------------------------- BurmaNet --------------------------- "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" -------------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: 10th May 1995 Issue #169 Contents: NATION: BURMA'S KAREN BUDDHISTS PEACE-SEEKERS OR GUERRIL- LAS? NATION: A LAND OF POTENTIAL AND ABIDING BACKWARDNESS NATION: THE CALL TO ARMS NATION: ARMY SPOKESMAN: WE ARE NOW IN A WARFARE SITUATION' NATION: EX-GENERALS UNSURE ABOUT THAILAND'S CHANCE IN WAR AGAINST BURMA BKK POST: THAI FORCES BEEFED UP, PUT ON ALERT NATION: LAO LEADER ARRIVES FOR BURMA VISIT NATION: OPPOSITION PUSHES FOR URGENT DEBATE ON KAREN INCURSIONS NATION: BURMESE REBELS PLEDGE TO CEASE CROSS-BORDER RAIDS NATION: BURMA SAYS THAIS `COOPERATE' WITH ITS FOES NATION: HOUSE PANEL AGAIN CALLS FOR RETHINK OF POLICY FOR BURMA NATION: BURMA, LAOS SIGN TRADE, FARM PACTS BKK POST: BURMESE MUSLIMS CLAIM TO HAVE BEEN UNLAWFULLY TAXED BKK POST: OPIUM `BEHIND POLICE KILLINGS' BKK POST: KAREN REFUGEES MOVED DEEPER BKK POST: AMBUSH NETS SUSPECT, HEROIN BKK POST: SECURITY CENTRES PLANNED TO STOP FOREIGN INVASIONS BRC(Jap): INVITATION TO 17TH YOMIURI INTERNATIONAL CARTOON CONTEST -------------------------------------------------------------- o-------------------------------o The BurmaNet News is an | | electronic newspaper | Iti | covering Burma. 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Burma Issues is a Bangkok-based non-governmental organization that documents human rights conditions in Burma and maintains an archive of Burma-related documents. Views expressed in The BurmaNet News do not necessarily reflect those of either NCGUB or Burma Issues. -------------------------------------------------------------- ===== item ===== BURMA'S KAREN BUDDHISTS PEACE-SEEKERS OR GUERRILLAS? 7 May 1995 The Burmese junta's assertion it has no involvement in the repeated attacks on Karen refugee camps in Thailand is highly questionable because the incursions are being carried out by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), which is supported by Rangoon. The DKBA has become stronger and better equipped with the help of the ruling military junta, the State Law and Order Restora- tion Council (Slorc). The renegade army comprises former members of the Karen National Union (KNU) who defected in December, claiming they were being discriminated against by the KNU's Christian lead- ership. Slorc forces managed to overrun the KNU headquarters at Maner- plaw and another strategic stronghold at Kawmoora early this year with the help of the Karen defectors, who led them through the defences. Both bases are now major DKBA strongholds. The renegades' political wing is known as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Organization (DKBO). In recent months Slorc has tried, through its control of the media, to paint the renegade group as a peace-seeker and the KNU as a supporter of violence and criminal activities. On this basis, Rangoon has given assistance to the DKBA, which it said shares the a common goal_an end tio internal conflict and a lasting peace. In radio broadcasts, the junta has praised the activities of the DKBA, contrasting them with the "policies" of the KNU leader, Gen Bo Mya, and his followers. None of which answers the question: how can the DKBA repeatedly cross the river into Thailand, with seeming impunity, to attack and burn the refugee camps? On the Burmese side, at least, there would seem to be no bar- riers. It is reported that the DKBA have been supplied with uniforms by the Burmese government and responsible for patrol- ling the border adjacent to Mae Hong Son and Tak provinces. Gen Surachet Daechawongse, commander of the Thai Army's 3rd Region, on Thursday rejected suggestions the incursions could not have occurred without the collaboration of at least some of his subordinates. DKBA leader admit their forces have abducted Christian Karens living in the camps and burnt down their makeshift shelters in an effort to terrorize the inhabitants to return to Burma. A prominent monk, U Thuzana (one of the group's leaders), has played a major role in attracting people to the DKBA from the KNU, from the camps in Thailand and inside Burma. Many of Gen Bo Mya's followers have defected to the DKBA, particularly those who are Buddhists. Before he defected, the KNU prohibited Buddhist activities and banned the construction of a Buddhist temple in the KNU head- quarters, according to military sources. The DKBA forces are supplied with food and medical items by the Burmese government, partly because they are afraid to cross the border to buy them from Thai villagers. Thailand has been dragged, unwillingly, into the decades-old internal conflict between the Rangoon government and the mi- nority Burmese ethnic groups. It is the taxpayers of this country who have had to shoulder the burden every time the Burmese government launched a major offensive against the Karens, resulting in tens of thousands of people fleeing the fighting by retreating into Thailand. The care of these "displaced people" has been left in the hands of local authorities. The Foreign Ministry has lodged a series of protest notes with the Burmese government about the repeated crimes of the DKBA. All to no avail. Rangoon has denied any involvement with them and claimed it had no control over the movement. (TN) ===== item ===== A LAND OF POTENTIAL AND ABIDING BACKWARDNESS 7 May 1995 Hurtling down the road to Mandalay, the eugenia leaves attached to our hired car flap wildly as Buddhist insurance against accidents. American rap and Michael Jackson boom from the cassette player. Thank the Lord Buddha for the leaves because our smiling, sa- rong-clad driver, Khin Maung aye, tends to take one hand off the wheel to dip into a box of betel nut, the nonhabit-forming stimulant widely used in Asia. Swaying to the music, he misses oncoming, World War II-era trucks by centimetres. Around us, farmers work the fields with wooden plows. Ox- carts, the prime means of rural transport, stir up swirls of dust across the parched plains. Youngsters flag down passing cars, asking for a little cash to repair the countless pagodas that seem to spring from the very soil. It's a mystic landscape. Behind us, in ancient Pagan, the ruins of 2,200 pagodas, stup- as, monasteries and other buildings bear mute testimony to what was once of Asia's most wondrous cities. Only