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BurmaNet News 18th Aug 1995




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The BurmaNet News: AUGUST 18, 1995

RANONG TRADERS URGE IMPROVED BURMA TIES
MALARIA CASES LINKED TO BURMA 
ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS WARNED
MODEL STATE BURMA'S GENERALS WANT INDONESIAN-STYLE POLITICS
BESIEGED KHUN SA RESHUFFLES POSTS TO PATCH UP INTERNAL RIFTS
THAI SKIPPER, KHMER CREWMAN CONFESS TO KILLING BURMESE
CHAVALIT HAS HIS WORK CUT OUT ON MISSION TO BURMA
CHAVALIT: DON'T LET KILLING OF SEAMEN HURT TIES WITH RANGOON
JUNTA AND KARENS 'LIKELY TO AGREE ON CEASEFIRE TERMS'
HUNT CONTINUES FOR 9 MORE SUSPECTS IN TRAWELR MURDERS
ACADEMIC: HELP SOLVE MINORITIES' PROBLEM
FREEDOM S CHALLENGE
CHAVALIT: DON'T LET KILLING OF SEAMEN HURT TIES WITH RANGOON
JUNTA AND KARENS 'LIKELY TO AGREE ON CEASEFIRE TERMS'
BESIEGED KHUN SA RESHUFFLES POSTS TO PATCH UP INTERNAL RIFTS
CHAVALIT HAS HIS WORK CUT ON MISSION TO BURMA
CHAVALIT'S BURMA TRIP SEEN AS FIRST STEP 
THAI SKIPPER, KHMER CREWMAN CONFESS TO KILLING BURMESE 

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===== item =====

MOVE TO HEAD OFF ROW WITH BURMA
Bkk Post/17.8.95


PRIME Minister Banharn Silpa-archa has prepared a message for his
Burmese counterpart to confirm Thailand's stance in clearing up
the murder of Burmese seamen in an effort to curb intensifying
border hostility.

Mr. Baharn said the message will be delivered to the Burmese
Government by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Chavalit
Yongchaiyudh who is due for an official visit to that country
early next month.

Foreign Ministry representatives have gone to Burma to attend a
ministry-level meeting with Burma's Political Department
director-general to discuss the murder which is likely to develop
into a major international political row, possibly leading to a
confrontation between Thailand and Burma.

The Prime Minister's statement was made amid streams of
conflicting accounts on the murder case released by various
related agencies including the Burmese Embassy. The stories
quoted by Interior Ministry sources and the Burmese Embassy were
different in terms of the number of crewmen killed and missing
but both concluded that Thai fishermen of Narong Canning Co had
carried out the killing.

According to the ministry the Thai fishermen became infuriated
after learning that Burmese crewmen had in formed the Burmese
authorities they had illegal communications equipment which was
later seized. They later allegedly killed four Burmese crewmen.

Based on the embassy's account, the Thai fishermen had by taking
in the kind of marine animals which they were not allowed to
catch. Burmese crewmen reported this to Burmese authorities which
demanded an inspections of Thai vessel.

Angry that the Burmese seamen had failed to keep a tight lip, the
Thai fishermen began assaulting 18 of them. At least five of them
were brutally beaten and thrown overboard.

The murder reportedly prompted the Burmese authorities to
temporarily close down the passage between Victoria Point and
Ranong. The travel ban is still effective.

The Thai Government and the Defence Ministry have set up fact-
finding committees to investigate the incident in the hope of
quickly "clearing the air"to prevent the matter from getting out
of hand.

Mr Banharn said he has instructed local authorities in Ranong to
impose stricter measures to force Thai fishermen to strictly
follow the fishing law. The problem, if left unabated, will
certainly hurt the relationship with Burma.

The Government has sent a team of delegates from the Foreign
Ministry to Burma in the hope of finding ways to ease tension
arising from the murder case, said the Prime Minister in response
to questions on how he planned to settle the growing conflict 
between the two countries which is likely to deteriorate.

He maintained the Government has not been passive in pressing for
the capture of the suspects. So far, the police have arrested
many suspects and accomplices and they have all been questioned.
The Prime Minister gave his personal assurance the related
agencies including the Foreign Ministry have done their best to
remedy the border problem. He expressed confidence Gen Chavalit's
official visit to Burma would help cool down the degree of
hostility and improve the border situation.

Mr. Suchart yesterday arrived in Ranong to listen to a summary of
the incident and progress made in the investigation. He later
visited Narong Canning Co to inspect the vessel JV 44 where the
murder was believed to have taken place. The fishing boat was
seized as evidence.

The case has destabilised relations between the two countries. Mr
Suchart said he has instructed provincial police to step up
efforts towards arresting all 11 suspects.

It was reported the owner of Narong Canning Co was required to
pay compensation for damage resulting from the killing to Burmese
authorities. This is seen as one way of putting a cap in the
heated border conflict.

Gen Chavalit stress the importance of resolving the murder
problem in a transparent manner to restore Burma's trust. The
murderers must face stern legal action.

The Government did not order a prompt investigation into the
murder just so he could to Burma "with ease," said the Defence
Minister, adding it was the Government's obligation to correct
wrongdoing.

The Army has, for a long time, maintained strong ties with its
Burmese counterpart. The Government is hoping to forge better
relations with Burma at the local level.

There must be measures to deal with companies which only look for
opportunities to take advantage by exhausting the  natural
resources of neighbouring countries. "Trouble makers must be wipe
out," he said.

Gen Chavalit declined to comment on speculation that some senior
officials gaining huge benefits from the border trade have caused
the investigation into the case to be delayed. He opposed the
idea of permanently cutting ties between the two countries.

He refused to elaborate on details of his visit to Burma. It was
reported the murder incident was urgently added to the agenda of
his visit. He foresaw no problem in rising the problems with
Burmese Government because he acquainted with many high-ranking
Burmese officials.

Gen Chavalit was confident the takls would be "smooth" but said
people should not expect too much from his visit.

Assistant Army Commander-in-chief Chetha Thanacharo said the case
was not likely to effect Thai-Burma relations because Thailand
has tried to quicken the place of the investigation.

He downplayed the border closure order, saying Burma reserved the
right to shut down the border pass if it felt there was still
uncertainty in the murder incident.

"It is impossible that a personal confllict between a handful of
people would have negative effects on Thai-Burma relations," said
Gen Chetha.

He said minor incidents happen all the time along the border and
in the water. Thailand has tried its best to solve the problem.

Meanwhile, Thai tourists and business have been barred from
crossing into Victory point, halting the normally bustling border
trade.
  

===== item =====

DEPT BLAME THAIS FOR MURDER OF BURMESE FISHERMEN
The Nation/17.8.95

The Fishery Department has confirmed a report that Thai fishermen
were behind the brutal killing of at least six brutal killing of
at least six Burmese crewmen on a Thai fishing vessel.

According to the latest report released by the Fishery
Department, six bodies of the Burmese fishermen have been found
while nine others are still missing after Thai crewmen allegedly
carried out the murder on August 6.

The incident occurred after Burmese authorities boarded the JV 44
owned by the Myanmar Narrong Company, an affiliate of Narong
Canning Company. Narrong Canning co-invested with Burma's Fishery
Department to form Myanmar Narong.

Burmese authorities took away 10 Burmese nationals for
interrogation following complaints about alleged violations of
the fishing agreement between Thailand and Burma.

The report said Burmese fishermen informed their authorities that
Narong Canning Company had unloaded fish onto other Thai vessels
before arriving at port to distribute half the amount of fish
caught to Burmese officials.

After the authorities left the vessel, a group of Thai fishermen
allegedly began assaulting 18 Burmese seamen.

Plodprasop surawadi, The Fishery Department director-general,
said he had received confirmation from various agencies including
the Army, The Thai Embassy in Burma, Ranong provincial officials
and his department's investigation team that a group of Thai
fishermen were responsible for killing the Burmese crewmen.

The murder took place on board the JV 44, he said.

Although there was no concrete evidence to identify the guilty
parties, the Narong Canning Company, owned by narong
Phibunpattana, must be held accountable for the incident because
the murder allegedly happened on the company's fishing vessel.

"It is a matter that deals with human lives and the company
should show consideration for the families of the dead instead of
shirking its responsibility," said Mr Plodprasop.

The company, he claimed, was also reluctant to allow the Fishery
Department to check its fishing licence.

Also, the company never in formed the department it had employed
foreign fishermen on its vessels.

Thai companies under the fishing agreement are barred from
selling or giving fish to other companies. Burmese authorities
normally allow Burmese fishermen 25 days a month to work on Thai
vessels and for Thai companies to fish in Burmese waters.

The bilateral relationship between the two countries will be
damaged unless the Thai Government shows sincerity in solving the
problem based on fairness and justice.

Issuing a warrant for the arrest of the suspects is one way of
assuring Burma that Thailand has no intention of distorting the
facts behind the murder in order to help its own people.

Mr Narong earlier denied that his company owned the JV 44, saying
the trawler was among a fleet of 48 rented trawlers used by
Myanmar Narong Company.

Surachet Ungkasuphong, Narong Canning assistant director,
dismissed reports his company was involved in the brutal killing,
saying it was the result of a personal conflict between Thai and
Burmese seamen.

Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Monthon
Kraiwatnusorn, who said companies wanting to fish overseas from
now on have to obtain Fishery Department permission and give
details of fishing agreements made with their partners.

There are many illegal fishermen among the 4,000 or so Thai
crewmen fishing overseas, according to Mr Surachet, who oversees
the Fishery Department.

He and a group of Foreign Ministry officials will mediate in the
fishing row to clear up any misunderstanding between the Thai
private sector and the Burmese Government.

Agriculture Minister Montri Pongpanich said he would consult with
the Interior and Defence ministers on how to sort out growing
tension between the two countries.

"Violation of the fishing agreement will not develop into such a
big matter if we have maintained close friendship with the
Burmese Government. Instead of improving relations with the
Government, we seem to be seeking connection with its opponents,"
he said.


