From: BurmaNet Thailand to offer condolences over Burmese deaths The Nation/16.8.95 The Nation THE Foreign Ministry is expected to send "a letter of condolence" to Rangoon in the wake of last week's alleged murder of Burmese fishermen aboard a Thai vessel, an incident which has seriously strained bilateral ties, a government source said yesterday. The Bangkok-based Burmese ambassador will be informed of Thailand's sincere desire to resolve the incident when the envoy pays a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Kaesium S Kasemsri in the near future, the source said. "The letter could be signed by the foreign minister or Prime Minister Banharn Silapa-archa himself," he said. According to the Supreme Command's Information Division, two Thais identified as Kamsai Kaenkaew and Porn, whose surname was not given, were arrested in connection with the murders. Yesterday the bodies of two more Burmese fishermen were swept ashore on son island near Kawthong, bringing the total number of dead to four. Their wrists and ankles were tied with rope and their bodies were covered with bruises and cuts. A Burmese survivor of the incident, speaking to Thai authorities in Ranong yesterday, recounted that on August 6 he was aboard one of three fishing vessels owned by the Myanmar-Narong Canning Company when they were informed that the Burmese government had revoked the firm's fishing license. The MNC is a joint venture between the Narong Canning Company and the Burmese Fisheries Department. "There were at that time 28 Burmese on the vessel I boarded, including those who were simply Burmese villagers who asked for a ride. Thais using knives and iron bars circled us and forced us to lie down," the Burmese man, whose name was not revealed, said. After the Thais tied the wrists and ankles of the Burmese, they were beaten with the iron bars around the knees and some of them were stabbed, the Burmese man said, adding that they were then thrown into the sea. The Burmese survivor alerted the authorities in Kawthong of the murder after managing to swim back to the shore also known as Victoria Point. As of yesterday, 13 Burmese fishermen who had escaped after the incident and 11 others remained missing. Earlier, the bodies of two Burmese crewmen were swept ashore near Thrahtay Island south of Rangoon in Kawthong. Initial reports had it that a group of Thais killed the Burmese because they had alerted the Burmese authorities to illegal activities being carried out by the Thai fishing company. Rangoon consequently scrapped a joint venture deal with the MNC after the allegations were proven. Other Thai-Burmese fishing firms have also been affected by the incident as Burma ordered them to report immediately to the authorities. Yesterday more than 600 fishing vessels and ferry boats were seen anchored in Ranong port. Meanwhile, an official in Ranong claimed 5,000 armed Burmese troops have been deployed in the area to prevent Thai vessels from entering Burmese waters. A team set up to probe the murders will visit Ranong province today and, if approved by Rangoon, will travel to Kawthong in Burma to gather information on the case, an Interior Ministry official said. Deputy Interior Minister Suchart Tancharoen will also accompany the team. Rangoon's order to bar Thai vessels from entering its waters and close the Kawthong-Ranong temporary checkpoint has completely sealed the Thai-Burmese border after the earlier closure of checkpoints in Tak and Chiang Rai provinces. The source said to ensure the Burmese government of the degree of seriousness and sincerity Thailand has attached to the case, Banharn is expected to handle the matter personally. Meanwhile, Narong Piboonthanapatna, president of Narong Canning, yesterday said the vessels involved in the murders off Kawthong have been fishing under his company's license but it was not involved in the incident. "We were in operation for only about a month before the murders took place. The company submitted a letter to the Fisheries Department of Burma, detailing what happened. It seemed to us that the Burmese have a greater understanding of the issue," Narong said. Although Narong Cannijng was not involved in the murders, it has informed the Burmese government it is ready to assist the relatives of the victims, he said. Earlier, the Rangoon government ordered the closure of two temporary checkpoints, one in Chiang Rai linked to Burma's Tachilek and one in Tak's Mae Sot district linked to Myawaddy in Burma. The closures stemmed from Rangoon's suspicions that Thailand harboured Burmese ethnic minorities, including troops of drug warlord Khun Sa. The Burmese government failed to react to leaflets which have been distributed in its border provinces urging the Burmese people to boycott Thai products and buy exports from other countries. Meanwhile, Ranong Chamber of Commerce president Somchai lamjit said more Thais were expected to be arrested in the case. According to Somchai, Burma has demanded that the Thai fishing company pay compensation for the incident and the Thai government take the incident seriously. ***************************************************************** Malaria cases linked to Burma NIPAWAN KAEWRAKJMUK The Nation THE Public Health Ministry plans to hold talks with Burmese officials on methods of curbing the spread of malaria along the Thai-Burmese border. Deputy Minister Sora-at Klinpratum said 60 per cent of people suffering from malaria in Thailand were illegal immigrant workers, most of whom were Burmese and Cambodians living near Thailand's western and eastern borders. "It is very difficult to eliminate malaria from Thailand, especially from those border provinces where there are a lot of