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BURMA RELATED NEWS - February - 12, 2001. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reuters - Thai Border Tense After
Clashes with Myanmar Troops
AFP - Thailand, Myanmar open
negotiations over border clashes
Reuters - Myanmar hits back at
Thailand after border clashes
Asia Pulse - Malaysia Welcomes
Myanmar Govt's More Open Attitude
AFP - Thaksin to visit border
town after Myanmar fighting kills three
AP - Malaysia Welcomes
Political Developments In Myanmar
AP - Thaksin To Visit
Myanmar
AP - Thai Capt: About 100
Myanmar Troops Killed In Fighting
AP - Myanmar Denies It Shelled
Town In Thailand
AP - Thais Drive Out
Myanmar Troops
Bernama - MYANMAR OFFICIALS
ATTEND COURSE HERE
Bernama - MYANMAR JUNTA
BOSS CALLS FOR DEMOCRACY, PROGRESS ON UNION DAY
The Daily Star - Indian
FM to visit Myanmar
The Star - When no news
is good news for Myanmar
The Nation - Border
tense despite retreat of Burmese
The Nation - EDITORIAL:
Thaksin is being tested by the Burmese junta
Sunday February
11 11:35 PM ET
Thai Border Tense After Clashes with Myanmar Troops By Prapan Chankaew MAE SAI, Thailand (Reuters) - Thailand's northern border was tense on
Monday after fighting between Myanmar troops and ethnic armies spilled across
the frontier at the weekend, triggering clashes between soldiers from both
countries.
Two people were killed and more than a dozen injured in
the Thai border town of Mae Sai on Sunday by stray mortar shells and bullets as
Myanmar troops and their allies from the United Wa State Army attacked ethnic
Shan rebels just across the frontier.
Thai troops returned fire and several soldiers on both
sides were injured.
On Monday, the border crossing between Mae Sai and the
Myanmar town of Tachilek was re-opened after being closed when the fighting
erupted, and no further gunfire was heard. But there was little traffic across
the border.
Mae Sai, usually a busy frontier trading town, remained
quiet with most shops closed. Hundreds of residents were evacuated from the town
on Sunday.
The United Wa State Army is accused of producing a large
amount of the amphetamines that have flooded Thailand from Myanmar in recent
years. The group, in alliance with Myanmar troops, has been fighting the rebel
Shan State Army (SSA).
SSA troops have fought Myanmar government forces for
several decades in a bid to secure an autonomous Shan state.
Thai officials said on Monday that a protest would be
lodged with Myanmar, although they stressed they believed the troops had been
acting on their own initiative without the sanction of the Myanmar
government.
``Thai and Myanmar leaders understand each other, but in
the field it is not as clear,'' regional army commander Lieutenant-General
Wattanachai Chaimuanwong told Thai television.
``I am a thousand percent sure the drugs trade has
something to do with this clash.''
New Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the
fighting was a local problem and should not damage relations with the Myanmar
government. He said he would visit Yangon soon for talks with Myanmar's ruling
generals.
``The issue is a local one. Thailand might need to react
strongly from time to time. However, for our initial talks we need to start as
friends,'' Thaksin told reporters.
Sunday's fighting followed another incident in which more
than 200 Myanmar troops seized a small Thai military outpost in another border
area and held it for most of Saturday.
Clashes followed and a Thai army helicopter was damaged by
Myanmar fire during the fighting.
The Thai army said the border base, manned by 19 Thai
soldiers at the time of the assault by Myanmar soldiers, was in a disputed
border area claimed by the two countries.
Monday, February 12 3:23 PM SGT
Thailand, Myanmar open negotiations over border clashes MAE SAI, Thailand, Feb 12 (AFP) - Myanmar and Thailand observed a ceasefire
and opened negotiations Monday over deadly border clashes that erupted when
fighting between Yangon's troops and ethnic rebels spilled over the
border.
Thai army chief General Surayud Chulanond said clashes
around this border township, which was pounded with shellfire during the
conflict, halted late Sunday after the two national armies agreed to stand
down.
"The best way now is for the two sides to hold talks and
reach an agreement," he said as a border committee meeting convened with
officials from both sides in attendance.
Mae Sai was virtually abandoned Sunday after fierce
fighting broke out between Myanmar forces and Thai troops who retaliated when
artillery aimed at the Shan State Army (SSA) strayed into Thai
territory.
Surayud said two Thais died in the crossfire, while about
a dozen civilians and nine soldiers were injured.
Foreign ministry spokesman Pradap Pibulsonggram said
Myanmar's ambassdor to Thailand would be summoned later Monday to hear a protest
over the incident.
"We want to inform him as to what has happened, and
discuss the violation of our sovereignty that has caused loss of life and injury
to Thai people," he said.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said he would visit the
border region to investigate the situation for himself, and that he also planned
to make an official visit to Myanmar shortly.
"I will go to visit the people living on the border and
see what the situation is," he said.
"I will go and meet with Myanmar's leaders to talk about
the issues of the military, the border and security," he said, adding that he
would leave some time after his cabinet is sworn in at the end of the
week.