===== item =====

CHAVALIT READIES FOR BURMA VISIT WITH BORDER TRIP 
The Nation/ 17.8.95


WASSANA NANUAM
SOMCHIT RUNGCHAMRATRASMEE
The Nation

DEFENCE Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh will make a one-day
trip to northern Mae Sot tomorrow to study the problems along the
Thai-Burmese border which have strained relations between the two
countries.

The trip will be a fact-finding mission in preparation for
Chavalit's scheduled visit to Burma on Sept 1, during which he
will try to mend Thai -Burmese relations.

Chavalit, also deputy prime minister, will be accompanied by
Assistant Army Chief Gen Chetha Thanajaro, and together they will
attend a briefing given by the Army's Task Force 34 in Mae Sot.

The Army plans to televise Chavalit's trip via satellite to Army
headquarters in Bangkok, where reporters could ask the Bangkok,
where reporters could ask the minister on-the -spot questions.
The one-hour press conference is scheduled for 12 pm.

Chavalit, who has established close ties with the leaders of the
Burmese military junta, rescheduled the meeting of the Defence
Council from Friday to today, giving him time to study all of the
border problems before his trip.

In Mae Sot, meanwhile, Karen guerrilla leader Gen Bo Mya last
Sunday met a group of Karen mediators sent from Rangoon by the
junta to investigate the possibility of peace talks to end the
armed conflict between the two groups.

Thai military sources, who declined to reveal the content of the
one-hour meeting quoted Bo Mya as urging the junta, known as the
State Law and Order Restoration Council, to first halt its
military operation against the Karen National Union.

The Guerrilla leader then asked Slorc to withdraw its forces from
KNU controlled areas before both sides begin a peace dialogue.

Bo Mya, according to the sources, met the three mediators at a
KNU base opposite Thailand's Umphang district in Tak province.

The three mediators were identified as U Khun Myint, U Thun Aung
Sin, a former professor at Rangoon University, and Aye Soe Min, a
former Karen MP during the reign of the Burmese Socialist
Programme Party.

The sources said after losing their Manerplaw headquarters and
other strong -holds to Rangoon, the KNU lost some of its
bargaining power and has been forced to drop conditions for
entering into peace talks with Slorc.

Dissident Burmese student leader Naing Aung said his
organization, the All-Burma Students' Democratic Front,
understood the KNU's need to enter into peace talks with Slorc.

But he warned that any talks which do not encompass a political
solution to the ethnic conflict would not bring about a lasting
peace.

The Thai sources said the KNU finished a central committee
meeting last Friday and would begin a Congress meeting either
yesterday of today.

The central committee meeting proceeded very slowly because of
the unsettled issue of a new KNU leadership, added the sources.
While younger Karen leaders wanted their seniors to step down,
the current leaders wanted their were still arguing they wanted
to maintain their positions.

The sources said Bo Mya had requested that he retain the
paramount leadership until he had successfully concluded peace
negotiations with Slorc. Bo Mya would then voluntarily step down 

However, the Karen army chief, Gen Tamalabaw, has quit the
position and been replaced by the KNU's Sixth Brigade commander
Gen Shwe Sai who was earlier tipped to succeed Bo Mya.


===== item =====

THAILAND OFFER CONDOLENCES OVER BURMESE DEATHS
16 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

The Foreign Ministry is expected to send "a letter of condolence"
to Rangoon in the weak of last week's alleged murder of Burmese
fishermen abroad 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 Thai
land's sincere desire to resolve the incident when the envoy pays
a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Kasem 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 Kawthaung, 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 abroad
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 licence.

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 Kawthaung 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
Tathay Island south of Rangoon in Kawthaung. 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 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 Kawthaung 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 Kawthaung-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 Kawthaung
have been fishing under his company's licence 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 Canning was not involved in the murders, it has
informed the Burmese government it is ready to assist the rela
tives of the victims, he said.

Earlier, the Rangoon government ordered the closure of two tempo
rary 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 coun
tries.

Meanwhile, Ranong Chamber of Commerce president Somchai Iamjit
said more Thais were expected to 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. (TN)


===== item =====

UN ENVOY MEETS SUU KYI AND BURMA FOREIGN MINISTER
16 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

United Nation 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-run 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,
not 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.

Kodo adds: Alvero de Soto, who arrived in Rangoon on Sunday to
deliver a message from Boutros-Ghali, met Immigration and Popula
tion 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. (TN)


===== item =====

RANONG TRADERS URGE IMPROVED BURMA TIES
16 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

The Thai Chamber Commerce yesterday urged 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 Victoria Point crossing on
August 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 coun
tries.

"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 Choiterapunbul, president of the Thai Overseas Fisheries
Association has urged the government to create a fund to help the
trawling companies build a modern fishing feet.

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. (TN)


===== item =====

MALARIA CASES LINKED TO BURMA 
16 AUGUST 1995, 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 work
ers, most of whom were Burmese and Cambodians living near Thai
land's western and eastern borders.

"It is very difficult to eliminate malaria from Thailand, espe
cially 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, Chiang Mai, Trat,
Chantaburi, Prachuab Kiri Khan, Ratchaburi, Ranong and Ubon
Ratchathari 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 neigh
bours 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 offi
cials. The Department of Epidemics reported there were 51,606
malaria patients in the country last year.

Among them, 33,366, or 60 per cent, were immigrant workers. The
record showed that about 400,000 immigrants receive health treat
ment in Thailand annually. (TN)


===== item =====

ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS WARNED
16 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

The Burmese Government has warned ethnic minority groups to abide
with its orders so as to maintain peace and stability along the
Thai-Burmese border, an informed source in Mae Hong Son said.

The target groups told to abide by the orders are the Red Wa,
Kachins, Kayahs and Paos. Released yesterday, the orders demanded
that they not deal with outlawed ethnic minority groups, not to
interfere in Burma's internal politics, not to keep arms and
military forces, and not to raid and collect tax from people
along the border.

They are also not allowed to mobilise their forces along with
other groups, expect in government-controlled areas. (BP)


===== item =====

MODEL STATE BURMA'S GENERALS WANT INDONESIAN-STYLE POLITICS
17 August 1995, FEER

Asean officials see the release of Burmese dissident Aung San Suu
Kyi as a triumph for the organization's much-maligned policy of
constructive engagement. For their part, Western diplomats and
other analysts insist that constructive engagement would never
have worked if their own governments had not wielded a big stick.

Who's right? Possibly both sides. if world opinion did play a
significant role in Suu Kyi's release, it probably did so through
the combined effects of both approaches. The advantage of one
group of countries having a tougher line and the other staying
more in the middle is you have the chance of getting the two
things working together, notes one Jakarta based diplomat. If it
was only constructive engagement, then nothing much would have
happened.

Still, that hasn't stopped Asean from claiming a lion's share of
the credit. Burma is giving Asean live ammunition to show Western
countries that its policy is working, one Asean official said
soon after Rangoon's military rulers released Suu Kyi.

The Indonesians are especially pleased. As an Asean member and
current head of the 112 nation Non-Aligned Movement, Jakarta has
played a pivotal role in liaising between Rangoon and the rest of
the world. In turn Rangoon, with at least 11 accredited diplomats
in the Indonesian capital, has used its Jakarta embassy to chan
nel its views out to the region.

Why the special relationship? Asean officials note the shared
traditions of the Indonesian and Burmese militaries. Both strug
gled to win independence from colonial masters, and both have had
to deal with rebellions threatening national unity.

More significantly, both wield strong political power in their
respective countries. Indeed, Burma's leaders are strongly drawn
to the Indonesian concept of Dwifungsi, or dual function, which
gives the armed forces an institutionalized role in political
life.

The Burma-indonesia connection goes back many decades. Although
there was never any direct between the two countries' nationalist
movements during colonial days, Burma sent a "representative,"
Thakin Tha Kin, to Jakarta following its independence from Brit
ish rule in 1948. He noted the many similarities between the two
nations, especially in the roles of their independence armies.

Little wonder, then, that Indonesia served as the ideological
inspiration behind the Burmese military's demands for political
power in the 1950s. Indeed, a document entitled "The National
Ideology and the Role of the Defence Services" adopted by the
burmese military in 1958 strongly resembled Indonesia's
dwifungsi.

Where the Burmese military went wrong was in nationalizing most
businesses when it seized power in 1962, an act that was to run
the economy into the ground. The mistake was belatedly corrected
following the September 1988 coup. now Burma's leaders appear to
be looking to Indonesia once again as a model for a system in
which they would allow Suu Kyi only a marginal role at best.

In December 1993 Burmese Foreign Minister U Ohn Gyaw told his
Indonesian counterpart Ali Alatas that Burma was interested in
dwifungsi and wanted to learn more about Indonesia's constitu
tion. Subsequently, the guidelines the ruling State Law and Order
Restoration Council, or Slorc, imposed on the farmers of burma's
new constitution underlined the military's "leading role in
national politics." One requirement was that military appointees
occupy 25% of the seats  in the national and state assemblies.

Still, the Indonesians have not been reluctant to speak their
mind. In the early 1990s, Rangoon found itself in hot water with
Indonesia and its other Muslim neighbours when 250,000 Burmese
Muslims fled to Bangladesh to escape human-rights abuses by
Burmese troops.

More recently, Indonesia apparently gave Burma another quiet
nudge. Well-placed Indonesian sources say that during visits to
Jakarta by Burma's intelligence chief Khin Nyunt in December 1993
and by Slorc chairman Than Shwe in June, Defence minister Edi
Sudradjat privately urged the Burmese to allow officials of the
International Committee of the Red Cross to visit political
prisoners - something the ICRC is permitted to do in Indonesia.
His message tied in with that of Foreign Minister Alatas, who on
a February 1994 visit to Rangoon told Ohn Gyaw that Indonesia
wanted to help break Burma's political isolation.