immigrant workers and political refugees," he said. Sora-at named Tak, Kanchanaburi, Mae Hong Son, Chantaburi, Prachuab Kiri Khan, Ratchaburi, Ranong and Ubon Ratchathani as the provinces suffering from the most rapid spread of malaria in the country. "Therefore, we have to move in the same direction with our neighbours to solve the problem. Otherwise, we would still have to bear the burden of the treatment costs of those workers," he asserted. But the deputy minister did not set a time frame for the talks, saying the date of the meeting was still unknown due to political uncertainties in Burma. He also did not mention any dates for talks with Cambodian officials. The Department of Epidemics reported there were 51,606 malaria patients in the country last year. Among them, 33,336, or 60 percent, were immigrant workers. The record showed that about 400,000 immigrants receive health treatment in Thailand annually. ***************************************************************** UN envoy meets Suu Kyi and Burma foreign minister Reuter RANGOON- United Nations deputy secretary-general Alvaro de Soto met Burma's foreign minister and recently-released opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday, official media and eyewitnesses said. De Soto, on a week-long visit to Burma, was expected to raise questions of restoration of democracy in the southeast Asian nation, following Suu Kyi's release from house arrest last month. Burma's state-television, reporting De Soto's meeting with foreign minister Ohn Gyaw, gave no details of the talks. De Soto was seen entering the house of Nobel Peace prize winner Suu kyi. He stayed for more than two hours but made no comments to reporters as he left the compound. Suu Kyi was unexpectedly released from nearly six years of house arrest by the military government last month. She says she aims to restore democracy in Burma. De Soto, who on a previous visit was refused permission to see Suu Kyi, was expected to meet powerful military intelligence chief Khin Nyunt later this week, government officials said. Although Suu Kyi has appealed for talks with military leaders, no date has yet been set for formal talks to begin. She said at a recent news conference she had contact with the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc), but would give no further details. Slorc officials have made no comment on Suu Kyi's release and have given no indication when or if talks might begin. Kyodo adds: Alvero de Soto, who arrived in Rangoon on Sunday to deliver a message from Boutros-Ghali, met Immigration and Population Minister Lt Gen Maung Hla and Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw on Monday. The visit is one of several such attempts by foreign authorities to put pressure on the leaders of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) to agree to talks with Aung San Suu Kyi. ************************************************************** Ranong traders urge improved Burma ties concerns for future of area's fishing industry The Nation/ Business/16.8.95 Wichit Chattrong The Nation THE Thai Chamber of Commerce yesterday urged the government to improve its relationship with Burma before the situation deteriorates further. The recent closing of the Ranong Victoria Point border crossing is likely to limit trade between the two countries and affect the Thai fishery in Ranong, said Somkiart Sathajit, chairman of Ranong Border Trade Group. In the past, the value of Thai exports to Burma through Ranong were valued at Bt5 billion, while imported fish from Burma was worth Bt20 billion. "But this two way-trade vanished overnight," Somkiart said. Speaking at a roundtable talk on the "Future of the Thai Fishery Industry under the new Government," Photipong Lamsam, president of Thai Chamber of Commerce said: "The essence of the problem is unfriendly relations between the countries." The border closing was prompted by this fundamental factor, which is out of the hands of the private sector, Photipong said. Photipong added that he will discuss the issue with the Foreign Minister next week. Burma closed the 10, because of allegations that Burmese employees were killed by NCC Asia Fishery Industries Co Ltd. Photipong also expressed concerned about the morality of Thai trawling companies which often breach contracts with host countries. "We the Thai Chamber of Commerce, cannot impose a penalty on anyone but we want all Thai investors to follow proper business etiquette," he said. Photipong led the Thai mission to Burma in February, in which he assured the Burmese that the Thai Chamber of Commerce supported only Thai operators which act in a fair business manner toward Burma. The situation at Ranong has alarmed Thai investors. They fear Burma may stop granting fishing licences to Thai trawlers. Somkiart said there are 4-5 Thai trawlers hoping to receive licences by next week. The Thai trawling companies have already invested in a refrigerated storage facility and property in Marid and Taway. Ranong depends on the fishery and related industries and will suffer the most from the border closing, he said. Tourists, who used to spend about Bt1 million per day, also went away, he added. Many Thai trawlers are engaging in joint fishing ventures with Burma, Indonesia, India and Vietnam because of depleted fish stocks in Thai waters. Udon chiterapunbul, president of the Thai overseas fisheries Association has urged the government to create a fund to help the trawling companies build a modern fishing fleet. He said that Thai ships are too small and constructed of wood, which makes it very difficult to catch fish in foreign waters. Trawling companies need larger, steel ships but cannot build them without