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BURMA RELATED NEWS - April 25,
2001.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Myanmar accuses Thailand of threatening ASEAN
unity over drugs issue
AP - WWI Gallipoli Landing Remembered BBC - Thai military seize huge drugs cache
UPI - Burma accuses Thailand of
border incursion
NST - Myanmar hopes more accurate reporting will help
dispel myths
NST - Right time for Malaysians to enter Myanmar's
market
Bkk Post - Increased border tensions hamper trade with
Burma
Inside China - Chinese Army Chief in Yangon for
Goodwill Visit
IHT - Japanese Grant Rewards Burmese Talks IT - Tribespeople flee as Myanmar
fighting escalate
The Nation - Shipment row with
Rangoon not expected to escalate
The Nation - Army task force halts
drug caravan, seizes pills and heroin after gun battle
Bkk Post - Wa purchasing power to be curtailed in trade
initiative
Bkk Post - Power plant issue unlikely to
escalate
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday April 26, 7:35 PM
Myanmar accuses Thailand of threatening
ASEAN unity over drugs issue
YANGON, April 26 (AFP) -
Myanmar Thursday accused Thailand of jeopardising Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) unity by blaming the Yangon junta for rampant drug trafficking
along their shared border.
"Thailand has resorted to scapegoating and pushing responsibility to the
other party rather than cooperation in a manner of shared responsibility," it
said in a strongly-worded statement.
"Irresponsible actions which can jeopardise the ASEAN's unprecedented
determination to solve regional matters peacefully in an atmosphere of goodwill,
friendship and cooperation among the member countries should be seriously
considered."
Despite expectations that Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's election
in January would help improve relations with Myanmar, his sharply critical
approach over the drugs issue has sparked a rift between the neighbours.
Relations reach a low point earlier this year when fighting between two
ethnic militias reputedly involved in the drug trade set off a rare clash
between the two national armies.
High-level talks helped relieve the tension, but a raid last weekend by the
Shan State Army (SSA) rebels on a Myanmar border outpost, which left seven
government soldiers dead, has reignited the debate.
The SSA said they found 170,000 methamphetamine pills at the security post,
a charge angrily denied by Myanmar which Thursday also accused the Thai military
of being involved in the attack.
"Certain camps assigned on the border for monitoring purposes and civilian
towns are being frequently under attack on the pretext of narcotic drug
elminiation by the (SSA) drug bandits and Thai troops," it said.
The attacks were "causing unnecessary tensions and aggravation at areas
where trade, friendship and peace have been prevalent before."
Many analysts believe the SSA are closely aligned with the Thai military,
fighting a proxy war against the rival United Wa State Army (UWSA) which is
aligned with the Myanmar regime.
The Myanmar statement said that the "tactics and trend being implemented by
the Thai army at present along the common border with Myanmar will definitely
not help in our fight to eliminate the narco drugs."
In a reference to Thailand's massive addiction crisis, fed by amphetamines
made inside Myanmar, it urged its neighbour to cooperate instead of "blaming
others for the Thai people's every bad and peculiar habit."
The re-opening of the debate comes just before the Thai and Myanmar foreign
ministers hold their first talks in Yangon next Monday. The drugs issue is
certain to be high on the agenda of their bilateral talks in the following
days.
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Thursday April 26, 8:05 AM
WWI Gallipoli Landing
Remembered
By MURAD SEZER, Associated Press Writer CANAKKALE, Turkey (AP) - More
than 10,000 people, mainly from Australia and New Zealand, gathered at dawn on
Gallipoli beach to honor the dead in the Allied campaign that cost hundreds of
thousands of lives in World War I.
They joined the foreign ministers and military commanders of the two
countries in a minute of silence for those who fell at Anzac Cove, named for the
Australia and New Zealand Army Corps whose soldiers came ashore on April 25,
1915.
``The world of course has moved on since the Gallipoli campaign of 1915.
But the memory of what happened here has not been lost with the passage of
time,'' Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.
Thousands prayed, sang hymns and laid flowers in the sea in the morning
ceremony. Some climbed the cliffs surrounding the beach, achieving the feat at
which their grandfathers and great-grandfathers had failed.
On ANZAC Day, commemorating Australia's and New Zealand's baptism of fire
at Gallipoli, the two countries remember their dead from all wars.