a few farm- ers live there now. Nearby looms Mount Popa, abode of both nasty and being super- natural beings - the "nats"-to whom even modern day generals and scholars pay proper homage. Ahead is Mandalay, Burma's last royal capital, where barbarity and deep piety mingled. "This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about," British author Rudyard Kipling wrote a century ago, and most visitors of today agree. The last of the sacred eugenia sprigs - fastened to rearview mirrors - have blown away by the time we reach Mandalay. They severed their purpose. Cattle, dogs, vehicles and monks had narrowly survived Khin Maung Aye, who suffered only one flat tire. Between Mandalay and Burma's capital, Rangoon, you can now fly in antiseptic comfort on Air Mandalay - a recent Singapore- Burmese way, the so-called express train. It seemed like a bargain. US$30 for a 700-kilometre journey, in an "upper class" car no less. The trip was scheduled to take "about" 12 hours. Mandalay station at pre-dawn is a medieval scene of candlelight, families huddled under dirty up for scarce seats on antiquated trains. Aboard, the train's halting progress is accompanied by non- stop betel nut chewing, throat-clearing, cheroot smoking and snack eating. Fueling the munchathon is an army of hawkers who descend on the train at every stop, shoving quails eggs, chicken curry, sweets and fruit through the windows. One enterprising man on board rents out Burmese comic books and magazines that feature "nat" tales alongside gossip about the love lives of Hollywood stars like Michael Douglas and Julia roberts. It's five kyat (5 cents) a read. By mid-afternoon a torpor hangs over the passengers. Heat, dust and a goodly number of insect species invade through the empty windows from the vast spaces of central Burma - a land of great potential and abiding backwardness. Sunset, nightfall and frequent unscheduled stops in the middle of nowhere. "Engine failure," the conductor explains calmly. "It happens all the time." Finally we limp into Rangoon, after 18.30 hours on the track. Burma's capital, the cliche went, was where clocks stood still. But now, with the country's long closed borders open- ing, the skyline encompasses both satellite television dishes and the golden spire of Shwedagon Pagoda, which legend says was built 2,500 years ago. On Rangoon's tress you can buy edible betels, have your ears cleaned or get your Macintosh computer serviced. If you're illiterate, a battery of pavement typists will compose your love letters. Economic liberalization, albeit by a dictatorial junta, has ushered in Karaoke bars, computer games, credit cards, Filipi- no bands and traffic jams, all unheard of just a few years ago. although eager for foreign cash and tourists, the military regime is fighting a rear-guard action against some of the thing that invariably come with opening up. Attacking "decadent alien culture", the generals recently an- nounced a nine-point dress code for entertainers. It bans earrings and shabby along hair for men and decrees that women cannot wear sarongs shorter than 15 centimetres above the an- kle. Facts on visiting Burma *GETTING THERE: Round-trip fight from Bangkok to Rangoon, US$230 (Bt5,750). *HOTEL: Double room at renovated colonial classic The strand, US$300 (Bt7,500) a night. Double at small, well-kept private hotel, US$50 (Bt1,250).Hostels, a few dollars. *FOOD: Meal, without drinks, at strand and other first-class hotels, US$20 (Bt500) and up a person. Meal at typical Burmese restaurant, US$1-5 (Bt25-125). (TN) ===== item ===== THE CALL TO ARMS 7 May 1995 There has been abundant speculation as to why the army has allowed increasingly violent cross-border incursions. Wassana Nanuam sifts through the scorn being heaped on the military in a bid to find the truth. Thailand is once again in the spotlight for allowing Buddhist Karen forces backed by Burmese government troops to cross the border to burn down refugee camps and intimidate karen refugees. karen and Thai casualties have been the grim result. The liberty with which the intruders have carried out their repeated incursions and pillages during the past two weeks leads many to believe Thailand is without a strong army defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity. It has seemed inn recent weeks that anybody can trespass onto Thai soil at will to commit acts of aggression and still go unpunished. In view of the prevailing Thai policy of appeasement toward Burma, the question is: do the security forces along the Burmese border secretly allow the incursions to take place? Army Commander in Chief Wimol Wongwonich is known to be one of the staunchest allies of the Burmese military regime inn Rangoon. "I don't care what other countries think about our relations with Burma,' he has said on several occasions. "They don't have to live with Burma the way we do. We can't really stop people trading with one another. We have the policy of being friendly to all neighbouring countries regardless of their ideologies. we don't interfere with the internal affairs of other countries." Following the embarrassing incursions by Buddhist karen insurgents, Wimol went out his way to defend the Rangoon government, saying it "insisted there were no Burmese government troops involved in the trespasses into Thai territory". But Wimol in recent days has toughened his stance, saying the Thai Army reserves the right to take drastic action against intruders. The most puzzling question: what has the Army been doing to allow such humiliating incursions by intruders? The Army's standard response: it is impossible to prevent such incidents because there aren't enough troops to watch the entire 200-km border. The army has standing orders to guard Thai territory against trespasses: First, security forces along the border must provide protection to refugees fleeing into the country. Armed aliens are to be disarmed at the border. Second, in case fighting spills over onto Thai soil, such as stray artillery shells, they are required to fire warning shots back. Third, if spillovers cause casualties or damage, the local Army commander, with the approval of regional command, has the right to respond with live ammunition on retaliation. Fourth, each time there is an incursion, security forces have the duty to gather information and evidence as well as record damage done to