The Nation - Karennis under Thai pr

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Subject: The Nation - Karennis under Thai pressure to end attacks

The Nation - June 10, 1999.
Karennis under Thai pressure to end attacks

THAI Army units along the northern Thai-Burmese border are putting pressure
on one of the Burmese rebel groups to cease their offensive against Burmese
government soldiers, a rebel source said yesterday.

The Thai military overseeing security along the border of Mae Hong Son
province and Burma's Karenni state are pressuring the Karenni National
Progressive Party (KNPP) to stop their attacks against Burmese government
troops, said the source.

The motives behind the Thai Army are not clear as previous attacks against
government troops attracted virtually no reaction from the Thai military who
deemed the conflict to be Burma's internal matter, he said.

It is believed that the Burmese army commanders in the region have sought
Thai Army assistance in the matter, he said.

According to the source, KNPP's top two leaders, Bee Htoo and Gen Aung Myat,
are keeping a low profile, believing the Thai Army will try to squeeze out
of them intelligence information about KNPP's military operations in Karenni
state.

The Karennis, also known as the Kayah, have in recent weeks stepped up their
attacks against the government troops as the State Peace and Development
Council, the ruling junta, mobilised a number of units to the east of the
Salaween River in the Karenni state, the source said.

The KNPP wanted to hit them first before the government could get too close
to the rebels' strongholds, he said. There were also reports alleging the
Burmese troops were preparing to attack refugee camps in Thailand.

Ceasefire talks between the KNPP and Rangoon have failed in the past two
years. The KNPP leadership accused the junta of going back on its word by
increasing the number of troops in the Karenni state instead of withdrawing
them, as agreed upon.

The KNPP has been fighting a war of independence since 1948, shortly after
Burma gained independence from Britain, under whom the Karennis had enjoyed
self-rule. The group has in the past year forged alliances with other rebel
groups, namely the Karen National Union, the largest insurgent force
fighting the Rangoon government.

KNPP leader Bee Htoo has said that his group is fighting for total
independence but it would consider being part of a federation as long as
such an arrangement is not dominated by the country's Burman majority.


BY DON PATHAN

The Nation