His coalition partner Chavalit Youngchaiyudh, a former
prime minister and army chief who is believed to be close to Myanmar's military
leaders, may accompany him, he said.
Thaksin, who was elected premier on Friday, indicated his
government could take a firmer line on the conflicts that periodically flare up
on the border, saying that Thailand should not just wait until more problems
occur.
"Sometime we need to use more strict or active measures,
not just passive measures," he said.
The latest trouble broke out Friday when some 200 Myanmar
troops entered Thailand and took control of a military base where 19 Thai
paramilitary soldiers had been standing watch.
The Myanmar troops, who were pursuing fighters of the SSA
-- one of a handful of armed factions who have yet to agree to a ceasefire with
Yangon -- had been denied passage by the Thai guards.
Border force commander Major General Somboonsak Sittidej
said the situation in the normally bustling frontier town of Mae Sai was now
quiet but calm.
"We expect that they suffered many casualties," he said.
"But now the situation has calmed down and we have taken back our
base."
More than 800 Thai soldiers were deployed along a
sealed-off stretch of the border over the weekend but by Monday the crossings
into Myanmar had reopened.
Villagers who had streamed out of Mae Sai to escape the
onslaught were returning to their homes along with their livestock and bundles
of belongings and livestock.
Monday, February 12 4:31 PM SGT
Malaysia Welcomes Myanmar Govt's More Open Attitude KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 Asia
Pulse - Malaysia welcomes the Myanmar government's more open
attitude and softer stance and is confident that these developments will lead to
even better political winds of change in the Asean member
state.
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said these political
developments in Myanmar were very encouraging and Malaysia was confident that
the disputing groups would arrive at a consensus on the governing process for
their country.
He was commenting on the positive developments reported
recently by the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Myanmar Razali Ismail on
his mission to that country.
Syed Hamid was speaking at a news conference after
visiting the headquarters of the Malaysian Association of Youth Clubs (MAYC)
here.
Razali was reported to have said that he was allowed to
meet twice with Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi now under house
arrest.
He also met the head of the military junta Lt Gen Khin
Nyut.
Razali was given the mandate by the UN to discuss issues
related to the UN General Assembly Resolution of December 1999 urging the
Myanmar Government to stop any violation of human rights and take steps to
return the country to democracy,
Syed Hamid said as a country with close ties with Myanmar,
Malaysia fully supported Razali's efforts to restore democracy in that
country.
However in line with the policy of non-interference in the
internal affairs of other countries, Malaysia had adopted the stand that
democratisation in Myanmar should be at its own pace and convenience without any
external force or pressure, he said.
"The Malaysian Government has always stressed on the
concept of a constructive relationship without offending any country and on the
question of Myanmar we can only be influential to the extent of showing how the
democratic process has brought benefit to economic development and to the
people's wellbeing in this country," he said.
He said the visit of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir
Mohamad to Myanmar last month had produced encouraging results and Malaysia
would help in the economic development of that country.
He said Malaysia was confident that the democratisation
process in Myanmar would gain momentum when its economy further
improved.
On his visit to the MAYC headquarters, Syed Hamid said it
was to study the renovations that could be done to the office and the Youth
Hostel managed by the MAYC.
This is his first visit to the headquaters since Syed
Hamid succeeded Tan Sri Sanusi Junid as MAYC President at the end of last
year.
WIRE: 02/12/2001 8:29 am ET
Myanmar hits back at Thailand after border clashes YANGON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government on Monday
accused Thai troops of aiding ethnic rebels in a clash at the border over the
weekend, and insisted it had informed Thailand about its planned attacks on
guerrillas in the area.
On Sunday, Thai and Myanmar troops exchanged fire across
the border for several hours.
The clashes came after two people were killed and more
than a dozen wounded in the Thai town of Mae Sai by stray mortar bombs and
bullets as Myanmar troops and their allies from the United Wa State Army
attacked ethnic Shan rebels in the area.
At a news conference in Yangon, senior military spokesman
Colonel Kyaw Thein said ethnic rebels had fired shells at the Myanmar border
town of Tachilek from inside Thailand, prompting Myanmar soldiers to fire back
at their positions near Mae Sai.
He said no shells had been fired at Mae Sai itself.
"We had to fire back at them as they fired about 10 shells
from heavy weapons into Tachilek town," Kyaw Thein said.
"During that period, 14 soldiers were killed, 51 wounded
and two are missing. Three civilians were killed and 15 wounded."
Kyaw Thein said Thai troops had helped the rebels by
firing across the border, but did not explicitly accuse the Thai government of
aiding the ethnic Shan rebels.
He said the Myanmar army had been engaged in clearing
operations to dislodge about 150 Shan rebels operating at the border, and
insisted Thai authorities had been informed about the operation through
Myanmar's military attache in Bangkok.
BORDER CROSSING REOPENS
Thai officials said on Monday that a protest would be
lodged with Myanmar, although they stressed they believed the Myanmar troops had
been acting on their own initiative without the sanction of the Yangon
government.