Thai property and report to headquarters for further intrusions. One reason frequently cited by Wimol for the Army's failure to respond in accordance to these clear rules of engagement is the warm relations between Thai soldiers and citizens and troops on the other side of the border. Now that Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai has publicly given the Army the green light to do whatever is necessary to deter further incursions, all Army units along the border are awaiting specific orders from Wimol. "We will take drastic action, just you wait and see," Wimol said, "but we will have to wait unit we can identify them and locate their hide-outs. We don't have to treat these karen guerrillas with respect. They're just a bunch of bandits. The Army can handle the problem. If we can't get rid of them, there will be need for Thailand to have soldiers." But skeptics in the Army say blaming these problems on poor intelligence-gathering is just another excuse, or a smokescreen covering a secret deal the Army may have struck with Rangoon to allow Buddhist karen insurgents to intimidate refugees in Thailand. Admissions by the Army of inadequate intelligence-gathering is not good news for villagers living near the border, who have long complained that security forces cannot protect them outside threat. (TN) ===== item ===== ARMY SPOKESMAN: 'WE ARE NOW IN A WARFARE SITUATION' 7 May 1995 Yaowarer Sutthapinthu talks to army spokesman Col Palangkul Klaharn to try to find out how good the Army is at defending the country. How do you explain the repeated incursions onto Thai soil by alien forces, particularly during the past two weeks? First of all, one has to understand that under peacetime con- ditions, friendly countries don't deploy a massive military presence along their borders. As for Thailand, we maintain only a small number of border patrol police and paramilitary troops, whose main duty is to provide protection to refugees from Burma. But this has changed with the repeated incursions. Army Commander in Chief Wimol Wongwonich has ordered the Thai Army Region to send in reinforcements and take military ac- tion if necessary to stop the violations. But shouldn't the Army maintain a high level of preparedness even in peacetime? In all peaceful countries the world, soldiers are trained in their camps. The main armed forces will be mobilized and de- ployed only in warfare situations. What is the Army doing on the Burmese border now? The army has already sent its main troops to the problem spots on the border. Our soldiers respect honour as much as their forefathers. They will die defending the country is they have to. They will carry out orders given by their superiors. There is no question about it. If we must fight, we will make sure we win the battle. from this moment on, we have set into mo- tion our military apparatus. We are now in a warfare situation. We will identify and then we will strike them. We will defend our territorial integrity. Why has the Army been so slow in reacting to the violations? It may seem slow in the eyes of the public, but we can't discuss all military plans in public. Also we have to exercise extreme caution before taking any dramatic action. The Army chief used to say he doesn't want to be a hero unnecessarily. We are prepared to go to war immediately, but again, we need time for careful planning. Army troops are now massing at the problem spots. They will do whatever necessary to achieve their objectives. Still, many people question the Army's defence capability following its failure to stop the intruders from crossing the border in the first place. One must understand that before the tens of thousands of Karens fled across the border in December, they posed no problem for Thailand. The problems only developed after the Karen were split into Christian and Buddhist factions more recently. When the Karens come into Thailand en masse we have no way of telling who is who. Buddhist Karens don't necessarily have an amulet around their necks and their Christian counterparts don't wear a cross. That's why it was easy for some people to carry out acts of sabotage at refugee camps. All said, we have to admit that our intelligence gathering still has room for improvement. How do you rate the Army's defence capability? It 's never been so strong. The reason we haven't take drastic action is not because we're afraid of losing to the Burmese. Once the Thai Army goes to war, we're sure will emerge the winner. We are 100 per cent prepared in terms of manpower and weapons. Our troops undergo vigorous training all year round, but we don't act like hot-blooded youths. We need time for careful planning. I would like the people to wait and see what happens next. It's widely believed that some Army officers are involved in illegal activities such as the contraband trade and gunrunning, and that the could be one the of reasons why they're reluctant to take action against intruders who could be their trading partners on the other side of the border. I believe there will always be some bad people among the honest majority who are doing their best to serve the country. The overwhelming majority of Army officers are good men, but even so, the Army still has a policy of rotating officers assigned to border areas every one or two years. (TN) ===== item ===== EX-GENERALS UNSURE ABOUT THAILAND'S CHANCE IN WAR AGAINST BURMA 7 MAY 1995 Thailand should use military action to resolve problems along its borders only as a last resort, having exhausted all diplo- matic and political means, according to former army generals interviewed by The Nation. Bur some of them. siting budgetary constraints and insufficient manpower, said the Thai Army is capable only of the conducting limited, small-scale warfare. Retired Gen Yutthaphan Makaramanee, former chief of the Territorial Defence Force, said one of the reasons the Army has to exercise extreme caution in dealing with problems on the Burmese border is because Burma has a stronger army. "Burma has a very strong army because it can buy advanced weapons from China at 'friendship prices'," Yutthaphan said. "If we were not careful, we could be beaten and humiliated." The general said Burma is obviously military stronger than Thailand and continues to maintain greater bargaining power in bilateral relations. "With existing manpower and weapons, we are