Latest News - THE NATION October 9,

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Subject: Latest News - THE NATION October 9, 1999

THE NATION - October 9, 1999

Headlines

Burmese border closures temporary, Surin told

BURMESE Ambassador U Hla Maung said yesterday that the controversial closure
of border checkpoints and revocation of fishing licences from Thai fishermen
in Burmese waters were temporary measures and would be lifted after Rangoon
had finished finalising security measures.

''This is only temporary. The relations between the two countries are
good,'' said Hla Maung after meeting with Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan.

''The border and the fishery restrictions are precautionary measures against
any movement along the border which may present a national security
threat,'' he said.

The envoy said relations should return to normal soon but refused to give
any time-frame.

Surin quoted Hla Maung as saying the measures were temporary and would be
lifted as soon as security procedures were put in place by the Burmese side.

Yesterday, Surin urged Burma to resume normal relations with Thailand.

Surin told Hla Maung that the border and fishery restrictions were not in
line with the spirit reflected in two letters this week, the first of which
was written to Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai from his counterpart Than Shwe
and the second to Deputy Prime Minister Bhichai Rattakul from Khin Nyunt,
the first secretary of the State Peace and Development Council.

Speaking to reporters, Surin said the closing of the border checkpoints and
revocation of fishery licences might affect other activities to the
detriment of the two peoples.

Reiterating Thailand's sincerity in dealing with the siege of the Burmese
Embassy last week, Surin said he had told Hla Maung that Thailand had been
keeping the Burmese authorities informed of all developments throughout the
siege.

He said Thailand had conducted the operation under a common understanding
and agreement with Burma that the hostage crisis should be resolved in a
peaceful and non-violent manner. The concerns over the lives of hostages,
Burmese officials among them, formed the basic understanding in the
operation, he said.

''We hope Burma understands our sincerity in our efforts to prevent any harm
to lives or property, even to the extent that we risked the safety of our
own leaders,'' he told the envoy.

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THE NATION - October 9, 1999

Warrants out for raiders

THE Interior Ministry yesterday issued arrest warrants against the five
hardline Burmese students who shocked the world last week by seizing the
Burmese embassy for 25 hours, charging them with eight criminal trespasses.

According to Pol Maj Gen Chakthip Kunchorn na Ayuthaya, the eight charges
are:

-Conducting a robbery with guns and grenades.

-Coercing people to do something which was against their will by using arms.

-Unlawful detention causing people to lose their freedom.

-Forcing officials to unwillingly conduct malfeasances by threatening to use
violence.

-Importing and possessing explosives without permission from the registrar.

-Possessing rifles, ammunitions and explosives for which the registrar
cannot grant permission.

-Possessing rifles and ammunitions without permission.

-Carrying rifles in the city and public areas without permission.

Chakthip said these warrants will be distributed to every border checkpoint
and Immigration Police office nationwide.

Police have been able to identify only two of the five armed students: Kyaw
Ni or Johnny, Myint Thein or Beda.

However, Chakthip said police would definitely able to identify the other
three from witness accounts.

''We will not be able to bring these Burmese students to trial if they have
escaped into Burma since we do not have an extradition agreement with
Rangoon. Therefore, we can only rely on existing diplomatic channels,'' said
Chakthip.

 .....................

THE NATION - October 9, 1999

Nabbed suspect may hold key to hostage-takers

THAI authorities are hopeful that an arrested key Burmese suspect would
provide major clues leading to the capture of the five heavily-armed
Burmese -- and possibly other collaborators -- in the daring siege last week
of the Burmese embassy and 89 hostages.

Aung Soe, who was arrested shortly after the armed raid on Oct 1, was found
carrying a dark-coloured sports bag carrying the attackers' demand leaflets,
a number of the ''9999'' red headband, a flag, some music note sheets and
''a diary book'' which contained a laid-out plan of the armed operation,
said informed sources.

One of the sources said Aung Soe, who is a former resident of the Maneeloy
holding centre for Burmese asylum-seekers in Ratchaburi province, is still
being detained for further questioning and for more information that
authorities hoped could lead to the identification of the assailant group.

The sources said the authorities now believe that there were at least ''five
more Burmese collaborators'', including Aung Soe, who were the supporting
back-up team to the actual raiders that held the hostages for 25 hours
before releasing them in return for their safe escape to the western border.

Through the uncut embassy telephone connection, the assailants, armed with
AK-47 and M-16 assault rifles and hand grenades, had been in touch with
their collaborators outside the compound for information on Thai
counter-siege operations, said the sources.

