Bangkok Post News (18/12/98)

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News Headlines:

1: Rangoon gears up for dry-season offensive against minorities
2: Burma democracy groups plan to set up federal union
3: Border alert
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1: Rangoon gears up for dry-season offensive against minorities
Drive against rebels set to intensify

Burma is preparing to launch a dry-season offensive against ethnic minority
rebels living along the border with three northern provinces of Thailand.
Lt-Gen Sommai Vichavorn, Third Army Region commander, yesterday said
Rangoon has been deploying troops to border areas opposite Chiang Mai, Mae
Hong Son and Tak, as part of its suppression drive against die-hard ethnic
minority groups.
He predicted that fighting between Rangoon soldiers and the rebels would
intensify.
To cope with possible foreign intrusions on Thai territory, the army will
send its troops to guard border areas prone to attacks, added Lt-Gen Sommai.
"We will not let foreign troops enter Thai soil. The army will dispatch its
soldiers to the border areas to protect national sovereignty and border
villagers," said the Third Army Region commander.
It was reported that Burma would begin its blitz on the Karen National
Union, the United Wa State Army and the Shan State Army which have long
been fighting Rangoon for autonomy.
Rangoon is expected to launch drastic crackdowns on KNU rebels hiding along
the border opposite Tak's Mae Sot district.
Fighting will intensify in border areas of Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son
where the UWSA and the SSA forces stage military activities.
In another development, the SSA, once under the control of former drug
warlord Khun Sa, has vowed to eradicate illicit drugs along the
Thai-Burmese border.
Col Yod Suk, new leader of the SSA, yesterday held a press conference to
announce his drug suppression policy.
He said: "We have a clear-cut policy on drug suppression. This is not an
image-building campaign to please the world community, but it's our duty to
crack down on drug gangs," add Col Yod Suk, a former aide of drug warlord
Khun Sa. 
Meanwhile, three members of a drug gang were killed and ten others arrested
after they exchanged fire with anti-narcotics suppression forces in Chiang
Mai's Mae Ai district late on Wednesday night.
Following a tip-off, officers from the Naresuan Task Force rounded up a
drug gang in Ban San Tondu, Mae Ai district. The 13-mamber drug gang
resisted the arrest and opened fire on the authorities. Both sides fought
for about 30-minutes.
After the brief gunfire, three members of the gang, all Muser tribes
people, were killed and ten others were arrested and disarmed, said Col
Tomorn Kittisophon, deputy commader of the 4th Infantry Regiment, adding
all members of the gang were tribes people living in a neighbouring countey.
In Mae Hong Son, two Burmese soldiers were caught after they crossed the
border into Khun Yuam district. 
The two - Lance Corporal Zo Win, 19, and Private Zaw Ou, 17 - were arrested
on Wednesday.
The two were disarmed and detained for questioning.

2: Burma democracy groups plan to set up federal union
To eliminate racial discrimination

Representatives of the ethnic nationalities and Burmam democracy groups
last week unanimously decided to support and establish a future Federal
Union of Burma where there would be no discrimination against race,
religion and political beliefs of each and every individual in the country. 
Attending the seminar were organisations belonging to the National Council
of the Union of Burma, an umbrella group, and those of others yet to join it.
Among the resolutions taken at the meeting was that SLORC/SPDC has no right
to conduct the on-and off-again national convention. "We do not recognise
such a convention and deem it 'unlawful' and a 'sham'," said a group
spokesman.
The group fully supports a multi-party democracy system as desired by all
nationalities of the country.
Participants at the seminar stressed the importance of national solidarity
if its countrymen are to enjoy long-lasting peace and prosperity.
The group also called on the international community and the United
National to use its good offices to help promote democracy and bring peace
and stability to the country.
The International Herald Tribune, in it's recent report said the UN and the
World Bank had offered Burma financial support in exchange for political
dialogue with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi whose National League for
Democracy won the 1990 elections. The proposition was ingnored by the
military junta.
"We welcome the initiatives and resolution adopted by the United Nations in
1998 with regards to Burma. They are the right decisions, and we urge the
people responsible to ensure that it's [UN] resolutions be put into
practice," said a group statement.
The three-day Seminar on National Solidary was held from December 12-14, at
Thu Mware Kha-loe in the Karen State of Kawthoolei where a 13-point
agreement was hammered out by representatives of 23 groups.
It follows in the footsteps of the Ethnic Nationalities Seminar held in
January 1997 at Mae Thaw Raw Htha, also in Karen State, a strictly ethnic
nationalities affair.

3: Border alert

Troops along the northern border with Burma are on alert. The Third Army
Region expects Rangoon forces to launch a new offensive against
anti-government troops close to Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai and Tak provinces.
The main duty of the Thai forces will be tokeep out foreign troops -whether
Burmese,Shan, Wa of Karen.