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The Nation (19-4-99)



Thailand to press Burma on village killings 

Thailand will bring up the recent killing of nine Thai villagers, whose
bodies  were found scattered along the Thai- Burmese border, at the
upcoming ministerial-level meeting aimed at countering drug trafficking
between Thailand, Laos and Burma, a senior anti-drugs officer said yesterday. 
The nine victims from Chiang Mai's Fang district were believed to have been
killed by soldiers from the United Wa State Army, allegedly over a drug
dispute, officials investigating the incident said.  
Local villagers, however, disputed the claim and called on Prime Minister
Chuan Leekpai to help them clear their names.  

Chuan was visiting the victims' family yesterday in a merit-making ceremony
 . He was greeted by about 3,000 villagers.  

Chuan urged the villagers to provide the authorities with any information
pertaining to the death of the nine villagers.  

"This was a very unfortunate and violent incident. Therefore, both sides,
Thailand and Burma, must cooperate to find the killers as soon as
possible,"Chuan said. 

Authorities investigating the killing,however, insisted the killing was
carried out by UWSA troops, saying it's a well known fact that the Wa army
are the only ones operating out of that area along the border. 

The group is considered by the Thai and United States governments to be one
of the world's largest armed narcotics trafficking organizations.  The
group operates out of the infamous Golden Triangle,an area where the three
countries meet and is head quartered in Pangs on the Chinese Burmese border. 

A faction within the 20,000 strong USWA has crept up right on the Thai-
Burmese border, establishing a presence just across
from Chiang Mai's Ta Thon, a small town popular among foreign and local
tourists,Sorasit said. 

The faction, known as "southern wa", southern of three battalions under the
command of ethnic Chinese heroin dealer wei Hsueh-Kang, has been of great
concern for the Thai government, Sorasit said. 

However , since the death of the nine villagers who were beaten to death
with their hands tied behind their back, differences of opinion have
emerged among various goverment agencies with regard to the opening of any
temporary border checkpoints.

  Sorasit said the three country meeting may shed some light on how these
agencies could assess the situation before granting permission for the

opening of any border crossing.  The meeting will be chaired by Interior
Minister Sanan Kachornprasart from April 26-27, Sorasit said. 

Thailand and Burma have opened a drug co-ordinating centre in Tachilek and
Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district. Bangkok will ask that another centre be
opened at another major crossing point at Myawadi and Mae Sot in Tak
province, Sorasit said. 
Thai security agencies are debating whether to amend the policy on granting
permission for opening any border crossing, Sorasit said. 

The opening of the temporary border checkpoint leading through the wa
controlled area was approved last August by the National Security Council
at the request of Change mai's merchants. 

Currently, thousands of Thai nationals are working as hired hands in Mong
Yawn and MongHsat, building everything from schools to a medium-sized dam
to road projects and a hospital in the eastern part of Burma's Shan State.

The projects are funded by the Wa's heroin money.  
The military government of Burma has consistently been accused of turning a
blind eye to the Wa's illegal activities, but Sorasit said the junta has
cooperated with Thai officials and has contributed significantly to the
fight against drug trafficking. 

Millions of methamphetamines, locally known as you baa, have flooded
Thailand and authorities are hard pressed to do something about the
development. 

Cooperation from Thai villagers along the border has also helped, said
Sorasit, claiming over one million tablets of methamphetamines and 1, 500
kilo grammes of heroin have been confiscated in the past four months. 

This constitutes about 30 percent of the amount smuggled into the Kingdom
in the past four months, he said.