On the other side of the world, more than 400 Australians, New Zealanders,
Americans and Britons marked ANZAC Day with a religious service in a Thailand
jungle to honor Allied prisoners who died building the Thai-Myanmar ``Death
Railroad'' during World War II.
The veterans included survivors from the 60,000 prisoners of war forced by
the Japanese army to labor on the railway, basis for the 1957 movie, ``The
Bridge on the River Kwai.'' Some 12,400 of the Allied prisoners died due to
overwork, mistreatment and disease.
In Turkey, a Turkish officer read a letter by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the
founder of modern Turkey who became a war hero at Gallipoli, addressed to the
mothers of the Allied soldiers buried there, stating that their sons were buried
in a friendly, not a hostile country.
``Most nations commemorate their victories not their defeats,'' New
Zealand's Foreign Minister Phillip Goff said. ``We commemorate courage.''
Australian and New Zealand volunteers formed the backbone of a 200,000-man
British-led army that landed at Gallipoli in a failed attempt to capture
Istanbul, 180 miles away. They also sought to knock the German-allied Ottoman
Empire out of the war.
A total of 1 million men fought in the campaign, which Turkish forces
turned into a frustrating nine-month battle of attrition. The Allies recorded
55,000 killed, 10,000 missing and 21,000 dead of disease, mainly dysentery.
Turkish casualties were estimated at 250,000.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BBC -Thursday, 26 April, 2001, 08:46
GMT 09:46 UK
Thai military seize huge drugs cache The Thai military has seized a huge haul of drugs from traffickers on the
country's border with Burma, officials said.
Troops retrieved more than six million tablets of met-amphetamine - known
as "ice" in the West - and about 4.5kg of heroin after a brief clash with gunmen
near the town of Phobphra.
The haul - the third largest ever by the Thai authorities - was the second
in the area in a week.
Synthetic met-amphetamine pills made in Burma have flooded Thailand in
recent years.
The new government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has taken a
hardline approach to the problem, declaring a war on drugs. Last week the
authorities executed five major drug traffickers by firing squad.
There are fears that Thailand is losing the battle against the escalating
drug problem, believed to affect two million people out of the population of 60
million.
Pressure on Burma
The Thai military said it believed the gunmen belonged two ethnic rebel
groups - of the Karen and Wa minorities - which are allies of the Burmese
government and run drug factories inside Burmese territory.
The Thai authorities have called on Burma to take action against the United
Wa State Army - one of the ethnic militia groups accused of drug smuggling - but
Burma has said it has no control over them.
The range of anti-drug measures now being considered by the government is
clear evidence of its alarm over the serious impact of narcotics on Thai
society.
Among the new initiatives planned are tours of prison for schoolchildren to
show them how unpleasant life is there.
In 1999, there were more than 660,000 cases of drug-related offences by
students.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
United Press
International.
Burma accuses Thailand of border
incursion
Thursday, 26 April 2001 8:50 (ET)
YANGON, Myanmar, April 26 (UPI) -- Myanmar's state-controlled media on thursday accused Thai troops of attacking an army border outpost in which six of Yangon's troops were killed. The New Light of Myanmar newspaper said the outpost, where about 20 troops
from the former Burmese were stationed, was captured before dawn on April 22 by
a combined force of Thai troops and ethnic Shan "drug smuggling
insurgents."
Thai military sources confirmed that a battle took place that night and the
outpost was overrun, but they said the fighting was between Yangon's troops and
guerrillas of the Shan State Army, which has been battling Myanmar since the
1960s.
The sources said fighting was still under way Thursday by reinforced
Myanmarese units attempting to recapture the Pachee outpost, which is about 50
yards inside Burma, opposite the Thai province of Chiang Mai.
Thai officials said several rounds of Myanmarese artillery landed inside
Thai territory on Thursday as fighting intensified around Pachee.
According to Yangon's version, delivered by General Staff Officer Lt. Col.
San Pwint, the combined force of Thai troops and rebels from the Shan United
Revolutionary Army fired light and heavy weapons from a Thai base before
advancing on the Burmese position.
"About 200 attackers from the Thai camp approached the Pachee outpost,"
Pwint said. "During the attack the searchlights from the Thai camp were
projected on the Myanmar outpost, and the Thai camp also gave continuous
supporting heavy weapons and small arms fire.