Three months after the Alatas visit, an Indonesian delegation led
by Coordinating Minister for Industry and Trade Hartarto, Commu
nications Minister Haryanto Dhanutirto and Tourism and Post and
Telecommunications Minister Joop Ave went to Rangoon. Among a
group of businessmen accompanying the ministers was Hutomo
Mandala Putra, President Suharto's son and owner of the Humpuss
business group.

"Tommy" Suharto, as he is better known, has been trying to secure
a timber concession in Burma for a Sulawesi based company he
helped establish in 1986-87. Forestry is only one area of possi
ble agreed to look into cooperation in aviation, telecommunica
tions and natural gas exploration.

Yet, in private conversations with foreign diplomats, the Indone
sians have made it clear that they don't want to be too closely
associated with Rangoon's evolving system of governance. They say
they have stressed to their Burmese counterparts that the concept
of dwifungsi was born of Indonesia's unique history, and that it
is still being debated today-a reference to the way in which the
military's political profile has been lowered in the past two
years.

"The Indonesians are not terribly comfortable about it all," says
one diplomat. "They don't really want to be seen to be promoting
dwifungsi outside the country." (FEER) 


===== item =====

BESIEGED KHUN SA RESHUFFLES POSTS TO PATCH UP INTERNAL RIFTS
18 September 1995, The Nation

Burma's embattled opium warlord Khun Sa has reshuffled his
leadership in an attempt to patch up an internal rift as he
prepares to face a coordinated assault from his main opium
growing rivals and Burmese government forces, guerrilla
sources said yesterday.

Sources in Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army (MTA) and its political
wing said the opium warlord had introduced a "collective
leadership with the formation of an administrative council,"
said Khwan Mong, a veteran Shan nationalist appointed
secretary-general of the new council at a weekend meeting.

Others appointed to top posts in the newly-formed 11-member
Shan State Administrative Council (SSAC) were Kan Chit, also a
veteran Shan nationalist who was made chairman and Zam Mai,
another respected veteran appointed first vice chairman.

Khun Sa's long-time right-hand  man, Chang Shu-chuan, a former
Chinese nationalist soldier who is also known by the Shan name
Sao Hpalang, was made a second vice chairman of the new
council, behind the Shan nationalists, in an apparent move to
defuse growing Shan resentment of Chinese influence in the
MTA.

But one Shan political source dismissed the changes as
cosmetic, designed to placate frustrated young Shan
nationalists. "Khun Sa will never give up power. Appointing
that committee means nothing at all, he only did it to save
his skin, to please some young Shan," the former guerrilla
commander now exiled in Thailand told Reuters.

The changes follow the breakaway of several thousand MTA
guerrillas who mutinied against Khun Sa in frustration with
what they saw as his preoccupation with the drugs trade and
neglect of the Shan nationalist movement, guerrilla sources
said.

But Khwan Mong denied the new leadership structure had
anything to do with last month's mutiny.

"The change has happened because we think it is the time to
change. It's nothing to do with the breakaway group," Khwan
Mong said.

An MTA source said Shan guerrillas were continuing to defect
from Khun Sa's army and the total number has increased to more
than 3,000.

"These young people who have strong will to fight for the
independence of Shan state have realized that Khun Sa does not
do as he promises," a senior MTA source said.

Khun Sa says his MTA has a total strength of 25,000. Shan
sources put his number of well-armed fighters at more than
3,000.

His internal difficulties came as Burmese forces and Khun Sa's
main opium trade rivals from the Wa ethnic minority guerrilla
army were preparing to launch an offensive against Khun Sa's
main base areas in southern Shan state.

After years of neglecting the opium warlord, Burmese
government troops attacked Khun Sa's strongholds in late 1993
and intermittent fighting, at times heavy, has continued.

Wa fighters, also seeking their own state within a federal
Burma, have clashed regularly with Khun Sa's forces in recent
years over opium smuggling routes. (TN)


===== item =====

THAI SKIPPER, KHMER CREWMAN CONFESS TO KILLING BURMESE
18 August 1995, The Nation

A Thai and a Khmer have confessed to beating to death five
Burmese fishermen out of anger because they informed Burmese
authorities that their Thai vessel possessed illegal fishing
equipment, according to a senior provincial police officer.

Col Chuwong Wattanodorn, deputy Ranong police chief, yesterday
named the two men as Khamasai Kaenkaew, skipper of the vessel
JV44, and Porn, or Mars Sunsuankim, a Khmer crew member.

The two confessed during interrogation that they were involved
in the murder of five Burmese fishermen on board the JV47 on
Aug 6. The fishing boat was one of two boats belonging to the
Narong Canning Co.

The two suspects confessed that they along with 10 other Thai
crew members jointly attacked their 15 Burmese colleagues, but
10 managed to jump overboard and escape. The remaining five
were beaten to death with steel water pipes and thrown into
the sea.

Chuwong quoted  both Khamsai and Porn as saying the assailants
were driven to attack the victims because one of the Burmese
men had alerted Burmese authorities in Mergui to the fact the
ship contained illegal equipment.

The equipment included such items as high-frequency
communications radios and fine-mesh net, which is used to
catch prawns.

The Burmese authorities subsequently revoked the JV44's
fishing licence and the crew and their vessel were ordered to
leave Burmese territorial waters.

The colonel said Ranong police station issued arrest warrants
for another 10 Thai suspects, including the skipper of the
JV47, Sunthorn Kaewsongduang, who led the attack on the
Burmese.

The two suspects, who returned to Ranong after interrogation
by Burmese authorities at Burma's Victoria Point, or
Kawthaung, are now being held at Pak Nam Provincial Police
Station.

Police have forbidden any contact with them by the media.
Fishing industrialists in Ranong said the attackers held
strong suspections that the Burmese victims were in fact
"informers for Burmese authorities". They said the men were
seen providing  tip-offs, leading to previous seizures of Thai
vessels for fishing illegally in Burma.

The entrepreneurs also complained the abrupt closure of the
checkpoint between Ranong and Victoria Point by Burmese
officials after the violent attack had adversely affected the
province's trading, boat transport, fishing and tourist
industries.

He also denied that Burmese authorities in Victoria Point
would use two Thai boat  operators - Buri Jermsang, 23 and
Paisarn Thaweeboonrungrueng, 24, - as bargaining chips in the
murder case.

The two men were arrested on July 31 for illegal entry into
Burma and have been detained ever since.

"It is not true they were arrested. The [Burmese] military
chief there is looking after them," said Wimol.

 A group of Ranong boat operators yesterday petitioned
provincial Governor Sathit Saengsi to secure the release of
Buri and Paisarn because they feared Burmese authorities would
attack them in retaliation for the murder of the Burmese
fishermen.

Buri's father, Daeng Chuansong, said the arrest of his son
came in retaliation for an earlier arrest of  two Burmese by
Thai police in charges of smuggling cigarettes.

The two Burmese were violently attacked before a large crowd
of about 100 Burmese labourers and fishermen. Sathit has
pledged  to follow the case closely and immediately contact
Burmese officials to help secure their release.

Paisarn's father , Somsak Thaweeboonrungrueng, said Burmese
officials have demanded that Thailand have over the two
suspected Burmese smugglers in exchange for two Thai illegal
immigrants.

Members of the border trade chamber in Ranong have agreed to
donate Bt2 million each to Burmese authorities as compensation
for the deaths of the Burmese.

They want the case quickly resolved because the local economy
had been badly damaged since the Burmese shut down the
checkpoint. (TN)


===== item =====

CHAVALIT HAS HIS WORK CUT OUT ON MISSION TO BURMA
18 August 1995, The Nation
Yindee Lartcharoenchok

Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh is betting on his
close personal connection with the Burmese junta when he
leaves early next month for Ranong on a highly-significant
mission.

At stake is a stormy Thai-Burmese relationship, now at one of
its lowest points after a series of border conflicts and most
recently the murder of at least two Burmese fishermen.

The former Army commander-in-chief is bearing a heavy but
ambitious responsibility, hoping that the reunion and his
usual style of tete-a-tete talks with the Burmese leaders,
some of whom he calls "brothers"", will bear fruit so he can
triumphantly bring home good news.

Both the government of Prime Minister r Banharn Silpa-archa and
the Thai armed forces have put their confidence in Chavalit,
who offered immediately after his ministerial appointment last
month to travel to Burma to try to reverse the current tide of
Burmese anger and hostility against Thailand.

Efforts by the previous Chuan administration and leading
military officers failed to appease the ruling Burmese State
Law and Order restoration Council (Slorc), Which has steadily
imposed a number of punitive measures and restrictions that
hurt Thai economic interests in Burma.

Speaking in separate interviews, military officers and senior
bureaucrats are still uncertain as to the actual causes behind
the sudden surge of Burmese resentment, but they suspect there
are several factors involved.
Slorc's suspiciousness about Thailand's Burma policy is
believed to be a leading cause. The Kingdom has tried, without
much success, to convince its neighbours that the outdated
security-oriented and "double-edged" Thai foreign diplomacy
based on strong anti-communism sentiment in the 1950s has
really been replaced with a policy that respects mutual
sovereignty and guarantees peaceful coexistence and collective
prosperity.

Unconvinced, Slorc has often tested Thai sincerity and
credibility with its repeated calls for Thailand to halt its
alleged covert assistance to anti-Rangoon ethnic guerrilla
groups and pro-democracy Burmese dissident movements.

Bangkok has denied the charges, saying the country is pursuing
a non-interference policy and explaining that the aid and
refuge given to tens of thousands of Burmese ethnic and
political fugitives was provided according to international
humanitarian principles.

Thailand has deliberately omitted mention of Slorc's protests,
often delivered with back-up evidence, over Thailand's
provision of residences of Thai soil to a number of guerrilla
leaders.

Slorc leaders were upset with Thailand's continuing support
for the Karen National Union (KNU), which has been waging an
war for autonomy against Rangoon for close to 50 years. And
they were furious with the refusal by Thai officers in Mae Sai
to hand over a death squad team of opium warlord Khun Sa's
Mong Tai Army (MTA) which made a lightning raid on the booming
Burmese border town of Tachilek on March 20.