"Thai and Myanmar leaders understand each other, but in
the field it is not as clear," regional army commander Lieutenant-General
Wattanachai Chaimuanwong told Thai television.
Newly elected Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said
he would travel to Mae Sai on Wednesday but added that the incident should not
damage relations between the two nations.
He said he would visit Yangon soon for talks with
Myanmar's ruling generals.
"The issue is a local one. Thailand might need to react
strongly from time to time. However, for our initial talks we need to start as
friends," Thaksin told reporters.
On Monday, the border crossing between Mae Sai and
Tachilek was re-opened after being closed when the fighting erupted. But there
was little traffic across the border.
Mae Sai, usually a busy frontier trading town, remained
quiet with most shops closed. Hundreds of residents were evacuated from the town
on Sunday.
The United Wa State Army is accused of producing a large
amount of the amphetamines that have flooded Thailand from Myanmar in recent
years. The group, in alliance with Myanmar troops, has been fighting the rebel
Shan guerrillas.
Myanmar says it is the Shan rebels who are behind the
drugs trade in the area.
Sunday's fighting followed another incident in which more
than 200 Myanmar troops seized a small Thai military outpost in another border
area and held it for most of Saturday.
Clashes followed and a Thai army helicopter was damaged by
Myanmar fire during the fighting.
The Thai army said the border base, manned by 19 Thai
soldiers at the time of the assault by Myanmar soldiers, was in a disputed
border area claimed by the two countries.
Thai army Commander-in-Chief Surayud Chulanont told a news
conference Myanmar must stop shooting into Thailand and both sides should agree
not to allow troops into the disputed area.
"The problem can be solved if both two countries adhere to
this two-point agreement," he said. "We will solve this problem with a careful,
peaceful approach."
He said talks between Thailand and Myanmar were needed at
all levels to solve the dispute.
(With additional reporting by Prapan Chankaew in
Mae Sai and Andrew Marshall in Bangkok)
Monday, February 12 12:37 PM SGT
Thaksin to visit border town after Myanmar fighting kills three BANGKOK, Feb 12 (AFP) - Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said
Monday he would travel to the border region where fighting between Myanmar
troops and ethnic rebels spilled over on the weekend, leaving three villagers
dead.
"I will go to visit the people living on the border and
see what the situation is," he said, adding that he would travel north with his
coalition partner Chavalit Youngchaiyudh, a former prime minister and army
chief.
Thaksin said he also planned to make an official visit to
Myanmar as soon as his cabinet line-up is finalised. The cabinet list is due to
be announced later this week.
"I will go and meet with Myanmar's leaders to talk about
the issues of the military, the border and security," he said.
Thaksin, who was elected premier on Friday, indicated his
government could take a tougher line on the conflicts that periodically flare up
on the border, saying that Thailand should not just wait until more problems
occur.
"Sometime we need to use more strict or active measures,
not just passive measures," he said.
The Thai border town of Mae Sai was abandoned Sunday after
fierce fighting broke out between Myanmar forces and Thai troops who retaliated
after shells aimed at rebel forces strayed into Thai territory.
Villagers streamed out of the town after shells meant for
guerrillas of the Shan State Army (SSA) -- one of a handful of armed factions
who have yet to agree to a ceasefire with Yangon -- began to rain down on
them.
As well as the three Thais who died in the fighting, at
least 16 others were injured, including seven soldiers. More than 800 Thai
soldiers were deployed along a sealed-off stretch of the border.
By Monday, however, the situation was calm and the
townspeople had returned to their homes along with their bundles of belongings
and livestock. The border crossings were also reopened.
The latest trouble broke out Friday when some 200 Myanmar
troops entered Thailand and took control of a military base where 19 Thai
paramilitary soldiers had been standing watch.
The Myanmar troops, who were pursuing SSA fighters,
occupied the base after having been denied passage by Thai guards.
"Myanmar troops used aggressive force to take control of
the Thai base. They intend to use the Thai base as a staging area to fight the
SSA," said Third Regional Army Commander Lieutenant General Wattanachai
Chaimaeunwong.
Thai foreign ministry spokesman Pradap Pibulsonggram said
the army had acted to protect its border. He said the foreign ministry would
wait for more information before taking diplomatic measures.
Monday February 12, 3:35
PM
Malaysia Welcomes Political Developments In Myanmar KUALA LUMPUR (AP)--Malaysia's foreign minister said Monday that
his country welcomed recent signs of a thaw in relations between Myanmar's
military rulers and the opposition.
Minister Syed Hamid Albar expressed confidence that the
development would lead to positive political changes in other Southeast Asian
nations. He said he expected both sides in Myanmar to eventually achieve an
agreement on how to best govern the country.
"As far as Myanmar is concerned, we can only point out how
the democratic process has brought benefits to economic development and the
people's well-being in our country," he said.
Syed Hamid, quoted by the national news agency Bernama,
said that other countries should allow political changes to occur naturally in
Myanmar, without resorting to coercion.