"Six soldiers of the Pachee outpost fell during the attack and the
remaining troops had to withdraw as the situation of firepower and manpower was
unequal. In addition to giving supporting fire, the Thai troops joined the SURA
drug smuggling insurgents in attacking the Pachee outpost."
Pwint said the majority of the attacking troops were Thai and contradicted
Thai press reports that said the Shan guerrillas had confiscated more than
150,000 stimulant tablets from the abandoned Myanmarese base.
"The Thais are making the slanderous scheme in order to hide the
involvement of its troops and to put the blame on Myanmar concerning the
narcotic drugs," he said. "It can be obviously seen that the scheme is a usual
trick and twist of Thailand."
The remarks mark an apparent escalation in tension along the border, which
has erupted in violence several times this year amid conflicting claims of
involvement in drug smuggling by both sides.
Thai military leaders accuse the Yangon government of direct involvement in
the narcotics trade, which is flooding Thailand with millions of amphetamines.
Thai officials and media have highlighted reports of the Shan United Army's
efforts to fight the Myanmarse and ethnic Wa drug traffickers.
Yangon said, however, that it is the SURA, not the SSA, involved in the
fighting and that they are the ones involved in the lucrative amphetamine trade
in alliance with Thai traffickers.
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New Straits Times
National: Myanmar hopes more
accurate reporting will help dispel myths
By Ramlan Said who was in Yangon recently 26 April 2001 MYANMAR is hoping that more accurate reporting on the country will
encourage a greater number of tourists - especially Malaysians - to visit the
'Golden Land', said Lt Gen Khin Nyunt, Secretary (1) of the State Peace and
Development Council of Myanmar.
He said the situation in Myanmar over the past 10 years had not been
painted accurately, especially by the Western media.
"I don't think outsiders are fully aware of the real situation here. It is
true that previously we could not show the country to the world because of
insurgency problems we had to contend with.
"But peace and stability in the last decade have allowed Myanmar to develop
its economy and ease travelling restrictions to many areas."
He said this to a delegation of Malaysian journalists who called on him in
the Myanmar capital, Yangon, on Monday.
The eight-day visit was organised to enable the journalists to have a
first-hand look of the country which has been under military rule since
1988.
The de facto Prime Minister agreed that the closed-door policy practised by
the previous governments had not helped in popularising Myanmar.
"Despite not receiving any outside help, we have made great advances in the
last decade. For example, you have been taken to the border areas of Lauk Kai
and Monglar (in the Golden Triangle) which were off-limits before this due to
dangers posed by insurgents and drug trafficking.
"But the region has been entirely transformed with new and modern buildings
replacing shanty towns that once dominated the landscape. Proper roads,
hospitals and other facilities are being built."
He said the country had been successful in destroying poppy fields and
heroin production. Citing the Lauk Kai area as an example, he said it would be
free of the menace by 2005.
The government has embarked on a crop substitution programme for the
poppy-growers and has brought development, which was made possible following
peace accords reached with drug lords and various ethnic groups.
Responding to the question often asked about Myanmar - the return to
democratic rule by a government elected by the people - Khin Nyunt said the
military did not intend to remain in power forever.
Since achieving independence in 1948, he said Myanmar, with its 135 ethnic
groups, had not enjoyed stability because of insurrections.
He said the military, which had stepped in a few times as in 1960 and 1962,
had been forced to take over the country in 1988 which had then been on the
verge of anarchy.
"You can say that we are only a transitional government. Our focus and main
priority is to bring peace and develop the country."
He said it was the military's wish to surrender power to a government
elected by the people.
"But there must be peace, order and economic growth. Unless we build the
proper foundations for democracy, we will be heading into troubled
waters."
Pleading for some understanding, he said the West had long practised
democracy and the people enjoyed a better standard of living.
"Unless the people are given the experience, we can't move forward. We are
trying to put the country on the road to democracy... this is what the present
government is trying to achieve."
On when this would happen, he said: "I don't think there is a need for us
to drag our feet. This is not our intention.
"But because of the insurgent groups and the agreements allowing them to
hold on to arms until the formulation of the constitution, we have to move
gradually."
Khin Nyunt said the constitution would ensure the election of a strong
democratic government. "It is our wish to relinquish power to a strong
government."