A week after the MTA attack, the Slorc ordered the indefinite
closure of border passage between Tachilek and Mae Sai and
subsequently imposed a travel ban. Thai efforts to alleviate
the tremendous local economic loss by opening five temporary
crossings to facilitate the export of Thai goods campaign and
the shutdown early this month of passages on the Burmese side.

A similar anti-Thailand campaign was launched in Myawaddy,
another important border checkpoint, opposite Tak's Mae Sot
district. At the height of the Burmese military offensive
against the KNU stronghold of Kawmoora in February, the Slorc
accused Thailand of obstructing its operation and threatened
to retaliate by closing the border and suspending construction
on the Thai-Burmese bridge across the Moei River.

After official Thai protests over repeated Burmese territorial
violations and the abduction on Feb 9 of senior KNU civilian
leaders from a Thai refugee camp, the Slorc on March 5
abruptly ordered the immediate closure of the Myawaddy-Mae Sot
crossing and banned the import of Thai goods. Mae Sot traders
believed the move was in retaliation for alleged Thai support
for the Karen guerillas.

Between April and early May, tension along the border worsened
as the Burmese forces and a breakaway KNU faction continued to
defy Thai warnings and repeatedly intruded into Thailand.
After the Thai Army launched lightning attacks in May on
dissident Karen guerrilla bases in Burma, the Slorc on June 7
ordered the suspension of construction on the nearly-completed
Bt80 million Moei bridge.

The anti-Thai goods campaign subsequently intensified ,
enforced through a strict travel ban and the prohibition of
the sale and use of Thai products. Troops carried out random
house searches and checked convoys suspected to transporting
Thai goods, seizing any products found and punishing
violators.

Initially, Thai officials were hopeful that the tough Burmese
measures were restricted only to the northern region. It
seemed to be business as usual at the last remaining crossing
- between coastal Ranong province and Burma's Victoria Point,
or Kawthaung, - which serves the multi-billion-baht fishing 
and tourism industries.

But Slorc recently proved again it never hesitate to translate
its resentment into concrete action. Alleged brutality against
a group of Burmese seamen and the subsequent  murder on Aug 6
of at least two of them, whose hands and feet had been bound
with rope aboard a Thai fishing boat, prompted the Slorc to
close the Victoria Point-Ranong crossing.

Closure of the three official checkpoints virtually sealed of
the 2,300-km Thai-Burmese frontier. While the Burmese border
economy has also been adversely affected by the closures,
Thailand knowns that it stands to suffer most from the stand-
off.

Senior Thai officials believe what makes the border problems
harder to solve is the Thai private sector's "arrogant"
attitude - the belief that it is Burma that needs Thailand
politically and economically, not the other way round.

Rangoon's latest message is being taken seriously here.
Although the murder case - unlike the disputes and conflicts
in northern Thailand which involved government and military
personnel from both sides - was apparently a local affair, the
Thai administration has realized the economic repercussions of
Burma's hardline stand and is moving quickly to try to patch
the widening rifts.

Despite the fact that several government ministers and
military leaders have expressed sincere regret over the mishap
to justice, Premier Banharn knew that he needed to intervene
personally to show the government's political will and
seriousness to resolve the problem.

Chavalit, also deputy premier, will carry Banharn's personal
message of condolence and regret to Slorc when he makes a two-
day visit to Rangoon on Sep 1-2. While Chavalit has played
down his Burma trip, saying that it is an "ordinary and "semi-
official" visit, the government and armed forces remain
hopeful that the former Army chief will be able to use his
personal contacts with Slorc leaders as  leverage to placate
Burma's anger and to repair the damaged relations.

Thai critics and senior officials remain skeptical as to what
Rangoon will demand in return for reopening the border and the
resumption of construction on the Thai-Burmese bridge.

Chavalit has already despatched close aide and confidante, Gen
Pat Akranibutr, to Rangoon to prepare for his trip. Although
his task will not be easy, official sources believe that
Chavalit, who is known for his clever give-and-take
negotiating skills, will bring which him some "irresistible
offers" to the Slorc and will return home with victorious
fanfare.

It is premature to predict what Chavalit's "goodwill gifts"
might be, but speculation has revolved around the sort of
things that Rangoon is known to want, such as sincere
cooperation in cracking down on ethnic insurgency. (TN) 


===== item =====

CHAVALIT: DON'T LET KILLING OF SEAMEN HURT TIES WITH RANGOON
18 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

Thailand should not jump to the conclusion that the killing of
Burmese seamen was premeditated by a mastermind as this could
deepen the rift in Thai-Burmese relations, warned Deputy Prime
Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday.

The New Aspiration Party leader made the statement to counter
the Ranong provincial governor's suspicion that last week's
murder of a number of Burmese crewmen may have been more
complex than it appeared, believing it was planned beforehand.

Gen Chavalit said the investigation into the murder would soon
uncover the facts behind the case which has hurt relations
between Thailand and Burma. It is feared that the murder
problem may also cost Thailand dearly in terms of mutual
fishing interests with Burma.

It has been alleged that a group of at last 11 Thai fishermen
killed four Burmese crewmen on board the former's vessel owned
by the Narong Canning Co.

According to an earlier report by the Burmese embassy, the
violation of a fishing agreement had sparked a disagreement
between the Thai fishermen and Burmese workers which led to
the brutal murder, said to have taken place off Burma's
Kawthaung, also known as Victoria Point.

So far, traffic between border passes in Ranong and Victoria
Point has been suspended. Senior Interior Ministry officials
and local authorities have been assigned to work virtually
around the clock to probe the murder incident and find the
suspects to show Burma that Thailand has no intention of
turning a blind eye to the case.

Gen Chavalit, during his official visit to Burma next month,
will pass on a message from Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa
regarding the controversial murder case to the leader of the
Burmese government.

Mr Banharn's message to Burma is seen as an immediate measure
to prevent any further possible damage to relations between
the two countries.

Ge Chavalit said the authorities of both countries have set up
their own working groups to carry out investigations into the
murder.

He repeated that Burma and Thailand still enjoyed a close
relationship, adding both countries have always been sincere
in their attempts to solve problems together.

As the border passes in Ranong remain closed it is impossible
to travel into Burma at this time. He made light of a report
that Burmese fishermen may seek revenge by attacking Thai
citizens travelling into Burma, saying the people of both
countries have always maintained a mutual understanding and a
warm relationship.

Burma is waiting to see how Thailand settles the murder
problem, said Gen Chavalit, adding "the wrongdoers must be
arrested and face drastic legal action." The suspects, if
convicted of the murder, could face death sentences.

The deputy prime minister proposed that the fishing agreement
between both countries be adjusted to force Thai companies
fishing in Burmese waters to transport their catches to a
Burmese port so the share of marine animals can be determined
based on the agreement's conditions.

The agreement requires Thai companies to distribute part of
their catches to their Burmese partners. It is often the case
that Thai fishing companies unload a large proportion of their
fish catches onto small boats which then race back to a Thai
port without being inspected by the Burmese authorities first.

This is unfair for the Burmese companies as only a small
proportion of the catches are left for them. Gen Chavalit also
encouraged businessmen to look for further investment
opportunities in Burma. Burma wants to attract more foreign
investment in fish meal and ice production.

"Burma is reaching out for our help to develop the country and
we should show them our sincerity," said the deputy prime
minister.

He was confident that the Burmese government would not use the
murder case as a pretext to bargain for advantages over
Thailand during his official visit there next month.

The meeting's agenda is based on the relationship at the
national level and everyday happenings are not likely to
affect the discussions.

Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Wimol Wongwanich condemned the
Thai fishermen who allegedly breached the fishing agreement,
saying this indicated that some Thai businessmen only
concentrated on gaining short term benefits.

Greater efforts must be made to check on those working in the
fishing industry. The Thai authorities must ensure justice for
the Burmese fishermen caught up in the murder incident.

Assistant Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Chetha Thanajaro said
the problem would not worsen. A senior Burmese army official
told him during a telephone conversation that Burma was well
aware of Thailand's efforts to solve the murder case.

Former Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan sympathised with the
Government on the matter, saying the murder problem was a
complicated one. He expressed disappointment that the Foreign
Ministry was often the last agency to step in to oversee
border problems.

"So, it is necessary to give moral support and be sympathetic
towards both the Government and Foreign Ministry which must
keep finding solutions to all the various problems. Let us
hope the (murder) problem does not become any worse than it
already is," said the Democrat Party executive.

He said he did not believe the border wrangle would develop
into a major diplomatic rift requiring mediation by a third
country. Bilateral negotiations would be sufficient to settle
the on-going problems between the two countries.

The personal relationship between Gen Chavalit and Slorc
leaders may help reduce the tension along the border to a
certain degree. Mr Surin said, cautioning, however, that
personal contact would not be effective in permanently ending
the international row. Everything must adhere to the process
of formal diplomatic protocol, he said. (BP)


===== item =====

JUNTA AND KARENS 'LIKELY TO AGREE ON CEASEFIRE TERMS'
18 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

A ceasefire agreement is likely between Burma's ruling
military junta and Karen National Union rebels, a Thai border
source said yesterday.

Suvicha Hiranyapruek, a secretary to Thailand's National
Security Council chief Charan Kullavanijava, helped mediate
for talks between three representatives of the junta, or State
Law and Order restoration Council (Slorc) as it is officially
known, and Gen Bo Mya, president of the KNU, the source said.

The three Slorc representatives were Tun Mya, Tun Aung Kyi and
Aye Soe Mya. The meeting took place at Ban Mae Klong in Tak's
Umphang District on Tuesday.

Also at the meeting were senior KNU officers including the
movement's "forestry minister" Pa Do Aung, joint general
secretary Maj Gen Maung Maung, chief of staff Maj Gen Ka Ze
Doe, Division 4 commander Brig Gen Oliver, the source said.