fully prepared to handle the small problem of frequent incursions by Karen guerrillas. The problem is we are not prepared if the problem escalates into a large-scale conflict." But Yutthaphan expressed sympathy for the Third Army Region, which is in charge of security on the the long and porous Burmese border, because he knows it's difficult to guard against sporadic intrusions by small, highly-mobile ethnic insurgents. Yutthaphan said the Third Army is unable to deploy enough soldiers to guard the border because of limited manpower and financing. But he insisted that Thai soldiers have high morale and are ready to lay down their lives to uphold the country's territorial integrity. Retired Gen Siri Thiwaphan, former Commander of the Third Army Region, said that during his tenure, he consistently took swift and decisive action against intruders from Burma regardless of what faction they belonged to. "We have every right to take military action against armed intruders. First we would warn them not to trespass on our territory, and if they did cross the border we insisted on disarming them. If they disobeyed our order we simply shot them." Siri said repeated incursions in the past two weeks underlines the need for the Third Army Region to improve intelligence gathering and reinforce security forces guarding the border. He does not see Burma is as a threat to national security despite the border problems, saying overall bilateral relations between Thailand and Burma remain amicable. Siri believes current Army commander in Chief Wimol Wongwanich is considering options for a military strike against the Karen intruders as soon as they are located inside Burma. "Every time Thai villagers, policemen and soldiers are killed, all members of the Army feel personally hurt. Even a retired army officer like me is hurt by the Thai casualties resulting from the border incidents," he said. Some past border incidents with neighbouring countries stemmed from business disputes between people involved in the illicit trade contraband, weapons and humans, according to former supreme commander Saiyud kerdphol. Gen Saiyud suggested that the failure by border security forces to curb the smuggling explains why some business disputes lead to incursions by alien forces into Thai territory. He believes some members of the Thai security forces are themselves involved in the illegal deals. "I have always said we must keep a close watch on our own people working in the border areas to make sure they're not involved in smuggling. We have to make sure acts of revenge inn business disputes don't escalate into a national dispute," Saiyud said. He think the Thai army should reintroduce an intelligence- gathering network among villagers, paramilitary troops and soldiers. It was scrapped several years ago. (TN) ===== item ===== THAI FORCES BEEFED UP, PUT ON ALERT 9 MAY 1995 Fresh Burmese troops sent to border. THAI security forces along the Thai-Burmese in Tak and Mae Hong Song provinces have been beefed up and placed on alert to prevent acts of sabotage by the pro-Rangoon DK BA. The reinforcement came amid reports that more Burmese soldiers had been sent to the border opposite the two provinces. Additional troops also been sent to positions opposite Sop Moei District of Mae Hong Song where the DKBA forces attacked a Thai police outpost last week, killing three policemen. Border sources said reinforcements of Border Patrol Policemen and V-150 armoure d personnel carries were deployed at Ban Sop Moei yesterday following an intelligence repor t that some 200 fresh Burmese troops have been sent to the area. The report said Sop Moei and Mae Sariang districts could be sabotage targets of the DKBA which during the recent weeks conducted a series of cross-border raids into Tha iland kidnap members of the anti-Rangoon Karen National Union and set their refugee camps on fire. Pol Col Anudit Attha, Deputy chief of Mae Hong Son police, said he has instruct ed his men to coordinate with the district authorities in setting up a police command headqua rter in Mae Sariang to ensure safety residents following a threat by the DKBA to attack the border district town. The command headquarters will be manned by some 500 policemen from Mae Sariang and nearby district as well as volunteers and army-traced rangers. Businessmen in Tak Province yesterday lodged a petition with Deputy Interior Mi nister Udon Tantisunthorn urging him to instruct officials concerned to beef up safety meas ures for residents living along the border. The petition was handed to Mr Udon as he accompanied Interior Minister Sanan Ka chornprasart on a visit to Ban Rimmoei of Mae Sot District. The Petition was drawn up after s group of six armed Burmese robbed a Thai vill agers and shot dead a public health official at Mae Pa on Sunday afternoon before escaping wit h three motorcycles and cash. The Burmese authority later handed back the stolen motorcycles after a formal c ompliant was lodged through the Thai-Burmese local border Committee. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Maj-Gen Vijit Sookmark said yesterday there id no t ruth in the allegation made by a senior Burmese officer that Thailand had allowed Khun Sa's MTA to use its territory for troop movement s and as a staging ground for raids into Burma . The Defence minister said the allegation was baseless as it was internationally recognized that the Thai Government had provide full cooperation in suppressing the illegal nar cotics trade along the border area with Burma. Burmese regional commander Brig Gen Kyaw Win said on Sunday that he might order his forces to cross the border in hot pursuit of Khun Sa's forces because he believ es that take shelter in Thailand. (BP) ===== item ===== LAO LEADER ARRIVES FOR BURMA VISIT 9 May 1995 The president of Laos arrived here yesterday for a four-day goodwill visit at t he invitation of the Burmese government. Nouhak Phoumsavanh, president of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, was met at Rangoon Airport by Gen Than Shwe, chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, the Burmese ruling junta. The Laotian president was accompanied by his wife and a 15-member delegation. The two countries share a border in the Golden Triangle region of Southeast Asia. Gen Than Shwe visited Laos in June 1994 at the invitation of President Phoumsav anh.