He was commenting on U.N. envoy Razali Ismail's five-day
mission to Myanmar, also known as Burma, last month. Razali, a Malaysian
diplomat, announced that Myanmar's generals had started a dialogue with
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, reversing a decade-long refusal to meet
her.
Razali's mission overlapped with an official visit by
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to Myanmar. Syed Hamid said Mahathir's trip was
fruitful, proving Malaysia's commitment to aiding Myanmar's economic progress.
Mahathir has been a leading advocate of Myanmar's military
regime, insisting that positive engagement with the junta would eventually bring
about economic improvement and political change.
Monday, February 12 2:49 PM SGT
Thaksin To Visit Myanmar By APICHART WEERAWONG, Associated Press Writer MAE SAI, Thailand (AP) - Thailand's new prime minister
said Monday he planned to visit military-run Myanmar soon, commenting after
Myanmar forces shelled a Thai border town and killed two civilians.
The boarder situation was calm Monday, a day after Myanmar
and Thai forces reached a cease-fire. Some 200 Myanmar troops that had allegedly
taken over a disputed Thai hilltop base withdrew from the border, the Thai army
said.
At least seven Thai soldiers also were injured in the
clashes Sunday at the base, which is claimed by both Myanmar and Thailand. There
was no word on casualties from the Myanmar side, and the Myanmar government
would not comment.
Thaksin Shinawatra, who became premier on Friday, told
reporters in Bangkok that he planned to visit Myanmar, also known as Burma, soon
after his Cabinet had taken its oath of office, expected at the end of this
week.
Former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who is
expected to be defense minister, may accompany him, said Thaksin. Chavalit, a
former army chief, is thought to have close ties with the Myanmar military
regime.
Thaksin did not comment specifically about the clashes at
the border, which occurred at three locations Sunday when fighting between
Myanmar forces and the anti-government Shan State Army (South) spilled over into
Thailand.
The Myanmar troops took over the base so they could
position their artillery to shoot at the Shan rebels, Thai military told The
Nation newspaper.
Thaksin said Thailand had been ``too passive'' in its
relations with Myanmar under the previous government. ``We must use a diplomatic
approach,'' Thaksin said.
Ethnic insurgents fighting against the Myanmar regime have
based themselves along the Thai border for decades, but relations between
Thailand and Myanmar are generally cordial.
Myanmar's leader Gen. Than Shwe on Monday claimed the
current government has achieved national reconciliation and laid the foundations
for a ``disciplined democracy'' in the military state.
But in a message to mark the 54th annual Union Day, Than
Shwe also warned people to be alert to dangers that hamper the country's
stability.
The message, published in all three official newspapers,
lacked the usual rhetoric against the National League for Democracy party of
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which swept general elections in 1990 but
was not allowed to take power.
Suu Kyi and the regime began their first direct talks in
six years in October. Neither side has divulged how the dialogue is progressing.
About 200 NLD members held a low-key ceremony to mark
Union Day at the party headquarters in Yangon, although Suu Kyi and her top two
aides are under house detention.
Monday, February 12 6:30 PM SGT
New Road to Boost Indo Myanmar Ties: Indian Min NEW DELHI, Feb 12 Asia
Pulse - Indo-Myanmar relations are expected to move into top
gear with the Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh putting into
operation next week a new road that will pave the way for enhanced tourism,
trade and economic ties.
Singh's three-day official visit, the first high-level one
from India to Myanmar since the trip by the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in
1987, will signal India's interest in reviving close contacts with
Yangon.
He will inaugurate the Rs 1 billion (US$21.54 million)
165-km-long Tamu-Kalemyo-Kalewa road, the first of its kind in Myanmar developed
by the Border Roads Organisation aimed at greater cross-border linkages with
India.
Sharing a long border stretching over 1600 kms, India and
Myanmar face the serious problems of cross-border insurgency, drug trafficking
and smuggling of illegal arms.
Though institutional mechanisms have been set up to deal
with these issues, they continue to be a source of major concern for the two
neighbours.
Myanmar is attaching considerable significance to Singh's
visit during which he will meet Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman of the State
Peace and Development Council [SPDC], the highest decision-making body of the
military regime.
Besides Than Shwe, who is also Prime Minister and the
Defence Minister, Singh will have intensive parleys with Myanmar Foreign
Minister U Win Aung.
Monday February 12, 9:10
PM
Thai Capt: About 100 Myanmar Troops Killed In Fighting PANG NOON, Thailand (AP)--A Thai commander said that nearly 100 Myanmar troops
were killed following a nine-hour artillery barrage that led to the recapture of
a hilltop base at Pang Noon, Thailand.
Thai forces recaptured the base early Monday. Capt. Songkarn Nilphan, commander of the unit that
reclaimed the base, said the prolonged artillery assault drove out the Myanmar
soldiers. Thai forces said the Myanmar soldiers, who withdrew from the base late
Sunday, suffered many casualties. The base is located about two kilometers
inside Thailand.