On the economy, Khin Nyunt said Myanmar practised an open policy but
investments failed to flow in due to pressure from the West.
Before 1988, he said the economy was stagnating due to internal
instability.
"The economy is always linked to political stability. If there is no
stability, the economy cannot grow. That is why we have to bring the insurgents
into the fold and at the same time, develop the country."
Earlier, Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win said the military's
dialogue with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for
Democracy party had not been prompted by outside pressure.
"This is being done as we are aiming for national reconciliation, not only
with the armed groups, but also the political parties."
However, the Deputy Minister said he could not go into details on the
discussions as both sides had agreed to keep them confidential.
"Regular meetings are being held," he said when asked how many times both
sides had met.
Suu Kyi has been locked in a bitter struggle with the military government
since winning the 1990 polls which the generals have refused to recognise.
On the legitimacy of his government, Maung Win said just because it was not
an elected one did not mean it was not legitimate.
"If the military did not step in (in 1988), the country would have
disintegrated. It was because of this special circumstance that the military
took control."
He said the military had been instrumental in holding the country together
since then, besides bringing development.
On views that a general election would only be called when the military was
confident of winning, he said this was not possible as it was not a political
party.
Pressed on whether the military would contest the election on a political
platform, he replied: "I don't want to pre-judge this matter."
Maung Win was also asked about Myanmar's entry into Asean, to which he said
members of the grouping could play an important role in developing the
region.
He added Myanmar's experience over the last four years had shown that
joining Asean had been the right move, especially in the face of
globalisation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Straits Times
Nation: Right time for Malaysians
to enter Myanmar's market
By KAMARUL YUNUS 26 April 2001 MALAYSIAN businessmen should capitalise on the current close relationship
between Myanmar and Malaysia to open up their operations in that country prior
to the full opening of its market, Malaysian Ambassador to Myanmar, Datuk
Mohamed Noh said.
When Myanmar opened its door fully, he said, Malaysians would stand little
chance to succeed in penetrating its market because of the stiff competition
from big economies like the US and Japan.
"We are not a big player.
When Myanmar opens its market, we will not be able to compete with the
giants, who are already making inroads worldwide.
"If we come in late, we may not be successful.
Now is the right time for Malaysian companies to invest in Myanmar," he
told Malaysian journalists who were on an eight-day visit to Myanmar starting
April 17.
The visit was made possible following the meeting between Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad and State Peace and Development Council chairman
Senior General Than Swee during the former's visit to Myanmar in January.
Mohamed said since the PM's visit, bilateral relationship between Myanmar
and Malaysia has strengthened further, and this has provided conducive
environment for Malaysian companies to invest in Myanmar.
Since Malaysia is heading towards automation in its production, he said
Malaysian companies should relocate their operations to Myanmar to take
advantage of the cheap labour there.
Mohamed said Malaysian firms, although small, should invest in Myanmar and
then build up their business.
"They should try to forge a close rapport with the right contacts to
facilitate their business in Myanmar.
With the close relationship between the two countries, we would not have
problems in getting contacts with the Myanmar side," he said.
On the potential investment in Myanmar, Mohamed said Malaysians are
encouraged to participate in Myanmar's plantation sector such as maize planting,
and opening up palm oil estate in Southern Myanmar.
"There is also vast opportunity for Malaysians to invest in mining and
manufacturing as well as the human resources," he said.
According to the Myanmar Investment Commission, Malaysia is the fourth
largest foreign investor in Myanmar, after Singapore, the UK and Thailand.
Since the introduction of the Foreign Investment Law in 1988, Myanmar has
received cumulative investments worth US$7.4 billion (US$1 = RM3.80).
Malaysian companies have invested in various sectors of Myanmar's economy
including the manufacturing and hotel industries.
For instance, hotels managed by Malaysians include the Ramada, Equatorial
and MiCasa.
In the food production industry, one of the outstanding Malaysian companies
which is trying to establish itself as the number one producer of noodle snack
in Myanmar is Myanmar Mamee Double Decker Ltd.
Its general manager Micheal Chew Chin Teck said the company has invested
US$5 million to set up the factory in Mingaladon industrial area in
Yangon.
With 130 local staff, the plant managed to produce about 5,000 boxes of
several types of noodle and snack food a day.