Both sides reportedly agreed during their two-hour talks there
must be a "sincere" ceasefire. They also agreed to join hands
in efforts to improve the welfare of their people who have
long suffered from war, and to develop their country.

The two sides will hold another round of talks in Pa-an,
capital of Burma's Kawthoolei state before signing a ceasefire
agreement.

The agreement is expected to be signed by the Slorc's first
general secretary Lt Gen Khin Nyunt and the KNU president.
(BP)


===== item =====

HUNT CONTINUES FOR 9 MORE SUSPECTS IN TRAWELR MURDERS
18 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

Another nine suspects allegedly behind the brutal killing of
five Burmese crewmen are still being sought by police and all
risk capital punishment if found guilty.

Ranong provincial police commander Pol Col Wanchai Somsak told
the Bangkok Post  he had instructed investigators to track
down the nine Thai fishermen who had fled after the incident.

Police sources said investigators believed the suspects who
have been arrested, Khamsai and Krim or Chunsuan, confessed
they had been ordered by a man named Somporn, the chief of the
fishing crew of Maynmar Narong Company's JV 44 fishing vessel,
to beat five Burmese crewmen with water pipes.

Myanmar Narong is a joint venture between Burma and NCC Asian
Fishery Co in which Narong Canning Co chairman Narong
Pibunthanapattana has a personal stake.

The suspects said the conflict between the JV 44's Thai
fishermen and the Burmese crewmen began after the latter
informed Burmese fishery officials that the Thai fishermen
hired by the NCC Asian Fishery Company had cheated their
Burmese partners.

The accused said the Thai crew unloaded the fish caught from
Burmese water onto other Thai vessels and used electronic
fishing devices prohibited by the Burmese authorities.

After being tipped off by some Burmese fishermen, Burmese
officials inspected the fishing vessel on August 2 and seized
some equipment before letting the boat and Thai crew go.

The brutal killing took place after JV 44 encountered 15
Burmese fishermen on board another fishing vessel, JV 47 off
Ranong Province.

Ten of the Burmese crewmen jumped overboard while five were
caught and beaten to death by the Thai fishermen.

"The suspects confessed that they had tied their victims'
hands and feet with ropes before cruelly beating them with
water pipes until they died," said Pol Col Wanchai.

Four bodies have been found by the officials while another one
is still missing. Pol Col Wanchai said the police are
expecting the victims' relatives and families to file charges
against the suspects and demand that the company compensate
them for their losses.

The number of immigrant workers has been rapidly increasing
after the Interior Ministry allowed aliens to seek employment
in the provinces located along the Thai-Burmese border without
receiving permission from immigration officials.

Mr Sarant Petchpirun, the Foreign Fishery Affairs Division
director, said the problem could have been prevented if the
Burmese government let Thai officials screen the companies
wishing to enter into fishing agreements with Burma. (BP)


===== item =====

ACADEMIC: HELP SOLVE MINORITIES' PROBLEM
18 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

Thailand and other regional states should play a role in
solving Rangoon's problems with its ethnic minorities to
restore democracy in Burma and ensure regional peace, an
Australian academic said yesterday.

Alan Smith, of Monash University's Asia Institute, contested
Thailand's position that the ethnic minorities were Burma's
internal problem and therefore off-limits to outsiders.

The minorities' problem has obstructed democratisation in
Burma, Mr Smith told a seminar held at Thammasat University to
mark the 50th anniversary of Thai Peace Day.

Through the almost half a century of disputes, Burma's
neighbouring states have also been affected by the cross-
border flights of refugees, he added.

Therefore, Burma's neighbouring states "have an interest in
promoting this burden-sharing" and forming a regional conflict
resolution mechanism, Mr Smith said.

"It is realistic to propose that in certain circumstances
states may come to advocate the recognition that there is a
legitimate role to play for the international community in
ceases of internal conflict, especially ethnic conflict," he
pointed out.

Burma's neighbours should set up a regional conflict
resolution mechanism through opening a new form or activating
established institutions.

The wider international community, through the United Nations
or other regional bodies, should form "accessible, quasi-
judicial" processes, he added.

Academics, through personal contacts and institutional
networks, should demonstrate to decision-makers their expert
knowledge  of the problems and creative ways to solve them, he
said.

Only after an effective mechanism for conflict resolution has
been established could there be "meaningful dialogue," he
said.

The failure to solve the Burmese problem has so far stemmed
from ignorance of their root causes and a lack of "concerted
international pressure," he added.

"To stop shooting is not enough," he said, opposing support
for Rangoon's ceasefire arrangements with ethnic groups.

"Thailand should consider more urgently how to promote
critical dialogue in and about Burma concerning ethnic
conflicts," he added.

On the lack of unity  in international efforts against the
military junta, Mr Smith cited the varied responses to the
July 10 release of Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu
Kyi.

japan claimed the release was due to economic incentives given
to the Burmese government, he noted. The United States said it
was because Rangoon feared economic sanctions and the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations said the release was
due to its policy of constructive engagement.

Mr Smith spoke about critical dialogue and peace-making at a
seminar entitled "Nonviolent Cultures and Peace-making in the
World" organised by Thammasat University, the Peace
Information Centre and the Foundation for Democracy and
Development. (BP)


===== item =====

FREEDOM S CHALLENGE

24 jULY 1995, TIME INTERNATIONAL

Aung San Suu Kyi is released after six years of house arrest.
But how far will her liberty go?

Freedom, As American Novelist Flannery O Connor wrote, cannot
be conceived simply. Few could understand this better than Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma s chief dissident and winner of the
1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Placed under house arrest by a
military junta in 1989, Suu Kyi spent six years confined to
her family s deteriorating lakeside bungalow in Rangoon. At any
time she was free to get on a plane to join her husband and
two children in London-knowing that the generals would never
allow her back. That is a definition of freedom she refused to
accept. When the junta made the surprise announcement last
week that Suu Kyi, 50, was free after 2,190 days of
incarceration, it was a constant stream of well-wishers, not
guards, who kept her in the bungalow. Upon learning she was
being released, Suu Kyi told Time,  I said to myself,  Well,
I m free,  but then I have always felt free. 

But how free is she-or will she remain? As the week went on,
it became apparent that there was nothing simple, or certain,
about Suu Kyi s liberty. Nor was there certainty that her
freedom would extend to the other 45 million people of
isolated and oppressed Burma. It was tempting to imahine a
Burmese equivalent of the release of Nelson Mandela: in other
words, a stirring signal that the 21 generals who govern the
country through the State Law and Order Restoration Council,
known by the acronym Slorc, intend to take Burma in a new
direction with some important, if undefined, role for the
steely lady.

That hopeful scenario is far from a done deal, however. The
government made no public statement about the ending of Suu
Kyi s house arrest. Nor is it clear that she is truly free to
say or do what she wishes. Inside the compound at 52
University Road last week, Slorc intelligence officers in
plain clothes mingled with the visiting oppositionists,
diplomats and journalists who had gathered there after word
got around that she had been freed.

Many of her supporters suspect that the generals are merely
trying to woo foreign governments, investors and such
institutions as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund
by makinga single concession-the release of  the Lady,  as she
is known to friend and foe alike-with no intention of further
loosening their hold on Burma. That grip is indeed tight: the
government jails and totures political prisoners, forces
peasants to labor without pay on roads and railways and is
supervising the writing of a new constitution that will
enshrine the military s role in running the country.  Our
stuggle is not finished,  insists Tin Maung Win, vice chairman
of the Democratic Alliance of Burma, an opposition party.
 There are 45 million people still in prison. The prison is the
whole country. 

Suu Kyi admits that her release raises many more questions
than is answers.  Was it just a publicity stunt?  she asked in
her TIME interview,  or was it designed to get more investment
from abroad? Was it merely a way to lighten international
pressure, or was it really for the good of the nation for all
of us to work together? I certainly hope it is the latter, but
only time will tell. 

At the same time, she has been painstakingly cautious in her
statements, lavishing emphasis on the need for reconciliation
between the government and the opposition while making no
specific demands. She confessed to a natural affinity for the
military because her father, Burmese nationalist hero Aung
San, was extraordinary considering the circumstances-and
military officials admitted they were relieved and satisfied
with her comments last week. The big question is whether
relief will turn to dismay when the iron-willed Suu Kyi starts
speaking more freely. Will the men of Slorc then decide they
made a mistake in restoring her freedom?  They have been known
to misjudge the situation very badly,  says Zunetta Liddella, a
research associate for Human Rights Watch/Asia in London,  and
I think they may have done so now too. 

The Burma that Suu Kyi will encounter when she finally
ventures from her house is visibly different from the one she
saw six years ago. Indeed those changes help explain why the
junta finally decided to release her. In 1989 the country had
not yet started to emerge from the 26-year economic cocoon
spun by isolationist President U Ne Win. Slorc had come to
power only organs and killing more than 3,000 student
protesters over a six-year period. The junta changed the
country s name to Myanmar and that of its capital to Yangon.
Led by an impulsive general named Saw Maung, Slorc was
profoundly unpopular: in the general election held in May
1990, Suu Kyi s National League for Democracy (NLD) routed the
pro-government party. Slorc responded by unllifying the
election results.

Today Slorc is led by Senior General Than Shwe, a kinder and
gentler alternative to his precedessor (who was retired in
1992 for health reason). Suu Kyi herself is reputed to like
him. Far from being economically isolated, Burma has begun
courting foreign investment and hopes to become a member of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The country will
press its application at a major Asean conference that opens
July 31 in Brunei. Nonetheless, some countries-notably the
U.S.-continue to shun Burma. Thre weeks ago, the house not
Representatives added am amendmen eith passed last week,
cutting antinarcotics money for Burma, largely to keep the
generals from getting their gloves on the cash. Senator Mitch
Mc Connell of Kentucky, meanwhile, is drafting legislation
calling for sanctions against the Slorc regime. But other
countries have chosen engagement instead of isolation:
investors from Thailand have poured $418 million into Burma
since 1988; Singaporean companies have invested in hotels,
breweries and Myanmar Airways International, the country s new
international airline.