(TN) ===== item ===== OPPOSITION PUSHES FOR URGENT DEBATE ON KAREN INCURSIONS 9 May1995 Vijit cool to holding hopen House discussion of 'sensitive matters'. The opposition yesterday filed an urgent motion calling for a House debate on t he violent border incursions by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. In a letter submitted to House Speaker Marut Bunnag yesterday, the opposition s aid the government to take swift action to prevent repetition of the incursions, which have terrorized Thai villagers along the border. The letter also called on the House committee on local administration to invest igate the incidents. The guerrillas have burned Karen refugee camps, abducted their leade rs and robbed Thai villagers. The murder of three Thai police last Wednesday prompted the Thai Army to retali ate by attacking a DKBA base opposite Mae Hong Son's Sop Mei district. "The problems need to be resolved quickly by authorities to restore security an d protect villagers' lives and properties. In addition, these are sensitive matters conce rning peace and order as well as national sovereignty," the letter said. The letter was signed by opposition MPs from the Chat Thai, Chat Pattana and Ne w Aspiration parties. Local MP Panya Jinakhan (Chat Thai-Mae Hong Son) was also a signatory. Since March, the border raids have disturbed the lives of villagers from Sop Mo ei, Mae Sariang, Mae La Noi and Khun Yuam districts in Mae Hong Son province. However, their request for security to be stepped-up along the border has not b een met simply because the security forces have insufficient manpower, the letter said. The House committee already begun its own investigation into the border inciden ts at the request of Panya. CPP leader Gen Chatichai Choohavan last week criticized the government and the Army for their failure to use existing channels to stem the violent incursions by the DK BA. Rangoon has denied any responsibility for the killings, claiming it does not su pport the DKBA, which it said is out of its control. The DKBA itself blamed its former ally, the Karen National Union for the slayin gs. It was unclear whether the debate could take place during this week's two-day H ouse session but Defence Minister Vijit Sookmark said government officials will testify on t he government's reaction to the border violence and the coordination among all relevant agencie s. However, Vijit was guarded about open debate on the issue, contending that nati onal security matters could not be made public. Meanwhile, the exiled Burmese government has called on the international commun ity, especially the Thai government, to take tough action against Rangoon's brutal c rackdown on Karen refugees, or face riskier consequences. The democratically-elected National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, in a letter dated May 5, lambasted Rangoon for its attacks on Karen refugee camps in Thaila nd. It said the State Law and Oreder Restoration Council (Slorc) had shown no restraint and lit tle regard for human lives despite protests by Thailand and the international community. "The International community should not be surprised that beneath its mask Slor c has bared its fangs," the statement said. "For Thailand, already much has been lost and there is much more at stake. It s hould start to act now and show Slorc that these brutalities will have to end." (TN) ===== item ===== BURMESE REBELS PLEDGE TO CEASE CROSS-BORDER RAIDS 9 May 1995 Mae Ta Waw, Burma - renegade rebels from Burma who have been attacking Karen re fugee camps in Thailand said yesterday they were not ready for war with Thailand and would cease their cross-border raids. A commander of a rebel faction which broke away from Burma's anti-Rangoon Karen guerrilla army and joined Burmese government forces in December said their religious lead er, a Buddhist monk, had ordered them to cease the attacks. "U Thuzana has ordered us to cease all operations for the time being and wait t o see the Thai reaction on the refugee issue," said Maj Toe Hlaing, a local commander of the D emocratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA). "Our leader said we are not ready to declare war with Thailand but we can defen d ourselves if necessary," he said in the forest on the Burmese bank of the Moei River, which forms the border with Thailand. Toe Hlaing admitted his group was responsible for raiding several refugee camps in Thailand last week and burning down hundreds of bamboo-and-thatch refugee dwellings. The raids angered Thailand and prompted an official complaint to Burma's ruling military body. Thailand also moved in more than 1,000 reinforcements and a formidable array of military hardware to reinforce the frontier. Thai Army helicopter gunships, firing machine guns and rockets, attacked a grou p of DKBA guerrillas dug in on a northwestern Thai border mountain on Saturday. Thai helicopters also attacked a DKBA amp in Burma late last week, firing salvo s of rockets into the rebel position at the confluence of the Salween and Moei rivers. The DKBA was formed in December by hundreds of Karen guerrillas who mutinied ag ainst their leaders in the Christian-led, anti-Rangoon Karen National Union (KNU). Th e DKBA says its raids on the refugee camps in Thailand were aimed at forcing the 70,000 Kar en refugees, many of whom are KNU supporters, back to the government's zone of control in Bu rma. Toe Hlaing said he did not object to a Thai plan to move the refugees away from the border to safer locations deeper in Thailand, but he wanted Thai authorities to ensure th at no KNU guerrillas were among them. He said his faction would demand that Thailand hand over any KNU members found on Thai soil. Meanwhile, a Burmese colonel told Thai reporters on the Burmese side of t he border that Rangoon troops on alert at the frontier were instructed to shoot down any Thai military aircraft that violated Burma's air space. "The order from the Slorc [State Law and Order Restoration Council] is clear, t hat we must shoot down aircraft trespassing our air space without having to wait for shooti ng order," the colonel said. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart said he believes the border s ituation is under control and no further violence is expected. Sanan, just returned from a border inspection, said the Army and combined secur ity forces are on full alert and well prepared to deter further raids by armed groups from Bur ma. "They are prepared and ready to respond to whatever the Burmese government inte nds to do," Sanan said. He said it has not yet been determined who killed three Thai border police last week, but investigators should be able to find out by examining the bullets. "If the bullets are proven not to be from the Thai Army, a conclusion could eas ily be reached as to which side fired them," Sanan said. Defence Minister Vijit Sookmak said the border situation is now stabilized and expects the current military operation against the raiders will not hurt Thai-Burmese relat ions. Vijit backed the proposal to relocate refugee camps to Burma but said there is need to get Burma's agreement. (TN) ===== item ===== BURMA SAYS THAIS `COOPERATE' WITH ITS FOES 10.5.95/The Nation RANGOON- A Burmese military spokesman yesterday alleged that Thai cooperation with anti-Rangoon groups was behind the current tensions at the border between the two countries. Col Kyaw Win, deputy military intelligence chief, told reporters that alleged drug baron Khun Sa National Union [KNU] leader Bo Mya have for years enjoyed safe refuge in Thailand whenever Burmese forces have attacked their bases in Burma. " Continued harbouring of such elements will continue to precipitate similar problems ," Kyaw Win warned. He said there are no problems between the armed forces of Burma and Thailand, and that problems instead were due to " political developments". "If political changes take place, these problems will disappear," he said, without elaborating. He added that Burma would under to circumstance contemplate joint military operations. Kyaw Win said " terrorist organizations" have numerous camps along the border, an apparent reference to camps inside Thailand for refugees from Burma. He blamed the KNU, the largest of Burma's ethnic-based guerrilla movements,for attacks on refugee camps by the breakaway Democratic Kayin Buddhist Organization [DKBO] , saying the KNU had refused to allow families to return to Burma. " The government of Myanmar has at no time become involved in these problems and has not at any time encouraged any organization to oppose any neighbour" . Asked whether the DKBO or KNU, singly or together, would be offered a peace accord such as that offered to 14 other former insurgent groups, he said Rangoon's peace offer still stands. " However, we are not considering it at this time because things are still unclear between the DKBO and the KNU," he added. ===== item ===== HOUSE PANEL AGAIN CALLS FOR RETHINK OF POLICY FOR BURMA 10.5.95/THE NATION The House committee on foreign affairs repeated its call yesterday for the government to review its " constructive engagement " policy with Burma. "The policy was aimed at reducing violence by Burma, but in fact Burma is still using violence. That means the policy was unsuccessful. So it should be reviewed." said the committee chairman Suthin Noppaket [Palang Dharma-Bangkok]. He called for government-level negotiations with Burma as local authorities alone could not deal with the border problem. " If the problem grows, it may escalate into a war," he warned. Suthin asked the Foreign Affairs Defence and Interior ministries, and the National Security Council to cooperate in the negotiations with Burma. If negotiations with Burma failed, Suthin proposed the government bring the issue up in an international forum, such as Asean, or in the event of failure there, the United Nations. " Thailand should stop providing aid to Burma and ask for help from the international community to resist Burma's violations," he said. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai yesterday dismissed as an attempt to " distort the facts" an allegation made by the Burmese junta that Thailand had assisted drug warlord Khun Sa. " Khun Sa is irrelevant to Thailand .He is Burma's internal problem . His army is one of the resistance groups opposed to the Burmese government and fighting between the two groups has resulted in heavy losses for both sides," Chuan said. The premier insisted the current tensions along the Thai-Burmese border can be handed by local officials because it is not a national problem. Over the weekend, a Burmese junta military commander threatened to send troops into Thailand if Khun Sa's guerrillas continued a series of cross-border attacks into Burma. The Burmese have accused Thailand of allowing Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army to use its territory to move its troops and act as the platform from which to launch raids into Burma. Khun Sa's headquarters is in the Burmese town of Homong, but Burmese military authorities said he also has an "office" in Mae Sai. A Burmese student leader said yesterday his group would submit a written protest with Burmese Embassy in attacks by the Buddhist Karen rebels on Karen refugee camps in Thailand. Three Thai policemen were killed in an one of the attacks last Wednesday. The students believed Burmese military authorities were behind the attacks by the soldiers of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army [DKBA], a breakaway faction of the Karen national Union allied with the Burmese government. John Aung, secretary-general of the Onsob student group , said he was grateful to the Thai government for planning to relocate Karen refugee camps further away from the border to prevent the possibility of attacks by Karen rebels. Opposition leader Banharn Silapa- archa said yesterday the opposition was " still not content " with the government's reaction to the border violations. ===== item ===== BURMA, LAOS SIGN TRADE, FARM PACTS 10.5.95/The Nation Rangoon- Burma and Laos have signed bilateral agreements on trade and agriculture on the first day of a visit by Laotian President Nouhak Phoumsavanh, state- run Rangoon radio reported. There were no details of the accords , but the Laotian leader described them as " of fundamental importance for the short-and long-term relationship and cooperation" of the two countries, the radio said late on Monday. Senior General Than Shwe, speaking at an official dinner, was quoted as saying that bilateral cooperation had " intensified noticeably at all levels during the tenure of the State Law and Order Restoration Council [Slorc]" The Slorc is the official name of the ruling military junta in Burma. Last June, the two