"Our target is to register a growth rate of 60 per cent annually, and so
far the company has been able to achieve the target.
"We aim to be the number one noodle and snack food company in
Myanmar.
Our competitor now is Thailand's Yum Yum.
With the availability of various types of flavour for our noodles, we are
confident of overtaking the number one spot this year," he said.
The construction of the Mamee plant in Myanmar commenced in 1996 and began
operation in 1997.
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Bangkok Post - April 26,
2001.
Increased border tensions hamper trade
with Burma
Supamart Kasem Cross-border trade has shrunk by 70% in the wake of Thai-Burmese border
tensions, the chairman of the provincial chamber of commerce said.
Export volume plummeted to 100 million baht a month from 400 million baht,
Panithi Tangphati told a Chamber of Commerce Zone 7 meeting in Uthai Thani on
Tuesday.
Rangoon has also launched a campaign against Thai goods and tightened up
trade measures, he said.
The campaign started after Thailand barred exports of rice, medicine, fuel
and cars to Burma.
Some Burmese shops display a "no Thai goods" sign while others continue to
sell Thai goods quietly.
"Those who broke the law were arrested and prosecuted. The goods were
seized and burned," he said.
A sharp decrease in trade volume is cause for concern for Thai traders, who
fear Rangoon might demonetise the kyat like it did in 1987.
A worried Thai trader said Burma's economy was contracting and its currency
weakening.
On the black market, the exchange rate is 500 kyat per US dollar while the
government's rate is 6-7 kyat per dollar.
Commercial banks run by foreign investors have stopped trading in the
currency, the trader said. Only the Asia Wealth Bank of former drug warlord Khun
Sa and the Universal Bank of the Wa reportedly continued to make currency
dealings.
Niyom Wairatpanich, chairman of the chamber of commerce's border trade
committee, said the chamber would report the situation to Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra on May 12.
Third Army commander Lt-Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong yesterday chaired a
meeting held in Chiang Mai to discuss border trade problems.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside China
Chinese Army Chief in Yangon for
Goodwill Visit
BANGKOK, Apr 25, 2001 -- (Agence France Presse) Chinese army commander
General Fu Quanyou arrived in Yangon late Wednesday for an official goodwill
visit, state-run radio reported.
Fu, who is chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army, was welcomed at
the airport by his Myanmar counterpart, General Maung Aye, Radio Yangon said in
a dispatch monitored here.
Maung Aye is also the deputy commander in chief of Myanmar armed forces and
vice-chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the official
name of the ruling military regime.
Fu and his high-ranking military delegation are expected to call on
Myanmar's supreme leader Senior General Than Shwe Thursday and hold meetings
with other senior Myanmar figures.
China, the first country to recognize Myanmar's military regime after it
seized power in a bloody coup in September 1988, is the junta's main arms
supplier.
Since then, senior Myanmar and Chinese officials have kept up frequent
visits.
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International Herald Tribune
Japanese Grant Rewards Burmese
Talks
Thomas Crampton Wednesday, April 25, 2001
HONG KONG To support secret talks between opposition leaders and Rangoon’s
military government, Japan has quietly approved the largest grant aid package
since Burma’s ruling generals cracked down on pro-democracy demonstrations in
1988.
The move, which breaks a long-standing de facto ban on bilateral international assistance to Burma, took place in consultation with the United Nations and the United States. Sources familiar with the progress of the United Nations-brokered talks in Rangoon said the grant, which sets aside 3.5 billion yen ($28.6 million) for reconstruction of turbines in a hydropower dam, is intended to serve as a tangible reward to the military government for having kept open a dialogue with the opposition leader and Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. "You can do positive re-enforcement for the discussions with a pat on the back, kind words or a dam," said one person familiar with the deal. "The Japanese decided to do it with this dam." Rehabilitation of the Baluchaung dam was agreed to earlier this month and quietly announced during a little-publicized visit to Tokyo by Burma's deputy foreign minister, Khin Maung Win. Located in Burma's eastern province of Kayah, the dam was originally built by Japan in the 1960s as part of war reparations. Japanese consultants will leave for Burma in the next few weeks to draw up a feasibility study, after which the Japanese cabinet will formalize funds that have already been earmarked by the Foreign Ministry. The agreement was not announced in Burma's official press and went unnoticed by many Burma observers, including senior Rangoon-based diplomats. The reconciliation talks started last October at the prompting of a newly appointed UN special envoy, Razali Ismail. "This is a very significant move by Japan," a Rangoon-based source said. "Japan has been trying to keep it quiet yet cooperate with Razali to reward progress for the talks." Mr. Razali, a Malaysian, quickly overcame years of stalemate to start talks between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who heads the National League for Democracy, and leaders of the military junta, who now call themselves the State Peace and Development Council. The contents of the talks remain secret, but some of the government's more virulent propaganda against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party has eased. In another hint of reconciliation, the Burmese government allowed entry earlier this month of an envoy from the UN human rights office for the first time in five years. Nonetheless, many diplomats and observers fear that Japan's grant has come
too soon in a still nascent process. "This is a risky step for Japan: If the
dialogue falters, Japan could be criticized for acting prematurely," said Mike
Jendrzejczyk, Washington director of Human Rights Watch/Asia. "Clearly no
further grants should be given without fundamental human rights progress in
Burma."