Burma s rulers have now realized that Thai traders and
Singaporean financiers can t be counted on to build highways,
irrigation systems, schools and hospitals. That is the role of
such institutions as the World Bank and the Asian Development
Bank, which stopped lending to the country under U.S.
pressure. Burma also needs help from the IMF in strightening
out its finances and reforming the redically over-valued kyat.
None of this is possible without a thaw in relations with the
U.S. And the key to conflict between the two countries was the
detention of Suu Kyi.

Military sources say General Than Shwe considered releasing
Suu Kyi as early as 1993. Why he waited, and whether that plan
faced serious resistance within the junta, is unclear. But
there are several reasons why her release was more acceptable
now. First, the constitutional convention that began in 1993
has made headway toward completing the document that is
supposed to be the basis for future governments-and it
includes a provision that disqualifies from the presidency
anyone wed to a foreigner. That would eliminate Suu Kyi, who
is married to British academic Michael Aris. Second, the
generals have organized a pro-government mass movement called
Union Solidarity and Development Association, which Slorc
could challenge Suu Kyi s N.L.D. Third, the government has
concluded peace negotiations with 11 of the country s 12 major
ethnic and tribal groups (all except the Karens), and there
haven t been any student protests of importance since 1990.  If
you were in General Than Shwe s shoes, you would consider all
thse factors before releasing anyone,  says one of his
subordinate officers,  because the No. 1 thing is for the
country to be stable.  According to Mike Jendrzejczyk,
Washington director of Human Rights Watch/Asia,  To some extent
the Burmese government may be taking this step because they
think they have the lid on so tight. 

By July 1, Slorc had made a formal decision to release Suu
Kyi, a move championed by Than Shwe.  He was the sole person to
decide,  says an officer.  Once his decision was made, the rest
of the bureaucracy was bound to follow.  July 10 was chosen
because that was the day her six-year sentence expired, and
the junta was eager to appear to be following Burmese laws,
not succumbing to pressure from outside. Following the
decission in early July, Lieut. General Khin Nyunt, who is
widely perceived to be the junta s strongman, gave a speech
that was so hard-line it was initially interpreted as a public
warning that Suu Kyi would not be released. Last week analysts
reread the speech and found a statement of Slorc principles,
probably articulated for the benefit of Suu Kyi herself. These
included the need for stability, the sanctity of the soon to
be promulgated constitution and the vital place of the
military in modern Burma. They want to preserve their position
as the guardian of the country,  says Peter Brown, a Hong Kong
solictor with Wilkinson & Grist who has drafted numerous
joint-venture contracts with the junta since 1990.  They ve
often told me they see Burma as being similar to the Roman
Empire-without the army, it will fall apart. 

It s hard to say which of the two approches to Burma was more
effective in securing Suu Kyi s release: Washington s tough
line that denied Slorc the foreign aid it so desperately
needs, or the more conciliatory posture of such countries as
Singapore and Thailand, aimed at opening Burma to the outside
world and, concurrently, weaning it away from its repressive
ways. Both sides were taking credit last week. Singapore s
Ministry of Foreign affairs said its policy will help
 encourage Slorc to continue to open its economy and society
and progress like other countries of Southeast Asia. 
Thailand s Foreign Minister said,  I think that without the
constructive engagement, the situation would not have moved so
fast. 

In Washington, Senator McConnell was still sitting on his
anti-Slorc proposal, waiting to see if the generals have truly
changed their ways. The Senator doesn t claim credit for last
week s happy turn of events, but said it was  interesting  it
took place at the same time he was about to introduce his
punitive bill. But others in Washington seemed ready to
embrace the regime.  We should recognize that even guys as bad
as Slorc can change,  said representative Dana Rohrabacher of
California, who co-authored a bill to cut off antidrug funding
for Burma.  While Suu Kyi is one of the greatest saints of
freedom in our time, it took just as much courage for Slorc to
let her go. 

Foreign investors in Burma, a relatively small and brave band,
see the move as a boost for the counrty s economic
liberalization program, which faced limited prospects as long
as the generals kept Suu Kyi locked up.  They decided to bite
the bullet and take the step forward,  says Randollph \\kwei,
an Americal private-fund managerwho is building a $4 million
hotel in Rangoon.  The inflaton rate is roaring, the country is
short of cash , and nobody is lending them a dime . This is a
huge step. The value of my hotel just went up.  The GDP will
grow an estimated 6.4% this year, but the country remains
pitifully far behind its neighbours and in need of virtually
everything: roads, phones, schools. Percapita GDP is $235,
half of India s and below that of Bangladesh and Nigeria. Only
10% of the homes have electricity, heroin is the country s
largest export, and Rangoon University, once the best in Asia,
is now ptobably the worst.

 This is what the military has wrought,  says Burton Levin, the
last U.S. ambassador to Rangoon.  Burma is a living museum-of
ideas, of buildings, of almost everything.  Investment banker
Barton Biggs of Morgan Stanley, a frequent Asian visitor, had
a similar impression when he flew on Myanmar Airways earlier
this year. I sat on the ancient propeller plane on the flight
to Pagan,  he wrote to his clients.  I was shocked to see the
pilot. I am old, but this pilot must have been 75 or 80.  The
country, he said, had not trained any flight crews for the
past 40 years.  As a result, when recently the domestic airline
was started, the authorities had to find World War II-era
local pilots. 

Burma s promise is significant: it has a literacy rate of about
80% and still uses English accounting and legal systems. Its
forests are vast, and it has large gold, silver and copper
deposits, oil fields, rubies and, of course, some of the least
expensive labor in the world. Corruption exists but is
relatively controlled. Says one investor:  To get a hotel site
in the provinces, you only have to make a onetime payment of
$300,000 to the local commander. In a place like Vietnam, they
nickel and dime you to death. 

Both investors and the government hope Western donors will
return and the banks will soon follow now that the standoff
between Suu Kyi and Slorc has been broken.  Both sides want to
advance the country,  says Jeremy King, managing director of
Kerry Financial Services Ltd. in Hong Kong. Japan has been
eager to return to Burma for a long time but has refrained, in
deference to the U.S. Perhaps anticipating a breakthrough,
Japan and Germany announced last March that thry would forgive
up to $3 billion in Burmese debt, shortly after Slorc released
31 political prisoners. The Asian Development Bank, heavily
dependent on Japanese funding, is awaiting further economic
reforms before it begins lending. But Noritida Morita,
director of the ADB s program department, says the bank began
updating its information on Burma six months ago. Suu Kyi s
release, he says, will prove to have a very positive impact on
potential donors.

Ultimately, what everyone is hoping for is some kind of
political reconciliation between Suu Kyi s opposition party and
the generals that leads to a gradual return to civilian rule.
Many see the military taking a back-room power- and money-
sharing role as its counterparts do in Thailand and Indonesia.

But everything depends on the Lady. Now she is free to walk
from the house that has been her prison for six long years.
But is she free to travel? To speak? To take up the mission
she articulately described in her 1991 book Freedom from Fear-
or, indeed, the mandate given to her by the Burmese people in
1990? These questions were subtly evaded last week amid the
headlines and celec\brations. That s almost certainly not the
kind of freedom handed to her by a 21-general junta last week.
Just as certain, it s undoubtedly the freedom she will sooner
or later demand. Will she go face to face with them, as
Corazon Aquino did in a very different kind of struggle in the
Philippines, or try another tack? The only thing that s sure is
that Aung San Suu Kyi cannot conceive of fredom simply-and the
fate of her country may depend on her subtlety. 
Reported by Sandra Burton/ Rangoon, John Colmey/Hong Kong and
Tamala M. Edwards/Washington  


===== item =====

CHAVALIT: DON'T LET KILLING OF SEAMEN HURT TIES WITH RANGOON
Bkk Post/18.8.95

THAILAND  should not jump to the conclusion that the killing of
Burmese seamen was premeditated by a mastermind as this could
deepen the rift in Thai-Burmese relations, warned Deputy Prime
Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday.

The New Aspiration Party leader made the Ranong provincial
governor's suspicion that last week's murder of a number of
Burmese crewmen may have been more complex than it appeared,
believing it was planned beforehand.

Gen Chavalit said the investigation into the murder would soon
uncover the facts behind the case which has hurt relations
between Thailand and Burma. It is feared that the murder problem
may also cost Thailand dearly in Terms of mutual fishing
interests with Burma.

It has been alleged that a group of at least 11 Thai fishermen
killed four Burmese crewmen on board the formers' vessel owned by
the Narong Canning Co. According to an earlier report by the
Burmese fishing agreement had sparked a disagreement between the
Thai fishermen and Burmese workers which led to the brutal
murder, said to have taken place off Burma's Kawthaung, also
known as Victoria Point.

So far, traffic between border passes n Ranong and Victoria Point
has been suspended. Senior Interior Ministry officials and local
authorities have been assigned to work virtually around the clock
to probe the murder incident and find the suspects to show Burma
that Thailand has no intention of turning a blind eye to the
case.

Gen Chavalit, during his official visit to Burma next month, will
pass on a message from Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa
regarding the controversial murder case to the leader of the
Burmese government. Mr Banharn's message to Burma is seen as an
immediate measure to prevent any further possible damage to
relations between the two countries.

Gen Chavalit said the authorities of both countries have set up
their own working groups to carry out investigations into the
murder. He repeated that Burma and Thailand still enjoyed a close
relationship, adding both countries have always been sincere in
their attempts to solve problems together.

As the border passes in Ranong remain closed it is impossible to
travel into Burma at this time. He made light of a report that
Burmese fishermen may seek revenge by attacking Thai citizens
travelling nito Burma, saying the people of both countries have
always maintained a mutual understanding and a warm relationship.

Burmais waiting to see how Thailand settles the murder problem,
said Gen Chavalit, adding "the wrongdoers must be arrested and
face drastic legal action." The suspects, if convicted of the
murder, could face death sentences.