financial support from the government, said Udon. *************************************************************** Burma's own version of fisherman's murder story Bkk Post/16.8.95 In the wake of growing concern over the murder of a Burmese crewman on a fishing boat, the Burmese Embassy yesterday issued a press release to give its version of what it claimed was the real story. Official agencies including the Interior Ministry have come up with conflicting accounts of the incident. The Burmese Embassy said it hoped the content of the press release would give readers a clearer idea of what had really taken place. According to the embassy on July 29, the fishing vessel JV 44 owned by Thailand's Myanmar Narong Company entered Mergui to undergo an inspection with 24 crew members seven Thais and 17 Burmese. Unable to tolerate ill-treatment from the Thai members of the crew, 16 Burmese seamen decided to stay behind in Mergui. Thee press release said the Burmese fishermen told Burmese authorities the Thai fishing vessel had breached a fishing agreement by catching marine animals, which was not permitted. On August 5, the 16 Burmese crewmen travelled on board the vessel JV 47, also owned by the Myanmar Narong Co, from Mergui to Kawthaung. The JV 44 and 10 other boats later arrived at Kawthaung and surrounded the JV 47. It was then that a Burmese police officer boarded the JV 44 and the JV 47 to take away 10 Burmese nationals for interrogation, apparently due to the complaint on violation of the fishing agreement. There were a total of 28 Burmese seamen on both the JV 44 and the JV 47, according to the press release. After the 10 fishermen had left the vessels with the police officer the Thai crew allegedly began assaulting the remaining 18 Burmese seamen, forcing them to jump overboard. Vessel JV 44 then chased the Burmese seamen and caught five of them. The Thai fishermen then tied their hands and feet with ropes and began beating them. The five Burmese crewmen were later thrown back into the sea. One of the crewmen, identified as Sein Aye Kyaw, managed to free himself from the ropes and swam to shore where he met one of the seamen who had jumped overboard. The two reported the incident to Kawthaung police. The vessels, JV 44 and JV 47, reportedly returned to Ranong from Kawthaung port on August 6. Following an intense search around Kawthaung and Tathay Kyun, two bodies, believed to be those of the ill-fated Burmese crewmen, were discovered. Each body was bound with ropes. Burmese authorities have requested that their Thai counterparts order a prompt investigation into the incident and take swift action against the guilty parties. The Burmese Government warned that mutual economic interests of Thailand and Burma would he affected if uncertainty surrounding the case was not cleared up. In the latest development, Ranong police apprehended two Thai crewmen on suspicion they had colluded with fellow fishermen to carry out the murder. The police named the suspects as Kamsai Kankaew and Pon (surname not given). Foreign Minister Kasem S. Kasemsri told reporters the Burmese Embassy has forwarded a memorandum of understanding to the ministry to officially confirm its request for an investigation into the murder. Efforts must ensure that justice is done to preserve the interests of both countries and prevent the problem from worsening, he added. The Government is worried as the problem is likely to have adverse effects on various economic interests apart from the fishing industry. The murder case has put extra pressure on Thai authorities who are attempting to solve a number of existing problems with Burma. The Burmese Government has temporarily closed a border pass in Ranong in what many see as a protest against Thailand over the brutal killing. There have been conflicting reports oh the number of Burmese crewmen killed. Thai authorities and their Burmese counterparts have released different accounts concerning the murder case. g The matter could take a turn for the worse if there is strong evidence to confirm the report which claims many Burmese fishermen were murdered. Appropriate measures must be up to prevent a recurrence such incidents. Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh expressed concern over the temporary closure of the border pass in Ranong, saying the intensifying conflict between the two Countries had become more critical. He said representatives from the armed forces have been appointed to the fact-finding committee set up with Interior Ministry approval to probe the incident. The fact that his ministry is looking to form its own committee to probe the was should confirm the Government should be sincere with it, said Gen Chavalit. Vice Adm Kraichit Sirisombat, director of the Information Office attached to Supreme Command, Headquarters, said Gen Chavalit has paid special attention to the murder case and has instructed the Army to set up a committee to investigate it. Legal experts from the Army and representatives from the ministry will sit on the committee. Supreme Command Headquarters, which oversees the committee implementing Thai-Burma border policies, will closely monitor the investigation and report any progress to, Burmese authorities, said Vice Adm Kraichit. Deputy Interior Minister Suchart Tancharoen said he would go to Ranong today to attend a meeting of senior ministry officials on Thai-Burma border policy. A ministry source said I Prime Minister Banharn Silpaarcha has assigned Mr Suchart to attend the meeting in the hope of finding ways to lessen growing hostility over the border situation. The committee members are expected to remain in Ranong for the duration of the investigation and may begin work today.