Japanese officials refused to say whether Daw Aung San Suu Kyi approved extending the grant, but did confirm that consultations took place on all sides. "We are not going here alone," a Japanese official said. "All involved parties have been contacted." The Japanese grant is just one of many measures Mr. Razali has tried to coordinate in support of the reconciliation talks. For Japan to undertake the dam project with minimum interference, for example, Mr. Razali needed the United States to muffle its formerly strong opposition to the plan. Last year the United States raised objections against such bilateral aid and specifically criticized an early version of the dam project, warning that its approval amounted to a reward without progress on human rights. The United States now takes a more moderate stance on the issue thanks to optimism over the progress of talks and a new Washington administration that is hostile toward sanctions-based foreign policy, sources said. Mr. Razali failed in another attempt to rally support when he visited the World Bank earlier this year to request an opening of low-level engagement with Burma. The World Bank rejected the request since the Burmese government had shown so little response to previous attempts at cooperation with the bank, sources said. In 1998 the Burmese government rejected a billion-dollar offer of aid from the World Bank and United Nations in exchange for political reforms. At the time, government leaders expressed outrage at foreign criticism of its domestic affairs, insisting that Burma could ignore outside pressures and survive in total isolation if necessary. That plan, described as a "carrot and stick diplomacy," stands in stark contrast to Mr. Razali's approach, according to Rangoon-based observers. "Razali doesn't impose conditions, but acts more like an orchestra conductor," one source said. "Each government and institution is like an instrument that he tries to put in harmony with the others." Public disclosure of the grant, however, may raise criticism of Japan by Burma's vociferous exile activist community. Another point of contention may be Tokyo's assertion that the project amounts to simple humanitarian aid. "This hydropower plant provides electricity to 20 percent of the nation, including many hospitals," a Japanese official said. "In that way we may classify this as a humanitarian project." According to some estimates, however, up to one-third of the electricity generated by the dam is used by the country's military. --------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Times of India - April 25,
2001.
Tribespeople flee as Myanmar fighting
escalate
BANGKOK: About 100 more hill tribespeople living along the border with
Myanmar fled to low lying camps Tuesday to avoid being caught in fighting
between Myanmar troops and ethnic rebels, officials said.
They said the sound of gunfire from across the border resumed on Tuesday
near a Myanmar army outpost that was overrun by the rebel Shan State Army on
Sunday, and heavy exchange of fire lasted about one hour. Sporadic gunfire
continued to be heard in Thailand, they said.
"There was heavy fighting this morning which sent about 100 more people
fleeing to the camp in panic," said Arthit Chittangkul, chief of civil defence
of Fang district in Chiang Mai province.
It is about 800 kilometres north of Bangkok.
The new arrivals raised to more than 600 the number of hill tribespeople
who have fled their homes at the border, said Arthit, contacted by telephone
from Bangkok.
An army official said the resumption of fighting has forced the Thai Army
to send reinforcements to the area to prevent the violence from spilling
over.
Artillery has been set up to retaliate in case the Myanmar combatants fire
this way, said the official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
Judging from the sound of exchange there appear to have been heavy
casualties but no details are available, said another army officer.
In a statement to news agencies, the Shan State Army said about 250
guerrillas took part in the fighting Tuesday. It did not mention any
casualties.