The deputy prime minister proposed that the fishing agreement
between both countries be adjusted to force Thai companies
fishing in Burmese waters to transport their the share of marine
animals the agreement requires Thai companies to distribute part
of Their catches to their Burmese partners.

It is often the case that Thai fishing companies unload a large
proportion of their fish catches onto small boats which then race
back to a Thai port without being inspected by the Burmese
authorities first. This is unfair for the Burmese companies as
only a small proportion of the catches are left for them.

Gen Chavalit also encouraged businessmen to look for further
investment opportunities in Burma. Burma wants to attract more
foreign investment in fish meal and ice production.

"Burma is reaching out for our help to develop the country and we
should show them our sincerity,"said the deputy prime minister.

He was confident that the Burmese government would not use the
murder case as a pretext to bargain for advantages over Thailand
during his official visit there next month. The meeting's agenda
is based on the relationship at the national level and everyday
happenings are not likely to affect the discussions.

Army Commander in Chief Gen Wimol Wongwanich condemned the Thai
fishermen who allegedly breached the fishing agreement, saying
this indicated that some Thai businessmen only concentrated on
gaining short term benefits.

Greater efforts must be made to check on those working in the
fishing industry. The Thai authorities must ensure justice for
the Burmese fishermen caught up in the murder incident.

Assistant Army commander in Chief Chetha Thanajaro said the
problem would not worsen. A senior Burmese army official told him
during a telephone conversation that Burma was well aware of
Thailand's efforts to solve the murder case.

Former Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan sympathised with the
Government on the matter, saying the muder problem was a
complicated one. He expressed disappointment that the Foreign
Ministry was often the last agency to step in to oversee border
problems.

"So, it is necessary to give moral support and be sympathetic
towards both the Government and Foreign Ministry which must keep
finding solutions to all the various problems. Let us hope the
(murder) problem does not become any worse than it already is,"
said the Democrat Party executive.

He said he did not believe the border wrangle would develop into
a major diplomatic rift requiring mediation by a third country.
Bilateral negotiations would be sufficient to between the two
countries.

The personal relationship between Gen Chavalit and SLORC leaders
may help reduce the tension along the border to a certain degree,
Mr Surin said, cautioning, however, that personal contact would
not be effective in permanently ending the international row.

Everything must adhere to the process of formal diplomatic
protocol, he said.


===== item =====

JUNTA AND KARENS 'LIKELY TO AGREE ON CEASEFIRE TERMS'
Bkk Post/18.8.95

Tak 

A CEASEFIRE agreement is likely between Burma's ruling military
junta and Karen National Union rebels, a Thai border source said
yesterday.

Suvicha Hiranyapruek, a secretary to Thailand's National Security
Council chief Charan Kullavanijava, helped mediate for talks
between three representatives of the junta, or State Law and
Order Restoration Council (SLORC) as it is officially known, and
Gen Bo Mya, president of the KNU, the source said.

The three SLORC representatives were Tun Mya, Tun Aung Kyi and
Aye Soe Mya.

The meeting took place at Ban Mae Klong in Tak's Umphang District
on Tuesday.

Also at the meeting were senior KNU officers including the
movement's "forestry minister" Pa Do Aung, joint general
secretary Maj Gen Maung Maung, chief of staff Maj Gen Ka Ze Doe,
Division 4 commander Brig Gen Oliver, the source said.

Both sides reportedly agreed during their two-hour talks there
must be a "sincere' ceasefire. 

They also agreed to join hands in efforts to improve the welfare
of their people who have long suffered from war, and to develop
their country.

The two sides will hold an other round of talks in Pa-an, capital
of Burma's Kawthoolei state before singing a ceasefire agreement.

The agreement is expected to be signed by the SLORC's first
general secretary Lt Gen Khin Nyunt and the KNU president.


===== item =====

BESIEGED KHUN SA RESHUFFLES POSTS TO PATCH UP INTERNAL RIFTS
 
Reuter 
The Nation/18.8.95
 
BURMA"S embattled opium warlord Khun Sa has reshuffled his
leadership in an attempt to patch up an internal rift as he
prepares to face a coordinated assault from his main opium
growing rivals and Burmese government forces, guerrilla sources
said yesterday. 
 
Sources in Khun Sa"s Mong Tai Army (MTA) and its political wing
said the opium warlord had introduced a "collective leadership"
in his rebel group. 
 
"The organization has been changed from one-man absolute power to
collective leadership with the formation of an - administrative
council," said Khwan Mong, a veteran Shan nationalist appointed
secretary-general of the new council at a weekend meeting. 
 
Others appointed to top posts in the newly-formed I l-member Shan
State Administrative Council (SSAC) were Kan Chit, also a veteran
Shan nationalist who was made chairman and Zam Mai, another
respected veteran appointed first vice chairman. 
 
Khun Sa"s long-time right-hand man, Chang Shu-chuan, a former
Chinese nationalist soldier who is also known by the Shan name
Sao Hpalang, was made a second vice chairman of the new council,
behind the Shan nationalists, in an apparent move to defuse
growing Shan resentment of Chinese influence in the MTA. 
 
But one Shan political source dismissed the changes as cosmetic,
designed to placate frustrated young Shan nationalists. 
 
"Khun Sa will never give up power. Appointing that committee
means nothing at all, he only did it to save his skin, to please
some young Shan," the former guerrilla commander now exiled in
Thailand told Reuters. 
 
The changes follow the breakaway of several thousand MTA
guerrillas who mutinied against-Khun Sa in frustration with what
they saw as his preoccupation with the drugs trade and neglect of
the: Shan nationalist movement, guerrilla sources said. 
 
But Khwan Mong denied the new leadership structure had anything
to do with last month"s mutiny. 
 
"The change has happened because we think it is the time to
change. It"s nothing to do with the breakaway group," Khwan Mong
said.

An Mong Tai source said Shan guerrillas were continuing to defect 
from Khun Sa's army and the total number had increased to more
than  3,000.

"These young people who have strong will to fight for the
independence of Shan state have realized that Khun Sa does not do
as he promise," a senior MTA source said.

Khun Sa says his MTA has a total strength of 25,000. Shan source
put his number of well-armed fighters at more than 10,000.

His internal difficulties came as Burmese forces and Khun Sa's
main opium trade rivals from the Wa ethnic minority guerrilla
army were preparing to launch an offensive against Khun Sa's main
base areas in southern Shan state.

After years of neglecting the opium warlord, Burmese government
troops attacked Khun Sa's strongholds in late 1993 and
intermittent fighting, at times heavy, has continued.

Wa fighters, also seeking their own state within a federal Burma,
have a clashed regularly with Khun Sa's forces in recent years
over opium smuggling routes.   


===== item =====

CHAVALIT HAS HIS WORK CUT ON MISSION TO BURMA
The Nation/18.8.95

Despite its efforts at "constructive engagement", Thailand has
recently found its relationship with Burma deteriorating. Yindee
Lertcharoenchok highlights the factors leading to the sudden
surge in Rangoon's hostility against Bangkok.

Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh is betting on his
close personal connections with the Burmese junta when he leaves
early next month for Rangoon on a highly-significant mission.

At take is a stormy Thai-Burmese relationship, now at one its
lowest points after a series of border conflicts and most
recently the murder of at least two Burmese fishermen.

The former Army Commander-in-chief is bearing a heavy but
ambitious responsibility, hoping that the reunion and his usual
style of tete-a-tete talks with the Burmese leaders, some of whom
he calls "brothers", will bear fruit so he can triumphantly bring
home good news.

Both the government of Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa and the
Thai armed forces have put their confidence in  Cnavalit, who
offered immediately after his ministerial appointment last month
to travel to Burma to try to reverse the  current tide of Burmese
anger and hostility against Thailand.

Efforts by the previous Chuan administration and leading military
officers failed to appease the ruling Burmese State Law and Order
Restoration Council (Slorc), which has steadily imposed a number
of punitive measures an restrictions that hurt Thai economic
interests in Burma.

Speaking in separate interviews, military officers and senior
bureaucrats are still uncertain as to the actual  causes behind
the sudden surge of Burmese resentment, but they suspect there
are several factors involved.

Slorc's suspiciousness about Thailand's Burma policy is believed
to be a leading cause. The Kingdom has tried, without much
success, to security-oriented and "double-edged" Thai foreign
diplomacy based on strong anti-communism sentiment in the 1950s
has really been replaced with a policy that respects mutual
sovereignty and guarantees peaceful coexistence and  collective
prosperity.

Unconvinced, Slorc has often tested Thai sincerity and
credibility with its repeated calls for Thailand to halt its
alleged covert assistance to anti-Rangoon ethnic guerrilla groups
and pro-democracy Burmese dissident movements.

Bangkok has denied the charges, saying the country is pursuing a
non-interference policy and explaining that the aid and refuge
given to tens of thousands of Burmese ethnic and political
fugitives was provided according to international humanitarian
principles.

Thailand has deliberately omitted mention of Slorc's protests,
often delivered with back-up evidence, over Thailand's provision
of residences on Thai soil to a number of guerrilla leaders.

Slorc leaders  were upset with Thailand's continuing support for
the Karen National Union (KNU), which has been waging an war for
autonomy against Rangoon for close to 50 years. And they were
furious with the refusal by Thai officers in Mae Sai to hand over
a death squad team of opium warlord Khun Sa's MOng Tai Army (MTA)
which made a lighting raid on the booming Burmese border town of
Tachilek on March 20.

A week after the MTA attack, the Slorc ordered the indefinite
closure of border passage between Tachilek an Mae Sai and
subsequently imposed a travel ban. Thai efforts to alleviate the
tremendous local economic loss by opening five temporary
crossings to facilitate the export of Thai goods were countered
by an anti-Thai goods campaign and the shutdown early this month
of passages on the Burmese side.