countries signed three bilateral agreements on border demarcation, tourism and the establishment of a joint commission for bilateral cooperation during Than Shwe's visit to Vientiane. ===== item ===== BURMESE MUSLIMS CLAIM TO HAVE BEEN UNLAWFULLY TAXED 10.5.95/BANGKOK POST Muslims in Burma claim that they have been unlawfully taxed for the animals slaughtered on the holy feast day of Eid Al Adha which marks the end of a three month long fasting period by the Islamic communities in the country . Eid will be celebrated in Thailand today and most probably in Burma tomorrow depending on the time of the sighting of the new moon signalling the end of the fast. The times vary from country to country because of the proximity of the regions. Muslims worldwide are exempted from paying tax when they sacrifice animals on this particular day because it is a religious rite. Burma is no exception. But last year the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council decided to levy tax on every animal killed. One Burmese Muslim said, " It's not correct to tax us for our religious beliefs. It's down-right discrimination against the Muslims". The meat of the slaughtered animal is shared among family members, friends and the poor. It is given away free as a form of merit -marking according to Islamic religious laws. The source also said the income from the tax is distributed among the Rangoon and district municipality officials and the brokers who help obtain slaughter permits for the animal. The sources alleged that the idea to impose municipal tax on cows, buffaloes, sheep and goats killed at Eid was the brainchild of Rangoon Mayor Ko Lay. Ko Lay is chairman of the Yangon [Rangoon] City Development. The cost of slaughtering a cow or a buffalo has been raised from 700 to 1,000 kyat, and 250 kyat each for a sheep or a goat. Of the 1,000 kyat levied, the broker is alleged to keep 500 kyat for himself while the rest goes to the municipality . A buffalo or a cow in Rangoon today costs between 812,000 kyat, while the smaller animals are being sold for about 3,000 kyat a head. ===== item ===== OPIUM `BEHIND POLICE KILLINGS' 10.5.95/BANGKOK POST The killing of three Border Patrol policemen in Mae Hong Son Province last week was prompted by an earlier seizure of opium from Buddhist Karen leaders, Police Department Deputy Director - General Chumphol Atthasart said yesterday. Pol Gen Chumphol denied a military report that the killing of the policemen at a police border outpost at Ban Sop Moei was connected with illegal logging. The report was submitted to Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart. The border policemen killed were among a group of police who had arrested Buddhist Karen leaders during an opium delivery. The mission had already been written down in a daily record of border police missions in the area , Pol Gen Chumphol insisted. Asked to describe the current situation along the Thai-Burmese border , he said some armed Karen troops still remained and would need to be pushed out of Thai territory. He said he had told border police in all provinces along the Thai-Burmese border to keep on the alert at all strategic points. Large or important infrastructure sites and weapons stocks in police stations must be guarded strictly to prevent sabotage, Pol Gen Chumphol said. ===== item ===== KAREN REFUGEES MOVED DEEPER 10.5.95/BANGKOK POST OFFICIALS concerned yesterday began relocating Karen refugee camps deeper inside Thailand to prevent further attacks by foreign troops, a border source said. Karen National Union refugees were moved from the Kaborlekho camp and Ban Huay Manoke, which had been torched by troops of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, to Bae Kola camp about 10 Km from the border. The camp is naturally protected by mountains, the source said. Tha Song Yang District chief Wallop Siriphan said he would like to move Karen refugees from five six other camps to the controllable Bae Kola camp which is about 25 km south of the district office and about 59 km from Mae Sot District. Situated between km 59-60 on the Mae Sot -Tha Song Yang Highway , the Bae Kola refugee camp is better suited to house a large number of Karen refugees as the area covers about 1,200 rai, he said. Mr Wallop said he initially planned to relocate about 15,000 Karen refugees from different camps in Tha Song Yang District to Bae Kola camp. "Despite opposition by military figures, the relocation is necessary because scattered, uncontrollable Karen refugees may cause trouble to Thai villagers, Mr Wallop said. Over 20,000 Karen refugees living in the three camps of Mae Usu, Mae Sarid and Mae Sokho villages in Tha Song Yang District have not yet been moved to the new location. Mr. Wallop said that those refugees would be moved to Bae Kola camp in about three days and would have completed facilities for them. Bae Kola camp would be initially governed by Border Patrol Police and when the relocation settles, the camp could be monitored by volunteers, he said. Meanwhile the Karen National Union launched another retaliatory effort against Burmese government troops after the KNU had in vain proposed a ceasefire, said the KNU's commander of the Seventh Division Htay Maung. Retaliation was inevitable as KNU troops had been attacked in a border area opposite Tak last Saturday, he said. Actually, the KNU did not want to fight the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army but would like to convert them so they switch sides again, Brig-Gen Htay Maung said, adding that such a thing would take time. Over 100 troops of the Burmese Government and the pro-Rangoon Democratic Karen Buddhist Army encroached on Thai territory in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province, yesterday, according to a border source. Those troops settled in a banana plantation in Mae Ork Pharu village about 25 kilometers from the Tha Song Yang District office while another 100 pro-Rangoon troops were mobilised at border areas opposite Tak, it was reported. Mr Wallop reported the intrusion to Thai military officers concerned but no action was taken. Yesterday's encroachment came amid speculation the Kaborlekho Karen refugee camp in Tha Song Yang District would be attacked again. The feared intrusion was also tipped to reach Sulu camp in Tha Song Yang District near Bae Kola camp where Karen National Union leader Col