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The Nation (16/11/99)
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<font size=5><b>Surin accepts Rangoon invitation to mend fences<br>
</font></b><font face="arial" size=3>FOREIGN Minister Surin Pitsuwan will
leave for Burma before the Asean leaders' meeting in the Philippines in
an attempt to solve current bilateral conflicts. <br>
He said yesterday that he has accepted an invitation from Rangoon and
expressed hope that the visit would help overcome problems which have
soured relations. <br>
''I accept the invitation to visit Rangoon, but we have to work out a
suitable date. I have a tight schedule. I think it is possible that the
visit will be held before the Asean Summit meeting in Manila [later this
month] takes place,'' Surin said. <br>
Surin quoted the Burmese ambassador as saying that Burma wanted to deal
with bilateral conflicts as soon as possible. <br>
Surin had earlier said that he would visit Rangoon on the condition that
all problems be settled first. He however declined to comment on his
change of stance, saying that with the invitation, Burma appeared ready
to talk. <br>
Foreign Ministry spokesman Don Pramudwinai described the proposed meeting
as ''a good sign from Burma that it wants the problems to be solved.''
Don said Surin's visit to Rangoon could be a one-day trip. <br>
The invitation letter was sent to the ministry several days ago. The
Burmese Ambassador to Thailand Hla Maung called on the ministry yesterday
to discuss the invitation. <br>
The fallout between the two countries came after five armed Burmese
dissidents stormed Rangoon's embassy in Bangkok, taking 38 diplomats,
foreign, and Thai nationals hostage. <br>
Rangoon then accused the Thai authorities of a soft-handed approach in
dealing with the 25-hour standoff with the dissidents. <br>
The generals were also upset over a statement from Interior Minister
Sanan Kachornprasart, who called the five gunmen ''students fighting for
democracy, not international terrorists'' and Burma responded by sealing
off the border and cancelled all fishing concession with Thai fishermen.
<br>
Tensions rose as the Thai authorities stepped up efforts to deport
illegal foreign workers, most of whom are Burmese, from Thai soil. Over a
half of million Burmese are working in the country illegally. <br>
Thai border officials said their Burmese counterparts have not been very
cooperative. <br>
The Nation<br>
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<font size=5><b>KNU ready to welcome returnees<br>
</font></b><font face="arial" size=3>TAK -- Burma's largest armed ethnic
rebel group, the Karen National Union, said yesterday it was willing to
offer accommodation for all Burmese nationals being deported by Thai
officials in a crackdown on illegal foreign workers. <br>
Gen Bo Mya, leader of the KNU, said that all Burmese nationals,
regardless of ethnicity, will be welcome in the the rebel's territory.
<br>
Bo Mya was leading a group of journalists to an area opposite Tak
province in Burma's Karen State to show off areas the group has set up to
facilitate all the returnees. <br>
The general said he was concerned that government troops would punish the
returnees because many of them are ethnic Karens and have relatives
fighting in the KNU army. <br>
He also voiced concern that some of the returnees could be Burmese
government agents. <br>
Bo Mya insisted that the area where the returnees will be residing,
opposite Tak province, is safe as KNU troops and landmines have been
positioned to secure the area. <br>
However, he did not rule out the possibility of attacks by government
troops. <br>
Meanwhile, a KNU field commander Maj Ner Dah has condemned the rival
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, a pro-Rangoon splinter group, for
exploiting their own people by demanding payments from Burmese workers
upon their landing on Burmese shores off the Moei River, which serves as
the natural boundary between the two countries. <br>
KNU is the largest Burmese ethnic army fighting for independence from the
military government of Rangoon. <br>
Three years ago before the economic crisis, Thailand played hosts to
about one million foreign workers, most of whom took up back-breaking
jobs for wages much below what their Thai counterparts received. <br>
Since the economic downturn, about 300,000 have been pushed out of the
country as the government tries to make jobs available for unemployed
Thai nationals. <br>
On Nov 4, the government relaunched a second massive crackdown on them.
<br>
About 70,000 Burmese are believed to be working in Tak province alone.
<br>
The Nation<br>
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<font size=5><b>Maneeloy Burmese refugee a dead duck!<br>
</font></b><font face="arial" size=3>A BURMESE man was wounded and three
other inmates of the Maneeloy holding centre escaped injury when a local
resident shot at them for allegedly trying to steal his ducks. <br>
Than Min Oo was given outpatient treatment and returned to the refugee
centre. He has been charged with stealing. His three accomplices had
managed to escape back into camp. <br>
Police found a duck with a broken neck in the vicinity where store owner
Kan Tuon-siri had fired at the four shortly after midnight yesterday.
Kan's grocery store is opposite the holding centre. <br>
After the shooting, Kan fled the scene fearing that he would be
prosecuted, Pol Col Pornchai Benjatikul, chief of Pak Thor police station
in Ratchaburi said. <br>
The authorities have sought the help of his wife to locate him and
persuade him to surrender. <br>
Police have dismissed the students' version that Than went out to buy
cigarettes because all the shops were closed at that time. <br>
Many locals have accused the students in Maneeloy camp of stealing and
according to police Kan ''wasn't trying to kill them and had only wanted
to teach them a lesson''. <br>
BY PONGSAK BAI-NGERN <br>
The Nation<br>
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