Thai troops found only three bodies at the camp, but
believed many more had been taken back to Myanmar soil. An official Thai army
spokesman said he had no figures for Myanmar casualties. The Myanmar government
didn't immediately comment on the fighting.
Some 200 Myanmar troops took control of the base early
last week to position their artillery to shoot at ethnic rebels of Shan State
Army (South) based inside Myanmar, the Thai military said.
In the past, Myanmar has disputed that Pang Noon is in
Thailand.
The Thai government summoned the Myanmar ambassador Monday
and "strongly protested...blatant acts of violation of Thailand's sovereignty
and territorial integrity."
Thailand demanded prompt compensation for deaths and
injury to Thai citizens and damage to property caused in fighting at Pang Noon
and at the Thai border town of Mae Sai, about 40 kilometers to the east.
Myanmar mortar shells killed two women and injured seven
other civilians Sunday at Mae Sai, at the northernmost tip of Thailand, about
720 kilometers from Bangkok. Seven Thai troops were injured at Pang Noon.
"Both governments will solve the problem, don't worry,"
said Myanmar Ambassador Hla Maung to reporters after a 40-minute meeting with
Thai Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra.
Earlier Monday, Thailand's new Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra appeared conciliatory. He told reporters he planned to visit Myanmar,
also known as Burma, soon after his Cabinet had taken the oath of office,
expected at the end of this week.
Former Thai prime minister, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who is
expected to be defense minister in the new government, may accompany Thaksin.
Chavalit, a former army chief, is thought to have close ties with the Myanmar
military regime.
Thaksin said Thailand had been "too passive" in its
relations with Myanmar under the previous government of Chuan Leekpai and should
be more "proactive" with more contacts with the Myanmar leadership.
Chuan didn't visit Myanmar during his three-year term.
Ethnic insurgents fighting against the Myanmar regime have
based themselves along the Thai border for decades, but relations between
Thailand and Myanmar are generally cordial.
Maj. Gen. Jamlong Phothong, the deputy commander of
Thailand's third army region that controls northern Thailand, said he had
reached a truce in talks late Sunday with his Myanmar counterpart Maj. Gen. Tan
Aung.
"Both sides agreed to order a cease-fire and settle the
problem on the negotiating table. The situation on the border is back to
normal," Jamlong said Monday.
Three Thai armored vehicles that guarded Mae Sai on Sunday
night were pulled out early Monday and the border checkpoint reopened. Traders
who had evacuated the town during the fighting had returned to their shops.
However, fresh clashes between rival ethnic Karen armies
occurred inside Myanmar at a different section of the border Monday. Five
artillery shells landed on Thailand's Tak province. There were no injuries, the
Thai army said.
Monday February 12, 10:00
PM
Myanmar Denies It Shelled Town In Thailand YANGON, Myanmar (AP)--Myanmar denied Monday accusations by
Thai military and media that it attacked a northern Thai border town, killing
two civilians and wounding others.
"We have no intention to provoke the Thai army and have
not launched a mortar attack on Mae Sai," said Col. Kyaw Thein of the Office of
Strategic Studies, a military intelligence think tank.
The Thai government protested to Myanmar Monday for what
it called "blatant acts of violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial
integrity" and demanded compensation for casualties and damage. Myanmar is also
known as Burma.
At least two Thai civilians were killed and seven others
wounded by mortar shells that landed on Mae Sai Sunday, the Thai army said.
Kyaw Thein said it was "very difficult to judge the
attitude of some Thai army leaders," but that Myanmar would seek to resolve the
border problem "through peaceful means."
Myanmar launched a military operation Thursday against
Shan ethnic rebels near Tachilek, opposite Mae Sai, and kept the Thai army
informed of its progress, he said.
The target was the "drug smuggling terrorist" Ywet Sit and
150 men of the Shan United Rebel Army, he said, apparently referring to Yawd
Serk, the leader of a Myanmar anti-government group which refers to itself as
the Shan State Army (South).
Kyaw Thein said the rebels had set up nine base camps
along the border in Myanmar's southeastern Shan State, threatening security in
the region. He suggested the rebels may have attacked Mae Sai.
"We intended to dislodge Ywet Sit's rebel camps and had no
intention to encroach upon Thai territory," he said.
He accused the Thai army of helping the Shan rebels,
saying one Thai military camp assisted the rebels with heavy weapons.
He said three Myanmar civilians were killed and 15 others
wounded by 10 mortar shells launched by the Shan rebels from a hill on Thai
territory, and the shells also damaged a church, a Buddhist monastery and seven
houses.
Kyaw Thein said 12 Myanmar soldiers had been killed and 15
wounded during skirmishes at the border between Thursday and Sunday. Myanmar
forces captured two enemy camps and found the bodies of two Shan rebels, he
said.
Monday, February 12 9:44 PM SGT
Thais Drive Out Myanmar Troops By APICHART WEERAWONG, Associated Press Writer PANG NOON, Thailand (AP)
- Thailand recaptured a hilltop base near its northern border Monday after a
prolonged artillery assault drove out Myanmar troops, Thai soldiers said.
