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NEWS-Thailand Concerned about Risin



Thailand Concerned about Rising Myanmar Tension

            Reuters
            08-JUL-98

            BANGKOK, July 8 (Reuters) - Thailand said on Wednesday it
was
            concerned about growing political tension in neighbouring
Myanmar
            and urged restraint by all sides there to avoid violence. 

            ``We are concerned about the developments there. We urge
restraint
            by all sides to avoid violent confrontation between the
opposing
            forces,'' foreign ministry spokesman Kobsak Chutikul told
Reuters. 

            ``We as fellow ASEAN (Association of South East Asian
Nation)
            member countries feel that any new instability in the region
could affect
            efforts to achieve regional economic rehabilitation,'' he
said. 

            Political tension between the ruling military State Peace
and
            Development Council (SPDC) and opposition National League
for
            Democracy (NLD) party led by Aung San Suu Kyi has been
rising
            since May. 

            Suu Kyi demanded in late May that the SPDC convene a
parliament of
            elected representatives from a May 1990 election, swept by
the NLD
            but ignored by the ruling junta. The SPDC rejected the idea. 

            Since then the SPDC has placed elected NLD representatives
under
            increased vigilance, ordering those outside the capital
Yangon to
            report to local authorities. 

            On Tuesday, the military prevented Suu Kyi and senior party
officials
            from travelling to a northern township to meet some elected
NLD
            representatives. 

            A Myanmar rebel group, the ethnic Karen National Union, said
this
            week that the new curbs on NLD members could be politically
            explosive. 

            The Thai foreign ministry spokesman said any instability or
unrest in
            Myanmar could lead to problems along the common border
between
            the two countries. 

            As a result of any unrest, there could be a spillover of
refugees, border
            trade might be hampered and drug suppression activities at
the
            border areas could be affected, he said. 

            ``Any problems there could affect the economic prosperity of
all,'' he
            added.