Bangkok Post (21-8-99)

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THAILAND-BURMA
Pass opening linked to drugs fight
Local problem with narcotics confirmed
Bhanravee Tansubhapol
The upgrading of the checkpoint at Three Pagodas Pass will only be considered
after a review of Thai-Burmese co-operation against drug trafficking, the
foreign minister said yesterday.
On his return from the pass in Kanchanaburi, Surin Pitsuwan quoted local
officials confirming there was a trafficking problem but they did not know
where the drugs originated.
Thailand and Burma must work together in the fight against drugs along the
border, and checkpoints that proved porous would have to be closed, he said.
The readiness of officials, transportation, customs facilities as well as the
potential for trade also remained to be evaluated, Mr Surin said, noting that
the adjacent Burmese area was sparsely populated.
Burma is said to be keen on upgrading the checkpoint, one of a number of
topics
set for talks in Rangoon beginning on Monday. Mr Surin will co-chair the Joint
Commission with Win Aung, his Burmese counterpart, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mr Surin also quoted Hla Maung, the Burmese ambassador, as saying he had no
information about the closure of Kiew Pha Waok, linking Chiang Mai with an
area
under the United Wa State Army.
U Hla Maung said the checkpoint was a temporary one, and its closure would
have
been due to its remoteness rather than trade problems.
Mr Surin said some border areas had specific problems which should not be seen
as common to all.
During his border trip, Mr Surin also visited 1,800 displaced persons at Ban
Ton Yang in Sangkhlaburi district. These people had been recognised as such by
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and this would be the basis
for next week's talks.
Though the displaced people receive assistance from the UNHCR and NGOs,
Thailand remains responsible for their safety and its own national
security, he
added.