At one point during the takeover on Oct 1, the leader of the militant group,
Kyaw Ni or Johnny, demanded that Aung Soe be brought to the embassy, but it
turned out that another Aung Soe from Maneeloy centre was taken to the
scene. Kyaw Ni, about 30, fired a volley of shots from his machine gun.

According to one source, Kyaw Ni had been demanding Aung Soe's sports bag,
which the authorities eventually returned to him early the following day
after copying the contents of the diary.

As of yesterday, the authorities were still trying to establish the
identities of the attackers, who called themselves ''Vigorous Burmese
Student Warriors''. Government agencies have come up with different lists of
the five gunmen and were still cross-checking them with information provided
by the Burmese and foreign hostages.

It is not yet known how much information the arrested Aung Soe had provided
to the police.

So far the authorities were certain that two of the attackers were Kyaw Ni
and Myint Thein or Beda (water hyacinth), who used to earn his living by
singing at some Bangkok cafes. The police yesterday placed eight criminal
charges against the armed group.

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Thursday night,
Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra tried to clarify Deputy Prime
Minister Sanan Kachornprasart's statement that he considered the assailants
''students activists who fight for democracy'' in Burma and not
''terrorists''.

Sukhumbhand said what Sanan meant was that the group members were not
''professional international terrorists'' but that ''their act was one of
terrorism''.

The clarification was seen as an attempt by the Thai government to appease
the Burmese junta who, while officially thanking Thailand for its success in
resolving the hostage crisis, had allowed its senior officers and
government-controlled media to criticise the Thai rescue operation and
accused the Thai military intelligence of being involved in the embassy
seizure.

Sukhumbhand said although there was a void in the Thai legal system as far
as international terrorism is concerned, Thailand would proceed to prosecute
the armed group which ''had committed a crime against the Thai law''.

BY YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK

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THE NATION - October 9, 1999

Headlines


Immigration chief not upbeat on crack-down

CITING the fact that the Immigration Bureau has received only Bt43 million
in funds, just a little over one-twentieth of the originally requested
budget of Bt800 million, deputy Immigration Bureau commissioner Pol Maj-Gen
Dr Chanwut Watcharapuk remains doubtful about the future effectiveness of
the bureau in tracking international terrorists and preventing incidents
such as the seizure of the Burmese Embassy last weekend.

He also conceded that the Bureau had long been and would be for the
foreseeable future caught poorly equipped and lacking an effective tracking
system to deal with incidents even such as the one at the embassy, let alone
international terrorism.

Chanwut attributed the Bureau's ineffective tracking system to the fact that
the Immigration Bureau had to share computerised data on entries, exits and
illegal immigrants with the Office of the Narcotics Control Board. The
bureau and the ONCB are given different data-access priorities. The ONCB
commands a higher level of access priority, so when a terrorist is also
categorised as a narcotics figure, his data will be accessible to ONCB but
inaccessible to the Immigration Bureau.

Over the past three years at least 8 million people have entered and left
Thailand.

Chanwut said the Bt43-million budget grant was barely enough to cover the
cost of software and new servers to separate the information channels of the
Immigration Bureau and the ONCB. The new servers will link the bureau with
13 of the existing 53 border checkpoints along the 5,000-kilometre national
boundaries.

Illegal immigrants are blacklisted, and the information is made accessible
to to the ONCB, the Immigration Bureau, the Office of National Security, the
Central Investigation Bureau and Interpol. It is the Interior Ministry which
reviews and finalises the blacklist.

Currently there are about 6,000 people whose entry into the Kingdom is
banned. They are identified terrorists, international pimps, confidence
tricksters and narcotics runners from African countries, from Hong Kong,
China, Russia and the USA.

Information about people barred from leaving the country is tapped from the
national police records, the courts of law, banks and the Customs
Department. The list on the immigration computer system is called a watch
list and covers about 20,000 people whose departure from the country is
forbidden, now mainly for being guilty of or under investigation for banking
offences.

Chanwut complained that the Bt43-million budget would be scarcely sufficient
to deal with international terrorist activities. On a 5,000-kilometre
border, of which 3,000 km lay on land and 2,000 km on sea and border rivers,
a minimum of 200 checkpoints were a necessity, he said, and the Bureau had
only 13 adequately equipped.

Illegal immigrants, he said, had entered many areas of the country, with
illegal aliens outnumbering local residents in the border provinces of
Ranong, and Phuket and such districts as Sadao, Mae Sot, and Sangkhlaburi.
He added that no decision-makers were admitting responsibility for this
sorry state of affairs.