The Myanmar forces apparently suffered many casualties -
bloodstained military uniforms and spent rocket-propelled grenades littered the
base at Pang Noon, about a mile inside Thailand.
Capt. Songkarn Nilphan, commander of the unit that
recaptured the base after a nine-hour military barrage forced Myanmar soldiers
to withdraw, claimed that nearly 100 Myanmar troops were killed.
Thai troops found only three bodies at the camp, but
believe many more were taken back to Myanmar, also known as Burma.
Seven Thai soldiers were injured. A Thai army spokesman
said he had no figures for Myanmar casualties. The military regime that governs
Myanmar did not immediately comment.
In the past, Myanmar has disputed that Pang Noon is
located in Thailand. About 200 Myanmar troops took over the base early last week
so they could aim their artillery at ethnic rebels of the Shan State Army
(South) based inside Myanmar, the Thai military said.
Ethnic insurgents fighting the Myanmar regime have based
themselves along the Thai border for decades, but relations between Thailand and
Myanmar are generally cordial.
The Thai government summoned the Myanmar ambassador Monday
and ``strongly protested ... blatant acts of violation of Thailand's sovereignty
and territorial integrity.''
Thailand demanded prompt compensation for death and injury
to its citizens and damage to property in fighting at Pang Noon and at the Thai
border town of Mae Sai, about 25 miles to the east.
Two women were killed and seven other civilians injured by
Myanmar mortar shells that landed Sunday at Mae Sai, at the northernmost tip of
Thailand, about 440 miles from Bangkok.
``Both governments will solve the problem, don't worry,''
Myanmar Ambassador Hla Maung said after a 40-minute meeting with Thai Deputy
Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra.
Earlier Monday, new Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
appeared conciliatory. He said he planned to visit Myanmar soon after his
Cabinet was sworn in, expected late this week.
Thaksin said Thailand had been ``too passive'' in its
relations with Myanmar under the previous government and should be more
``proactive'' with more contacts with the Myanmar leadership.
Maj. Gen. Jamlong Phothong, the deputy army commander in
northern Thailand, said he reached a truce in talks late Sunday with his Myanmar
counterpart, Maj. Gen. Tan Aung.
``Both sides agreed to order a cease-fire and settle the
problem on the negotiating table. The situation on the border is back to
normal,'' Jamlong told The Associated Press on Monday.
Three Thai armored vehicles that guarded Mae Sai on Sunday
night were pulled out early Monday and the border checkpoint reopened. Traders
who evacuated the town during the fighting returned to their shops.
Thai Friendship Bridge
Reopened After Border Clashes
2001.02.12 23:54:10 YANGON, February 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The Tachileik-Maesai friendship
bridge, which links Myanmar and Thailand, is reopened by both sides on
Monday and traffic has returned to normal after border clashes in the past
four days, a high-ranking Myanmar military official said on Monday
evening.
Colonel Kyaw Thein of the Myanmar Defense Ministry told a
press conference that there had been exchange of fire since last Thursday
between the government troops and the Shan-State United Revolutionary Army
(SURA), an anti-government Shan ethnic armed group.
Kyaw Thein accused Thailand of "being behind the
attacks."
But he added that Myanmar wishes to settle the
clashes peacefully, based on the friendship of the two countries and
the two armed forces.
He disclosed that the border committees of the two
countries are making arrangements to meet and tackle the issue.
Meanwhile, Myanmar deputy foreign minister U Khin Maung
Win summoned Thai ambassador Oum Maolanon and handed him a protest
note Monday evening.
Malaysian National News
Agency
MYANMAR OFFICIALS ATTEND COURSE HERE KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- Ten Myanmar diplomats and
administrators are attending a two-week special training course here to better
understand the development of Malaysia and Japan.
The course, opened by Patricia Chia Yoon Moi, Director of
External Assistance Division of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime
Minister's Department, Monday, was also attended by two Malaysian officials.
It is aimed at enabling Myanmar's officers to learn the
theory, history and practices in politics and world economics, with special
emphasis on the Malaysian and Japanese development models.
Malaysian National News
Agency
Febuary 12 , 2001 16:29PM MYANMAR JUNTA BOSS CALLS FOR DEMOCRACY, PROGRESS ON UNION DAY YANGON, Feb 12 (Bernama-Kyodo) - Military junta leader Sr. Gen. Than Shwe on Monday called for Myanmar's ethnic minorities to oppose destructive elements and strive together for a disciplined democratic state in a message to mark the country's 54th Union Day. The message by the chairman of the State Peace and
Development Council was read out by Chairman of the Yangon Peace and Development
Council Maj. Gen. Khin Maung Than in the capital. Myanmar TV broadcast the
ceremony live.
''All national races of the country must strive together
to maintain this momentum of peace, stability and progress while trying to
achieve a modern prosperous state with disciplined democracy,'' Than Shwe said
in the message. ''Internal and external destructive elements against stability
and modernisation of the state must be opposed."
