Bkk Post - Burmese to pay price for

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Subject: Bkk Post - Burmese to pay price for frosty ties

Bangkok Post - Oct 16, 1999.
THAILAND-BURMA CRISIS

Burmese to pay price for frosty ties
Trader sees junta decision as unwise

Nusara Thaitawat and Subin Khuenkaew

Businessmen should not be too concerned over Rangoon's closure of the border
because Burma depends heavily on Thai goods, a veteran trader said
yesterday.

"We Thais tend to over-react in this kind of situation," said Somkid Onmon,
of Pookha Carving Ltd, Chiang Mai.

"From my experience, in no time at all people from the other side of the
border will have to come and buy goods from us, whether it is reopened or
not."Border trade between the two countries is estimated at tens of billions
of baht a year.

Burmese states along the northern border depend on Thailand for fuel,
construction material, food and other products. Goods from China's Yunnan
province are flooding Burmese markets, but are of lower quality.

Mr Somkid said it was impossible to cut ties between Thailand and Burma.

"We share more than 2,000km of border. No matter what, we have to live with
each other and rely on each other," he said.

Burmese leaders would not be affected by the border closure because they
could get the things they want from China or Singapore, but the people would
be hit, he said.

Burmese ambassador Hla Maung has said a precondition for reopening the
border and renegotiating suspended fishing rights is the arrest and
prosecution of five students who took over the Burmese embassy in Bangkok
early this month.

All were given safe passage to the Burmese border after releasing their
hostages.

Burma has shut its border checkpoints on several occasions in the past. The
entire 2,180km stretch was sealed in 1995 after Burma accused Thailand of
giving direct support to drug warlord Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army when it
shelled Tachilek, across from Chiang Rai's Mae Sai.

The border was closed for several months, but people from both sides proved
the frontier was very porous and maintained contacts.

Since the embassy occupation, Burmese soldiers have reinforced positions
along the border. Thai border security sources said the Burmese had a little
earlier withdrawn forces from the area, only to send them back in even
greater numbers after the embassy occupation.

Thai leaders and senior military officers are playing down the situation on
the border, but security forces are taking no chances. Armoured vehicles
have been patrolling and exerting their presence in border villages known to
have close contacts with ethnic minority groups on the Burmese side.

Mr Somkid's company suffered under the closure of the San Ton Du temporary
border crossing three months ago and is struggling to resume trade in fuel
and construction materials with Burma.

He called on the two governments to settle their differences at the
negotiating table.

He proposed that Thailand abolish all trading points along the border and
allow the mechanics of demand and supply to take over, regardless of whether
the Burmese government or a particular ethnic group has control over the
area across the border.

This sort of trade could not be regulated by either country, because only
established trading routes would be used.

"Anyway the Burmese government has links to most, if not all, ethnic groups
and is taking care of them, including the Wa," he said.