Chanwut said the Immigration Bureau had become like a security guard too
poorly equipped to keep an effective watch.

He also questioned the government's liberal visa policy. Thailand allows
citizens of 103 countries entry without a visa, while citizens of 56 more
countries are permitted to seek their entry visas at the Bangkok
International Airport's visa-on-arrival counter.

Chanwut said that Japan, for example, did not reciprocate Thailand's liberal
visa policy. Japan's immigration officials require Thai visitors, especially
women, to undergo a very thorough immigration procedure.

BY PREECHA SA-ARDSORN

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THE NATION - October 9, 1999

Headlines

7,000 refugees relocated

THAILAND and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees have completed the
relocation of over 7,000 displaced Burmese from Huay Kalok camp to another
site as part of a move to prevent future attacks against the residents there
by pro-Rangoon armed groups.

Authorities have relocated the displaced people, most of whom are ethnic
Karen, to Tak's Phop Phra district, a statement from the UNHCR said
yesterday.

The new site is 13 kilometres away from the border and well protected by the
terrain, according to the authorities.

The process of relocation, which began on Aug 23, was jointly conducted by
the Thai government and the UNHCR. It was completed on Thursday, three days
ahead of schedule, according to the statement.

According to Thai officials and the UNHCR, Huay Kalok was too close to the
border for the safety of its residents.

Huay Kalok was attacked and burnt to the ground twice, in January 1997 and
March 1998, by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, a splinter group that
sides with the military government in Rangoon. It was alleged that Burmese
government troops had also taken part in the raids.

The Thai army came under heavy criticism for not providing adequate security
for the refugees in the camp, and the Foreign Ministry issued a strong
statement condemning the attacks.

Over 100,000 Burmese refugees, most of whom are ethnic Karen, are living in
camps along the Thai border. They have fled fighting between armed rebel
groups and government soldiers.

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THE NATION - October 9, 1999

Headlines

India asked to give safepassage aid

THE Royal Thai Navy has asked India for safe passage for returning Thai
vessels currently in Burmese waters as Burma has sealed off its territorial
waters to Thai fishing boats, an informed source at the Naval Operation
Centre said yesterday.

The Thai military attache in India has forwarded a request to the Indian
Navy to permit Thai vessels in waters off Burma's Rakhine province to sail
through Indian waters on their return home.

''The Navy has drawn up a contingency plan to assist the Thai vessels in
returning to Thailand, now that Burma has closed its territorial waters to
our fishing vessels,'' the source told The Nation.

''We are worried that some vessels which are now fishing deep in Burmese
waters, as in Rakhine, will be unable to return in time to meet the
deadline. If they cannot make it, they could pass through Indian waters
before sailing into Thai territory.''

The contingency plan was mapped out following Burma's cancellation of
fishing licences for Thai fishing boats from last Wednesday. The Burmese
have issued a grace period until Tuesday for vessels which fishing deep in
its seas to pass out of its territorial waters.

Rangoon claims that it wants to review the licence-granting system, as well
as get internal security under control following the occupation of the
Burmese Embassy in Bangkok by five heavily armed Burmese students.

It says it will reconsider the licences for the Thai boats when it completes
the review and the security situation returns to normal.

The source said that before the closure was announced there had been about
400 Thai fishing boats with legitimate licences to fish in Burmese waters.

''Most vessels have already left Burmese waters, except about 150 which are
fishing deep in Burmese territory in Rakhine. There is a great possibility
that they will not be able to meet next Tuesday's deadline,'' the source
said.

About 70 vessels detained near Burma's Victoria Point, opposite Ranong
province, have been released after Burmese authorities checked their
licences.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai yesterday told Thai fishermen and
border traders suffering huge losses following the closure of Burmese waters
and frontiers to be calm, saying the measures would only be temporary.

Chuan said the relevant Thai authorities, particularly the Foreign Ministry
and the Navy, had already been assigned to monitor the situation and contact
Burma to clear up any possible misunderstandings.

''Thai fishermen and border traders should calm down, as the authorities
concerned, particularly the Foreign Ministry and the Thai Navy, have been
instructed to solve the problems,'' Chuan said.

''I believe that the measures implemented on the frontier checkpoints and
waterfronts will only be temporary. [Burma] is not the same as democratic
countries. When both sides sit down and talk, the problems will be solved
without much delay, because traders of both countries have long relied on
each other,'' he told reporters.