The Daily Star
Indian FM to visit Myanmar AFP, Guwahati India and Myanmar are to sign a treaty to combat
cross-border drug trafficking and a separatist
insurgency during a visit by India's foreign minister next week, officials said Sunday. Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh is due in Yangon on Tuesday
for a three-day trip during which he will also discuss ways to boost trade and
transport links.
It is the first high-level trip by an Indian leader to
Myanmar since then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi visited in 1987.
Foreign ministry officials said Singh's trip will "signal
New Delhi's interest in reviving close contacts with Yangon".
The officials said high on the agenda were "effective
plans" to stem the flow of drugs from Myanmar into India through Moreh, the last
border point in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur.
They said a treaty would be signed next week following
Singh's talks with Myanmar's military leaders.
Experts say drugs such as heroin and marijuana find their
way into India's remote northeastern states from Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.
During his stay in Yangon, Singh is expected to call on
Myanmar's army chief of staff Lieutenant General Tin Oo and top junta leader
General Than Shwe.
India and Myanmar, which share a 1,643-kilometre border,
pledged in 1999 to cooperate more closely and curb terrorism.
The Star - February 12,
2001.
When no news is good news for Myanmar YANGON: Landmark talks between Myanmar's military
government and pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi offer the best
hope for democracy and full engagement with the rest of the world for more than
a decade.
The talks, which began in October, have already produced
an extraordinary result: the two sides have agreed not to discuss their private
meetings or comment on their progress, and they are sticking to the deal. Open
hostilities have virtually ceased.
For the first time in as long as anyone can remember,
Myanmar's state-run newspapers no longer carry daily diatribes condemning Suu
Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) as "axe handles'' and traitors out to
destroy the country.
Public criticism of the military by the NLD--which won
Myanmar's last election in 1990 by a wide margin but has never been allowed to
govern--has also dried up.
"So far the signs are promising and we assume the talks
are making progress,'' said one senior Yangon-based diplomat. "No news appears
to be good news.''
The government and NLD may not be speaking about the talks
but they have sent some very clear messages.
At the end of January the government released 85 political
prisoners, including NLD vice-chairman Tin Oo, from detention.
Sources close to the NLD said the party would curtail its
traditional public events to mark Union Day a national holiday today, a day that
usually sees ritual denunciations by the party of the military.
The sources said the government might choose to mark March
27, celebrated by the military as Armed Forces Day and by the pro-democracy
opposition as Resistance Day, with another significant goodwill gesture.
On March 27, 1945, Aung San, Suu Kyi's father and
Myanmar's independence hero, called on his national resistance fighters to throw
the occupying Japanese forces out of the country.
"We think March 27 could see an important gesture,'' one
source said.
"That day is symbolic for everyone.''
Diplomats and opposition sources give much credit for
breaking the deadlock to Asean governments, particularly Singapore and Malaysia.
Asean admitted Myanmar in 1997 and has pursued a
controversial policy of flexible engagement with the Yangon generals, arguing
investment and dialogue would encourage change.
Diplomats say the Asean message may have been made more
palatable by offers of aid to help Myanmar's battered economy, which is
suffering double-digit inflation, very low growth and a downward spiral in the
value of the currency.
The UN Secretary-General's special envoy to Myanmar, Tan
Sri Razali Ismail, applied a little extra gentle pressure.
After all this, the parties need a dialogue on an agenda
and only then can real negotiations towards specific targets
begin.--Reuters
The Nation - February 13,
2001.
Border tense despite retreat of
Burmese
MAE SAI, Chiang Rai - The Thai-Burma northern border
remained tense yesterday despite the retreat of Burmese troops from the Ban Pang
Noon hill and the reopening of the border checkpoint here.
Thai army sources said Burma had dispatched reinforcements
to the border area near Tachilek even though the regional military commanders of
both sides had signed a cease-fire agreement on Sunday evening.
Army chief General Surayudh Chulanont expressed hope
yesterday that the cease-fire agreement would be observed.
"The army will try its best to keep matters on a
negotiation track unless there is another border incursions. We hope the
cease-fire agreement will be observed," Surayudh said.
Although cross-border trade resumed, few local residents
from either side were seen crossing here yesterday.
Surayudh said officials from the Joint Border Committee
held a separate meeting yesterday to discuss the damage caused by Burmese
shelling, as well as the deaths of two civilians and the injuries to nine Thai
villagers.
Meanwhile, the Burma military junta yesterday accused Thai
troops of aiding ethnic rebels during the clashes, and insisted that it had
informed Thailand about its planned attacks on guerrillas in the area.
At a news conference in Rangoon, senior military spokesman
Colonel Kyaw Thein said ethnic rebels had fired shells at the Burma border town
of Tachilek from inside Thailand, prompting Burmese soldiers to fire back at
their positions near Mae Sai.
He said no shells had been fired at Mae Sai itself.
"We had to fire back at them as they fired about 10 shells
from heavy weapons into Tachilek town," Kyaw Thein said.