The Shan State Army is fighting for independence for the Shan state
bordering Thailand.
Thailand has been concerned about its border communities since fighting
between Myanmar and the Shan State Army spilled into the neighbouring Chiang Rai
province in January.
Later, Thai and Myanmar troops also exchanged fire, plunging relations
between the two countries to their lowest level. Several border crossings
between Thailand and Myanmar remain closed because of tensions. (AP)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Nation - April 26,
2001.
Shipment row with Rangoon not expected
to escalate
THE Army's blockade of equipment destined for a planned lignite power plant
in a Burmese border town was unlikely to turn into a more serious conflict, as
Rangoon would have pressed Bangkok harder over the case by now, a Foreign
Ministry spokesman said.
So far, Thai Ambassador to Burma Oum Maolanond has not been summoned to
receive any protest over the incident, spokesman Pradab Pibulsonggram said.
However, the envoy has informed Burmese authorities of Thai concerns over
the lignite plant's impact on the environment if it is allowed to become
operational.
Rangoon claims the factory is necessary to supply electricity to the border
region, which it says must be developed if it is to be freed of methamphetamine
production, according to Pradab.
In addition to the environmental concerns, local residents in Chiang Rai
are worried the new factory would enhance the United Wa State Army's capacity to
produce methamphetamines.
Defence Minister General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday distanced himself
from an allegation that the shipment was ordered under his name, saying an Army
spokesman would clarify the issue in due course.
In a separate development, Third Army commander Lt-General Wattanachai
Chaimuanwong told reporters yesterday the military would introduce new measures
to regulate cross-border trading between the two countries.
Trading volume at certain crossing points would be limited, and trade in
some goods would be banned outright, Wattanachai said.
Permission to ship petroleum through Ban Nong Ook in Chiang Mai's Chiang
Dao district, for example, would be denied.
Small crossing points such as Ban Nong Ook, Wattanchai said, existed to
facilitate the movement of villagers on either side, not for the convenience of
influential traders.
Meanwhile, Burma's military regime claimed yesterday Thai soldiers joined
ethnic rebels in an attack on one of its army border outposts this week, and
denied that a horde of drugs was found at the site.
The claims further soured Thai-Burmese relations, which have been troubled
since troops from both sides fought a skirmish near Mae Sai in February in the
worst border clash in years. Since then both sides have been locked in a war of
words. The latest accusations were made by Lt Col San Pwint, a military
intelligence officer, who called a news conference to counter Thai reports about
the attack on Sunday on the Pakhee outpost in eastern Burma. Pakhee is located
300 metres from the border, opposite Chiang Mai province's Fang district.
San Pwint said Burma's Foreign Ministry summoned the Thai military attaché
in Rangoon and lodged an official protest. Burma's military rulers have long
accused Thailand of giving sanctuary to anti-Rangoon rebels.
Thai Army spokesman Col Somkaun Sangpattaranetr denied the army's
involvement.
"Whatever [Burma] says, we don't take it seriously, because that's what it
keeps saying anyway. The world knows what's really going on," he said.
The Nation, Agencies
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Nation - April 26,
2001.
Army task force halts drug caravan,
seizes pills and heroin after gun battle
THE Army's Naresuan task force on Tuesday seized more than six million
methamphetamine tablets and five kilograms of heroin from a drug-smuggling
caravan.
The seizure came on the heels of last week's record haul of 7.7 million
speed pills.
In Tuesday's action, the task force exchanged fire for about 15 minutes
with 30 to 35 armed men who were guarding the drug caravan in Tak's Phop Phra
district, Third Army Commander Lt-General Wattanachai Chaimuanwong said
yesterday.
"The spot is just 500 metres from the borderline," he said.
He added that the scene was also close to the place where last week's
record haul of speed pills was confiscated in similar circumstance.
Wattanachai said he believed the unidentified armed men who protected
Tuesday's drug caravan belonged to the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army.
However, he was convinced that the illegal drugs were from the United Wa
State Army, a group of ethnic fighters known as the Red Wa.
"Those armed men left the methamphetamine and heroin behind when retreating
to Burmese soil," he said.
The United Wa State Army and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army might be
"complacent" in using the same route in smuggling their illegal products despite
the fact that Thai military forces thwarted their similar operation only last
week, Wattanachai said.
