Thai activists should NOW step up a

[dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Thai activists should NOW step up actions towards Refusal of Burmese GAS

Now more than ever is an opportune time for Burese and Thai activists
involved in the Yadana pipeline gas delivery controversy to step up
their call to stop the pipeline gas shipments to Thailand. This
opportunity should not be missed. The junta has brought this action on
by their own behavior in recent days, and closing the border has
seriously affected across the frontier trade.

But has the pipeline gas delivery shipments been disrupted? Of course,
the answer is no. Why should the most controversial shipment of 
ressources now be unaffected by the current deterioration in
Thai-Burmese relations because of the actions of the brutal regime in
Rangoon against the burmese people, and now against the Thai government.

There should be serious increase in activity now by the Thai and Burmese
activists on this issue.

dawn star 



> Jobs and markets under threat
> Cargoes queued up, fishing boats idled
> Tak
> The prolonged closure of the Burmese border has consequences reaching
> far beyond local trade as it is putting people out of jobs and
> threatens investment.
> Cargoes worth millions of baht were stalled at the border yesterday,
> six days after Rangoon ordered its closure in the wake of the
> occupation of the Burmese embassy.
> Burma denied it was displeased with Thailand's decision to release the
> Burmese gunmen who commandeered the embassy last weekend and has
> shrugged off claims that the border was sealed in retaliation.
> However, businessmen agreed that Burma's closure of all checkpoints in
> Tak's Mae Sot district, Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, and Ranong
> would mar the investment climate. A large volume of food, fuel and
> spare part consignments are reported to be in bonded warehouses, with
> no indication how long it will be before they are cleared by Burmese
> customs.
> Pier coolies who normally earn 200-300 baht a day are temporarily out
> of work, while ferry services on the Moei river, the natural
> borderline in Tak, have stopped.
> A pier owner, who asked not to be named, said he had two truckloads of
> fuel caught in the middle of the stand-off. They could not enter
> Burma, and could not return to the depot because export fees had
> already been paid. Cashflow had dried up because no goods were
> changing hands.
> Siripan Kiatkraikul, Mae Sot customs unit assistant chief, said the
> town of Myawaddy, on the opposite bank, had barred passage and
> transport of goods since last Saturday, the second and last day of the
> embassy hostage drama.
> Transborder trade activities have steadily declined. During the first
> few days, Burmese were allowed to cross into Thailand to shop but
> movement of large cargoes was suspended. Mr Siripan said the
> restrictions imposed by Rangoon grew stiffer by the day. The normally
> bustling border trade had almost come to a standstill.
> Exports have fallen to less than two million baht a day, an eighth of
> the normal value.
> Surapon Mankong, owner of a jewellery and fabric stall, said he had
> not sold anything in three days. Industrial investors slammed Burma's
> "inconsistent" border commercial policy. Shutting down the channels
> would erode confidence in investment projects jointly undertaken by
> Thais and Burmese.
> One investor said although Rangoon insisted it bore no grudges over
> the embassy seizure and its resolution, the closure of the border and
> subsequent suspension of Thai fishing concessions gave a contradictory
> impression.
> The Commerce Ministry, meanwhile, fears the border inactivity could
> cost Thailand its share of commercial interests in Burma to rivals
> such as Singapore and China and is calling on the Foreign Affairs
> Ministry to exercise diplomancy in order to resume the border link.
> Supachai Panitchpakdi, the commerce minister, said if the closure
> persisted for another week or so Thailand stood to lose the bulk of
> its market dominance in Burma. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has been
> asked to talk Burma into loosening the current restrictions and resume
> the trade connection as soon as possible.
> If Thai goods remained unavailable for too long, Burmese businesses
> would turn to imports from other countries such as Singapore and
> China, Mr Supachai said.
> Fishermen have demanded that Burma compensate them. They submitted
> their demand in a letter to the committee on Thai-Burmese border
> fishing yesterday. They said they had lost more than one billion baht
> in revenue. So far, 200 trawlers have returned to Ranong.
> uReports page 3
> ----------------------------------------------
> Surin expresses concern over Rangoon's border decision
> Actions don't mirror Bangkok's sincerity
> Bhanravee Tansubhapol
> Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan yesterday expressed concern to the
> Burmese ambassador over Rangoon's decision to close border checkpoints
> and suspend fishing rights.
> The minister said the measures did not "reflect" Burma's appreciation
> of Thai sincerity and good intentions in solving the Burmese embassy
> siege last week.
> He called for normalisation of the situation as soon as possible.
> Mr Surin said Ambassador Hla Maung had agreed a quick solution to the
> problem would enable the two countries to take part in "joint
> activities for mutual benefit".
> The ambassador, speaking through an interpreter, said the measures
> were "temporary" and aimed at dealing with "security problems" caused
> by the return to Burma of "terrorists".
> Mr Surin said the ambassador cited Rangoon's concern about
> "ill-intentioned" elements who might cross the border from either
> side, threatening peace in the area and making matters worse.
> The ambassador, who had been "invited" to the ministry, could not say
> when the measures would be lifted but linked any move to this end to
> an improvement in relations between the two countries.
> "The more bilateral relations improve, the sooner the temporary
> measures will be lifted, " he said. At the same time the envoy
> described the present state of relations as "good".
> Mr Surin told the ambassador that the measures did not conform with
> the "spirit" of letters the government had received from Burma's Prime
> Minister Than Shwe and Secretary One Khin Nyunt.
> Mr Surin emphasised the government's determination to guarantee the
> safety of all embassies and international organisations in the
> country. But he also pointed to constraints in terms of the law,
> staffing and money.
> The government could not set up checkpoints all over Bangkok to search
> "everyone", he added.
> The Burmese ambassador asked Thailand to consider the letters from Gen
> Than Shwe and Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, as well as the verbal assurances
> given by Foreign Minister Win Aung to Mr Surin on Monday, as the
> official position of the Burmese government.
> ---------------------------------------------------