Commenting on a report that Burma has allowed only petrol to pass the sealed
frontier, Chuan said that was happening because Burma had no oil for its own
consumption.

Burma's sealing off of all Thai-Burmese border checkpoints and the
cancellation of fishing licences to Thai vessels is linked to Thailand's
handling of the seizure of the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok last week.

After 26 hours of negotiations, five Burmese student activists who had
stormed the embassy with heavy weapons were released unharmed in return for
the release of 89 hostages. Rangoon has criticised Bangkok for releasing the
hostage-takers and accused some foreign hostages of being involved in a
conspiracy.

The premier repeated his earlier statement that Burma was not in a position
to criticise Thailand, because the hostage-takers had been Burmese.

He went on to say that Burma had sent mixed signals, as its leaders had sent
a letter of gratitude to the Thai government while their authorities were
issuing orders to close the border and revoke fishing licences.

Chuan said that any revocation should have been conducted in accordance with
the agreement both sides had signed.

Thailand will not take any countermeasures against Burma as it wished to
settle the problem like reasonable adults, Chuan said, adding that the
country would not, however, leave the issues unresolved.

The premier said, without elaboration: ''What Thailand is doing right now to
solve the problems has clearly shown [Burma] what we feel about the
situation.''

All three permanent checkpoints linking Thailand with Burma, in Tak, Ranong
and Chiang Rai provinces, have been closed since Monday.

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THE NATION - October 9, 1999

Editorial & Opinion

EDITORIAL :Pure hypocrisy is all we hear from Burma

The flow of criticism coming out of Burma over Thailand's efforts to end the
embassy siege are deeply hypocritical.

While the superficial gratitude shown by the junta leaders came very slowly,
the government-run media and some high officials have been firing salvoes at
Thailand, implying that the outcome stank of a conspiracy. It is very
disappointing that Burmese leaders do not appreciate the Thai approach that
ended the crisis.

The government has already admitted its shortcomings that led to the
embassy's seizure. Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said there were lapses in
intelligence and security which allowed the students to take over the
embassy and hold scores of hostages.

But the international community in general has praised the Thai efforts to
end the drama peacefully. Probably, the Burmese junta wanted an outcome in
which all of the student hostage-takers were eliminated. But in the final
analysis, the Thai government did the only thing that was right, and there
should be no doubt that all parties concerned did their job well.

Amid the histrionics emanating from Burma, it seems to have been forgotten
that it is the Burmese junta's continued oppression that forced the students
and those seeking democracy to flee the country in the first place, and is
ultimately making them reluctant to return home. It is not the policy of
Thailand to keep the students in exile forever. But as a democratic nation
with a conscience, we have a duty to work with international organisations,
especially the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, to ensure that their human
rights are protected. For more than 25 years, Thailand has opened its door
to hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighbouring countries.

It is ridiculous to suggest that Thailand is using the Burmese students for
its own ends. Like other countries with rule of law and elected governments,
Thailand is not prepared to allow foreign embassies to be attacked, let
alone be occupied by militant forces. The Burmese students in exile are
patriotic, even though they have been forced to stay in Thailand for a
decade. They long to return home, and it is hard to blame them if their
frustrations build up. Nobody has any great influence over these students --
if they did, such dramatic actions as the embassy siege would have occurred
more frequently.

The Burmese leaders know only too well the delicate situation Thailand has
on its hands with the Burmese exiles. Instead of making things easier, they
conjure up wild theories of conspiracy to feed their own political
fantasies, in the process damaging the chances of mending Thai-Burmese
relations. Since the siege, the Thai authorities have reviewed internal
security conditions to prepare for future worst-case scenarios. Deputy
Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra correctly pointed out that Thailand
will act according to the situation. He reiterated that its soft approach
does not mean Thailand is lenient regarding the rule of law, as each
situation requires a unique solution.

There is one caveat, though. Thai security officials are talking tough and
have pledged to act tough with the students -- or indeed, any other illegal
immigrants -- in future cases, following a review of the prevention of
international terrorism on Thai soil. This could lead to a crackdown in the
near future and further abuse of a people who have already suffered
appalling human rights violations at the hands of the military junta.

Thailand took the chance to end the siege peacefully, and in good faith, and
not without some risk. So instead of engaging in rhetoric, the Burmese
leaders could at the very least put an end to the awkward situation they
have created for Thailand by respecting the will of their own people,
instead of clinging to power as they have done for the past 10 years. If
Burma enjoyed the kind of political situation that the people want, then
these students and exiled Burmese around the world would return home.

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