source, adding that the minister has recently instructed the provincial 
chamber of commerce and local tourism operators to give their views on 
tourism and economic links with Burma.

Under the joint development proposal, Mae Sot district will be made a 
gateway to Burma and other border towns in Tak and Burma will be 
developed into tourism attractions.

The TAT has set aside a 10-million-baht budget for Tak provincial 
authorities to develop hot springs in Mae Sot, Nong Kran waterfall in 
Prop Phra and other tourism spots.

During last week's inspection trip to Tak, Mr Jurin had surveyed new 
rafting routes along the Mae Lamao river.

He also ordered local TAT officials to make guidebooks about historical 
sites in this northern province.

"Tak has the potential to be developed into a tourism hub in this 
northern region and Mae Sot will be made a gateway to Burma. I will 
bring the tourism development plan into discussion with my Burmese 
counterpart, Maj-Gen Saw Lwin," said Mr Jurin.

He has called on local people in Mae Lamao village to help conserve the 
Mae Lamao forest watershed by stopping slash-and-burn cultivation in the 
forest area.

Julapong Saranak, president of the Tak Chamber of Commerce, said his 
agency and the TAT have encouraged local people to take part in the 
tourism development plan which includes the promotion of eco-tourism.

If Burma agrees with the joint tourism development plan, the number of 
tourists visiting the two countries would rise sharply and more income 
will be generated for local people, added Mr Julapong.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 Thai tourists hoping to visit Burma were 
stuck in Mae Sot when Rangoon closed the Myawaddy border post on 
Tuesday.

Authorities in Myawaddy closed all crossing points with Mae Sot from 6 
a.m. without notice and erected barricades on the Thai-Burmese 
Friendship Bridge.

Burmese officials later said they were trying to stop citizens leaving 
the country but did not say when the ban would be lifted.

A Thai official said the local border agreement required either side to 
give three months' notice of the closure of a permanent crossing point.

Thawatchai Fak-angkul, the district chief, suspected Burma was stepping 
up security after Karen National Union guerrillas torched Myawaddy and 
Tinganyinaung last Sunday.

During the attack, Thai soldiers fired three warning shots after two 
artillery rounds fired from Myawaddy landed in Mae Sot.

Lt-Col Saing Phone, Burma's representative on the local joint border 
panel, later sent a letter accusing Thailand of allowing KNU troops to 
launch attacks on Rangoon forces.

Col Chatchapat Yamngarmriab, his Thai counterpart, denied the 
accusation, saying troops had found no trace of Karen guerrillas in 
Thailand.

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