Reuters-Myanmar frees 22 Thai gambl

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Subject: Reuters-Myanmar frees 22 Thai gamblers 

Myanmar frees 22 Thai gamblers
02:32 a.m. Oct 29, 1999 Eastern
BANGKOK, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Myanmar has freed 22 Thais detained in Myanmar
last week for illegal gambling after Yangon closed the border between the
countries, the Thai foreign ministry said on Friday.

The Thais were detained in southern Myanmar last Friday after Yangon closed
the border to protest against the Thai handling of a siege of its embassy in
Bangkok early this month.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Don Prawudwinai said the group was freed on
Thursday evening after paying $1,200 each for illegal entry. The ministry
earlier reported 24 Thais had been detained but then changed the figure.

Don played down the significance of the incident.

``That's the end of the story -- it's just a normal thing that often
happens. It just that this time it happened while the border was closed.''

Don said Thailand was working diplomatically to try to persuade Myanmar to
reopen the border. The closure has hurt Thai traders and fishermen, causing
millions of dollars of losses.

Myanmar closed the border to protest against Thailand's decision to allow
some Myanmar students go free after they occupied Yangon's embassy in
Bangkok on October 1-2.

Thailand has since issued arrest warrants but says it believes the attackers
are on the Myanmar side of the border.

In a further attempt to placate the ruling military in Yangon, Thailand has
tightened its policy towards Myanmar dissident asylum seekers, telling the
U.N. refugee agency to speed up their resettlement in third countries.

Myanmar has long been unhappy about the presence in Thailand of the vocal
dissidents, who fled military suppression of a pro-democracy uprising in
1988.