A similar anti-Thailand campaign was launched in Myawaddy,
another important border checkpoint, opposite Tak's Mae Sot
district. At the height of the Burmese military offensive against
the KNU stronghold of Kawmoora in February, the Slorc accused
Thailand of obstructing its operation and threatened to retaliate
by closing the border and suspending construction on the Thai-
Burmese bridge  across the Moei River.

After official Thai protests over repeated Burmese territorial
violations and the abduction on Feb 9 of senior KNU civilian
leaders from a Thai refugee camp, the Slorc on March 5 abruptly
ordered the immediate closure of the Myawaddy-Mae Sot crossing
and banned the import of Thai goods. Mae Sot traders believed the
move was in retaliation for alleged Thai support for the Karen
guerrillas.

Between April and early May, tension along the border worsened as
the Burmese forces and a breakaway KNU faction continued to defy
Thai warnings and repeatedly intruded into Thailand. After the
Thai Army launched lightning attacks in May on dissident Karen
guerrilla bases in Burma, the Slorc on June 7 ordered the
suspension of construction on the nearly completed Bt80 million
Moei bridge.

     The anti-Thai goods campaign subsequently intensified,
enforced through a strict travel ban and the prohibition of the
sale and use of Thai products. Troops carried out random house
searches and checked convoys suspected of transporting Thai
goods,.seizing any products found and punishing violators.

     Initially, Thai officials were hopeful that the tough
Burmese measures were restricted only to the northern region. It
seemed to be business as usual at the last remaining crossing _
between coastal Ranong province and Burma's Victoria Point, or
Kawthaung,_which serves the multi-billion-baht fishing and
tourism industries and bilateral trade.

     But Slorc recently proved again it never hesitates to
translate its resentment into concrete action. Alleged brutality
against a group of Burmese seamen and the
subsequent murder on Aug 6 of at least two of them, whose hands
and feet had been bound with rope aboard a Thai fishing boat,
prompted the Slorc to close the Victoria Point-Ranong crossing.

     Closure of the three official checkpoints virtually sealed
off the 2,300-km Thai Burmese frontier. While the Burmese border
economy has also been adversely affected by the closures,
Thailand knows that it stands to suffer most from the stand-off.

     Senior Thai officials believe what makes the border problems
harder to solve is the Thai private sector's "arrogant" attitude
_ the belief that it is Burma that needs Thailand politically and
economically, not the other way round.

     Rangoon's latest message is being taken seriously here.
Although the murder case _ unlike the disputes and conflicts in
northern Thailand which involved government and military
personnel from both sides_was apparently a local affair, the Thai
administration has realized the economic repercussions of Burma's
hardline stand and is moving quickly to try to patch the widening
rifts.

     Despite the fact that several government ministers and
military leaders have expressed sincere regret over the mishap
and pledged to bring the culprits to justice, Premier Banharn
knew that he needed to intervene personally to show the
government's political will and seriousness to resolve the
problem.

     Chavalit, also deputy premier, will carry Banharn's personal
message of condolence and regret to Slorc when he makes a two-day
visit to Rangoon on Sept 1-2.

     While Chavalit has played down his Burma trip, saying that
it is an "ordinary" and ''semi-official'' visit, the government
and armed forces remain hopeful that the former Army chief will
be able to use his personal contacts with- SLORC leaders as
leverage to placate Burma's anger and to repair the damaged
relations.

     Thai critics and senior officials remain skeptical as to
what Rangoon will demand in return for reopening the border and
the resumption of construction on the Thai-Burmese bridge.

     Chavalit has already despatched his close aide and
confidante, Gen Pat Akranibutr, to Rangoon to prepare for his
trip. Although his task will not be easy, official sources
believe that Chavalit, who is known for his clever give-and-take
negotiating skills, will bring with him some "irresistible
offers" to the Slorc and will return home with victorious
fanfare.

     It is premature to predict what Chavalit's "goodwill gifts"
might be, but speculation has revolved around the sort of things
that Rangoon is known to want, such as sincere cooperation in
cracking down on ethnic insurgency.


===== item =====

CHAVALIT'S BURMA TRIP SEEN AS FIRST STEP 
 
The Nation/18.8.95 


FOREIGN Minister M R Kasem Kasemsri yesterday proposed a
four-step approach for the government to mend Thailand's soured
relations with Burma. 
 
Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's scheduled Sept 1-2 visit
to Burma is part of the first step: intensifying high-level
contacts between the two countries. 
 
Kasem outlined the plan during a meeting of Thai ambassadors and
counsellors posted overseas. 
 
However, Kasem said he has no immediate plans to visit Burma
because he is waiting for the result of Chavalit's trip. 
 
He warned against expectations that the defence minister's visit
alone would 
 resolve all problems between the two countries and improve the
strained bilateral ties. 
 
"Let us jump the hurdle of a major approach [towards Burma] first
and then small matters can be easily managed," he said. 

Slorc's termination of fishing contracts with Narong was well
understood, he said. "Once the principle of the [fishing]
agreement was breached, the Burmese government had the right to
terminate the contract." 
 
Moreover, the two countries should promptly find effective means
to resolve or quell any rising problems, Kasem said. 
 
Lastly, any cooperations between the two countries should be
based on mutual respect and benefit sharing, he added. 
 
The foreign minister said the current fishing problem is a small
matter considering each country's larger share of interest. "Both
Thailand and Burma envisioned a long-term interest in cooperating
with each other under the 10-nation Southeast Asian Community,"
said Kasem. 

Kasem told the Thai diplomats that Thailand's "constructive
engagement" policy with Burma is aimed at addressing the
interests of all people in both countries, not those of any
panicular groups. 
 
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Banharn Silapa-archa said yesterday
that last week's trawler attack was committed by a small
self-interest group but its consequences have adversely affected
the majority. 
 
He said Burma's intense naval patrol was a precautionary measure
to prevent illegal fishing by Thai vessels. Thailand will have to
discourage Thai fishermen from territorial transgression and
illegal activities in Burma. 


===== item =====

THAI SKIPPER, KHMER CREWMAN CONFESS TO KILLING BURMESE 
 
The Nation/18.8.95
 
 
RANONG _ A Thai and a Khmer have  confessed to beating to death five 
Burmese fishermen out of anger because they informed Burmese authorities 
that their Thai vessel possessed illegal fishing equipment, according to 
a senior provincial police officer. 

Col Chuwong Wattanodorn, deputy Ranong police chief, yesterday named the two
men as Khamsai Kaenkaew, skipper of the vessel JV44, and Porn, or Mars 
Sunsuankim, a Khmer crew member.

The two confessed during interrogation that they were involved in the murder 
of five Burmese fishermen on board the JV47 on Aug 6. The fishing boat was one
of two boats belonging to the Narong Canning Co.
 
The two suspects confessed that they along with 10 other Thai crew members
jointly attacked their 15 Burmese colleagues, but 10 managed to jump over 
board and escape. The remaining five were beaten to death with steel water
pipes and thrown into the sea. 
 
Thailand must also prove its sincerity in following its policy on Burma, he
said. In this case the government must make further efforts to convince Narong
Canning Co and other fishing firms to strictly adhere to agreements they
reached with Burma. 
 
Burmese fisherman working aboard a Narong Co trawler were attacked and several
were killed by Thais during an incident last week. 
 
Chuwong quoted both Khamsai and Porn as saying the assailants were driven to
attack the victims because one of the Burmese men had alerted Burmese
authorities in Mergui to the fact the ship contained illegal equipment. 
 
The equipment included such items as high-frequency communications radios and
fine-mesh net, which is used to catch prawns. 
 
The Burmese authorities subsequently revoked the JW4 s lishing licence and the
crew and their vessel were ordered to leave Burmese territorial waters. 
 
The colonel said Ranong police station had issued arrest warrants for another
10 Thai suspects, including the skipper of the JV47, Sunthorn Kaewsongduang,
who led the attack on the Burmese. 
 
The two suspects, who returned to Ranong after interrogation by Burmese
authorities at Burma's Victoria Point, or Kawthaung, are now being held at Pak
Nam Provincial Police Station. 
 
Police have forbidden any contact with them by the media. 
 
Fishing industrialists in Ranong said the attackers held strong suspicions
that the Burmese victims were in fact "informers for Burmese authorities".
They said the men were seen providing tip-offs, leading to previous seizures
of Thai vessels for fishing illegally in Burma. 
 
The entrepreneurs also complained the abrupt closure of the checkpoint between
Ranong and Victoria Point by Burmese officials after the violent attack had
adversely affected the province's trading boat transport, fishing and tourist
industnes. 
 
He also denied that Burmese authorities in Victoria Point would use two Thai
boat operators  Buri Jermsang, 23, and Paisarn Thaweeboonnmgrueng, 24, as
bargaining chips in the murder case. 
 
The two men were arrested on July 31 for illegal entry into Burma and have
been detained ever since. 
 
"It is not true they were arrested. The [Burmese] military chief there is
looking after them," said Wimol. 
 
A group of Ranong boat operators yesterday petitioned provincial Governor
Sathit Saengsi to secure the release of Buri and Paisarn because they feared
Burmese authorities would attack them in retaliation for the murder of the
Burmese fishermen. 

Buri's father, Daeng Chuansong, said the arrest of his son came in retaliation
for an earlier arrest of two Burmese by Thai police on charges of smuggling
cigarettes. 
 
The two Burmese were violently attacked before a large crowd of about 100
Burmese labourers and fishermen. Sathit has pledged to follow the case closely
and immediately contact Burmese officials to help secure their release. 
 
Paisarn's father, Somsak Thaweeboonrungrueng, said Burmese officials have
demanded that Thailand hand over the two suspected Burmese smugglers in
exchange for the two Thai illegal immigrants. 
 
Members of the border trade chamber in Ranong have agreed to donate Bt2
million each to Burmese authorities as compensation for the deaths of the
Burmese. 
 
They want the case quickly resolved because the local economy had been badly
damaged since the Burmese shut down the checkpoint. 

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