"During that period, 14 soldiers were killed, 51 wounded
and two are missing. Three civilians were killed and 15 were wounded."
Kyaw Thein said Thai troops had fired across the border,
but did not explicitly accuse the Thai government of aiding the ethnic Shan
rebels.
He said the Burmese army had been engaged in clearing
operations to dislodge about 150 Shan rebels operating at the border, and
insisted Thai authorities had been informed about the operation through Burma's
military attaché in Bangkok.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his coalition
counterpart General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, tipped to be the next defence
minister, will visit the area tomorrow. Thaksin also said he would make an
official visit to Burma soon after his cabinet was in place to help clear the
air.
"Sometimes we need to use more strict or active measures,
not just passive measures," Thaksin said.
The district, for decades a vibrant trading post for
Burmese and Thai traders, was virtually abandoned on Sunday after fierce
fighting broke out between Burmese forces and Thai troops.
Wankeaw Kaeuklom, a vegetable vendor, said she was not
taking any chances and would be better prepared for the next round of fighting.
Her bag was packed just in case.
"The fight was so intense. Everybody ran for their lives
without thinking about anyone else," said Sompong Sae-yung, the 51-year-old
owner of a shoe shop. "It is funny that the authorities announced the opening of
a check-point despite the presence of tanks," he said
While few people were reluctant to come close to the
official crossing point, Kamla, a 62-year-old grandmother, was desperate to get
to the Burmese side to see her son, an employee of a casino there.
"Don't stop me. I want to visit my son," a tearful Kamla
pleaded with border officials to speed up their process.
The clashes between Thai and Burmese troops broke out
Saturday morning when about 500 Burmese troops seized the Bang Pang Noon hill,
taking 19 Thai rangers hostage at the base camp there.
The Burmese troops were pursuing soldiers from the rebel
Shan State Army and wanted the hill to set up their artillery but the Thai
Rangers refused them access. The following morning Thai troops began to shell
the base. Both sides exchanged gunfire and mortar shells in Mae Sai district, as
well as in other areas.
BY JEERAPORN CHAISRI
The Nation, Reuters
The Nation - February 12,
2001.
EDITORIAL: Thaksin is being tested by the Burmese junta Make no mistake, the tension along Thai-Burmese border in
the past few days was a deliberate action by the Rangoon military junta to test
the leadership of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the new government's
reaction.
In the most unprofessional way, Thaksin has already played
his trump card by announcing that he will pay Rangoon a visit as soon as
possible. He is too eager. It is one thing to visit the Thai border but
something else again to go to Rangoon at this time. Before he committed himself
to the visit, Thaksin would have been better advised to study Thai-Burmese
relations, especially the history of clashes between the two countries. He
should have been told that Burma has been the provocateur many times in the
past, especially when Thailand has been undergoing domestic change. In the
latest brutal example at Mae Sai, the change of Thai leadership was the
catalyst. It is not surprising at all that the intrusions by the Burmese troops
occurred on the day of his inauguration.
In retaliation for this blatant act of territorial
aggression, Thaksin should delay his visit to Rangoon until the junta has
responded positively to all demands outlined in the aide-mémoire yesterday which
called on Burma to withdraw its troops from Thai territory, stop all provocation
and pay financial compensation to those who were affected by the incident. Two
Thai villagers were killed and eight injured, while nine soldiers were wounded,
when the Burmese troops rained bullets and shells on the village. If history is
any judge, Burma will not respond to the Thai demand for compensation. By last
night the Thai Army had dislodged the intruders.
With the change of government, Burma is testing the waters
to find out who is in charge in the new administration as far as Burmese affairs
are concerned. The junta leaders also want to test the solidarity of Thailand's
new policy-makers, whether they will speak individually or with one voice. The
infringement on Thai territory will not be the last, so it is pivotal that
Thaksin become fully cognisant of the intricacies of Thai-Burmese relations, and
in that respect it is vital that he not make premature commitments.
In addition, Thailand has urged Burma to convene the
Regional Border Committee (RBC), which has been in abeyance for two years. It is
Burma's turn to be the host. The committee, which is chaired by the army
commanders overseeing border security for the two countries, is an important
forum to clear the air in the light of sensitive Thai-Burmese demarcation
issues.
Beyond the immediate damage, Sunday's incursion has caused
irreparable harm to the royal visit of Queen Margrethe of Denmark, hosted by
their Majesties the King and Queen. The Burmese were only too aware that the
Danish royals would be visiting Chiang Mai from February 9 to 11. This is an
important occasion for Thailand given its strong relations with Denmark, and the
royal itinerary and some plans have had to be changed.
Thailand must learn the lesson of its relations with
Burma. Ayutthya twice fell because of a lack of unity among the Siamese. That
tragedy endures to this day.
It is understandable that the new prime minister is eager
to visit Burma: it will enable him to score a few quick political points. He is
mindful that his predecessor Chuan Leekpai did not go - every other Asean leader
has - because of political oppression. Going now may backfire in the long run.
Will history repeat itself?
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