Tin Maung is taking refuge, the source said. Meanwhile, Third Army Region commander Lt-Gen Surachet Dechatiwong, Border Patrol Police commander Pol Lt-Gen Kowit Wathana, and Sixth Police Region commander Po Lt-Gen Prasarn Wontrict of Tak yesterday on an urgent mission to inspect the border situation. ===== item ===== AMBUSH NETS SUSPECT, HEROIN 10 May 1995 A Burmese drug trafficking suspect was arrested and 10 kilogrammes of heroin seized after a gunbattle yesterday in which two defence volunteers were seriously wounded. The incident took place around midnight on Monday, according to Fang District Chief Arkhom TUladilok. He said two district officers and five district Or Sor volunteers on a routine patrol received a tip-off that heroin would be smuggled along a transit route from Ban Mae Soonnoi for sale to drug dealers and Fang town. The district force set an ambush along the route and soon saw a man leading 10 heavily-armed men who reset to stop when challenged. The suspected drug-runners rgen opened drug-runners then opened fire at the officers. After trading gunfire with the law enforcer the armed men said to be of a mixed Wa minority group melted into the surrounding jungle. Two volunteers seriously wounded were rushed to Fang Hospital Hospital and then taken to Nakhonping Hospital in Mae Rim District. They were identified as Pravit Thongkham and Chamras Boonchu. (BP) ===== item ===== SECURITY CENTRES PLANNED TO STOP FOREIGN INVASIONS 10 MAY 1995 Joint border security centres are to be set up in all districts here in a bid to protect local people and to crack down on illegal entry foreign troops, refugees or aliens. Chiang Rai Governor Khamron Buncherd disclosed, after a meeting with the Thai-Burmese Border Committee in Mae Sai District, that the committee had briefed him about the border situation so that proper measure security along the border. To safeguard the border area, the committee has agreed that joint border security centres be set up, each manned by a combined unit of civilian, military and police personnel and defence volunteers, said Mr Khamron. "In Chiang Rai township, the security centre is located at the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) building, whereas along the border those centres will be set up either at district offices or other suitable areas as a precautionary measure to cope with the tense and unusual situation," he said. Illegal entry by Burmese minority groups to take refuge in Thailand was also raised for discussion at the meeting, said Mr Khamron, adding that Burmese refugees would be provided with humanitarian assistance while on Thai soil but would have to return immediately to Burma once the situation returns to normal. In an effort to minimise the problem of illegal entry during both war and peace, the meeting proposed that border barriers such as barbed wire fences and walls be built at vulnerable spots along the border, he said. He said he would forward the proposal to the Interior Ministry for consideration and further action. Another major issue discussed at the meeting was the problem posed by several groups of tribesmen living in Chiang Rai, he said. He added that the tribesmen are subject to controls and eligible to hold only minority identity cards. If they want to leave Town, they must seek permission from provincial authorities and the trips must be made under official supervision. But apparently a large number of tribsmen have managed to illegally move out of strictly-controlled areas by using counterfeit documents. The governor said he has ordered agencies concerned to look into the matter and mete out measures to cope with the problem. (BP) ===== additional item ===== INVITATION TO 17TH YOMIURI INTERNATIONAL CARTOON CONTEST In previous years political cartoons from Eastern Europe etc. have had great impact and wide circulation through this contest. We have seen the work of some outstanding Burmese cartoonists and artists in the democracy movement. Here is a potential forum for the message of human rights and democracy in Burma. BRC--J Cartoonists are invited to submit entries to the 17th Yomiuri International Cartoon Contest, the annual competition that drew about 10,000 entries from 71 countries last year. Amateur and professional cartoonists from Japan and abroad should submit work in either the Theme or Free category. The theme this year is "Compare." The verb "compare" allows a wide range of interpretations as any two things can be contrasted in any number of ways. Entrants should use their creativity and imagination in developing this theme. Cartoonists of middle school age or younger are invited to submit work to the junior division, but entries are limited to the Free category. High school students should submit work to the adult division. The junior division consists of two categories: one for entrants of primary school age and younger, and one for middle school students. Overseas entrants to the junior division should be 15 or younger. The winner of the Grand Prize will receive 2 million yen. The runner-up will receive the Hidezo Prize of 1.5 million. A Gold Prize of 500,000 yen will be awarded to one entrant each in the Free and Theme categories. Selection Committee Special Prizes of 300,000 yen will be awarded to a total of five entrants selected from both categories. Thirty entrants will receive Excellence Prizes of 100,000 yen each. The winners will be announced in The Yomiuri Shimbun and The Daily Yomiuri in late December and prizewinning cartoons will run in both papers in January. Deadlines: Entries for the junior division should arrive by October 10 and entries in the adult division by Oct. 25. Submit entries (maximum three entries per person and no larger than 297 mm x 420 mm) to: The 17th Yomiuri International Cartoon Contest The Yomiuri Shimbun 1-7-1 Otemachi Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-55 + 81- 3-3242-1111 extension 3769 -------------------------------------------------------------- BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LIST BurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of different topics related to Burma. The scope of the subjects involved is simply too broad for any one person to cover. BurmaNet is therefore organizing a number of volunteer coordinators to field questions on various subjects. 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