"Or else they were blinded by the thought that they must do something to
cover the loss arising from their failed attempt last time," he said.
Wattanachai added that concerned officials were investigating the case in a
bid to nail down who in the country ordered the drugs.
He also revealed that intelligence reports suggest the United Wa State Army
is redirecting its smuggling route for big lots of illegal drugs from the north
of the country to Tak.
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Bangkok Post - April 26,
2001.
Wa purchasing power to be
curtailed in trade initiative
List to be drawn up of strategic goods The Wa must not be allowed to use drug money to buy Thai goods which would
help expand their drug empire, the Third Army chief said.
Lt-Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong was speaking after a meeting at the Kavila
military camp, where local officials overseeing cross-border trade were asked to
study new lists of strategic goods before they are forwarded to the National
Security Council for consideration.
The Wa must not be allowed to buy construction materials from Thailand with
dirty money earned from sales of illicit drugs to young Thais, he said.
Lt-Gen Wattanachai, who heads the army's drug suppression campaign in the
North, also said it would not be too difficult to check whether or not the money
paid by Burmese businessmen to buy Thai goods was clean.
The meeting agreed that a number of construction materials, including
cement and steel, should be listed as prohibited strategic goods, he said.
Lt-Gen Wattana also voiced concern over the fact large quantities of goods
were being traded at several temporary checkpoints on the Thai-Burmese border,
including Chiang Dao's Giew Pha Wok, which is near the United Wa State Army
stronghold of Mong Yawn.
He said the real purpose of temporary checkpoints was to serve local
villagers' need for daily goods. However, these border markets were being
exploited by influential business people, judging from the huge trade volumes
which were far beyond what the locals would need daily, he said.
About a million litres of diesel oil reportedly passed through Giew Pha Wok
each month, giving the military much concern that most of it was destined for
Wa-controlled areas, he said.
"This kind of trading should not be allowed to continue" through temporary
checkpoints, he said.
On Tuesday night, troops from the Third Army seized 6,154,000 speed pills
and 4.5kg of heroin in a raid on a border village in Tak's Phop Phra
district.
A security officer said the methamphetamine cache was under the protection
of guerrillas of the pro-Rangoon Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, pending
shipment to Thailand.
"This clearly shows that there is close co-operation between the DKBA and
the UWSA on border drug trafficking," the officer said.
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Bangkok Post - April - 26,
2001.
Power plant issue unlikely to
escalate
Junta undaunted by blocked generators Bhanravee Tansubhapol and Kultida Samabuddhi
Blockage of a shipment to Burma of Chinese power generators should not
evolve into a major issue that affects Thai-Burmese relations, the Foreign
Ministry says.
Spokesman Pradab Pibulsonggram said Oum Maolanonda, Thai ambassador in
Rangoon, believes he would have been summoned if Burma considered it a major
issue.
Instead, the envoy had conveyed Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai's
concern about the environmental impact of a lignite-fired power plant.
A convoy of 14 trailer trucks carrying generator parts was stopped at Mae
Sai checkpoint on Friday. The Third Army said the checkpoint was not yet fully
opened and stopped the trucks passing.
Mr Pradab said Mr Surakiart would discuss the plant as well as the question
of re-opening the border at Mae Sai in Burma next week.
Mr Surakiart is due to meet Win Aung, his Burmese counterpart, and Khin
Maung Thein, the finance minister, in Rangoon on May 1. A meeting with Lt-Gen
Khin Nyunt, secretary one of the ruling State Peace and Development Council, is
set for the next day.
Mr Pradab quoted Burmese authorities as saying the plant would help develop
the border area and curb drugs.
But he said that there were no firm details about where the plant would go.
A conservationist group plans a 10,000-signature petition asking the ministry to
pressure Burma into moving the plant at least 80km from the border.
The petition will go to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra before Mr
Surakiart leaves.
A senior member of the Law Society suggested the government negotiate with
Burma and China for proper studies on the environmental impact.
"If the project's environmental impact assessment was of poor quality, Thai
officials should offer technical help," said Somchai Homla-or, chairman of the
human rights committee.
The public should have been told earlier about the plant.
Adisorn Kerdmongkol, of the Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma,
was worried about the possibility of sabotage.
"It could happen even in an area the Burmese government guarantees is under
its control."
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