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BurmaNet News: August 22, 1995



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Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 04:28:29 -0700




------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------

The BurmaNet News: August 22, 1995

HEADLINES:
==========

THE NATION:GOVT REGRETS FISHING DEATHS, BUT STRESSES IT CANNOT
APOLOGIZE
THE NATION: INTERIOR OFFICIAL PLAYS DOWN BURMA'S SEA BORDER
CLOSURE
THE NATION: BBC SAYS BROADCASTS JAMMED
THE NATION:SAN MIGUEL MAKES FIRST SALE TO BURMA
BKK POST:BURMA, US FIRM IN MINING DEAL
BKK POST:FOREIGN MINISTER ASKED TO EXPLAIN TIES WITH BURMA
----------------------------------------------------------
Produced with the support of the Burma Information Group
(B.I.G).

The BurmaNet News is an electronic newspaper covering Burma.
Articles from newspapers, magazines, newsletters, the wire
services and the Internet as well as original material are
published.               

The BurmaNet News is e-mailed directly to subscribers and is
also distributed via the soc.culture.burma and seasia-l
mailing lists and is also available via the reg.burma
conference on the APC networks. For a free subscription to the
BurmaNet News, send an e-mail message to:
majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxx   
   
In the body of the message, type "subscribe burmanet-l"
(without quotation marks) Letters to the editor, comments or
contributions of articles should be sent to the editor at:
strider@xxxxxxxxxxx

-------------------------------------------------------------
INFORMATION ABOUT BURMA VIA THE WEB AND GOPHER:
Information about Burma is available via the WorldWideWeb at:

FreeBurmaWWW http://199.172.178.200/freebrma/freebrma.htm.
[including back issues of the BurmaNet News as .txt files]
BurmaWeb:  http://www.uio.no/tormodl

Burma fonts: 
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~lka/burmese-fonts/moe.html

Ethnologue Database(Myanmar):
    
http://www-ala.doc.ic.ac.uk/~rap/Ethnologue/eth.cgi/Myanmar 

TO ACCESS INFORMATION ABOUT BURMA VIA GOPHER:

 gopher csf.colorado.edu.

Look under the International Political Economy section, then
select Geographic_Archive, then Asia, then Burma. 


----------------------------------------------------------
BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LIST

BurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of different
topics related to Burma.  The scope of the subjects involved
is simplytoo broad for any one person to cover. BurmaNet is
therefore organizing a number of volunteer coordinators to
field questions on various subjects. If you have questions on
any of the following subjects, please direct email to the
following coordinators, who will either answer your question
or try to put you in contact with someone who can:

Arakan/Rohingya/Burma-   [volunteer needed]
Bangladesh border
Art/archaeology/:        [volunteer needed]
Campus activism:                                 
Boycott campaigns:                               
Buddhism:                Buddhist Relief Mission, 
                         c/o NBH03114@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fonts:                   tom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
History of Burma:        zar1963@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chin history/culture:
Kachin history/culture:  74750.1267@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Karen history/culture:   102113.2571@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                         Karen Historical Society
Mon history/culture:     [volunteer needed]
Naga history/culture:    [volunteer needed]
[Burma-India border]
Pali literature:         "Palmleaf"
                         c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
Shan history/culture:    [volunteer needed]
Tourism campaigns:          bagp@xxxxxxxxxx
                         "Attn. S. Sutcliffe"   
World Wide Web:          FreeBurma@xxxxxxxxx
Volunteering:            Dr. Christina Fink
                         c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx

[Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage]
----------------------------------------------------------

====item====

GOVT REGRETS FISHING DEATHS, BUT STRESSES IT CANNOT APOLOGIZE
19 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

The government is not in a position to "apologize" for the murder
of Burmese fishermen on a Thai trawler recently because the crime
concerns a private fishing company, not the government, Thai
Ambassador to Rangoon Poksak Nilubol said yesterday.

What the government can do is express "regret" for the deaths,
allegedly at the hands of Thai crewmen, as well as take legal
action against the culprits, he stressed.

Poksak was referring to the apparent revenge killings by a group
of Thai crewmen who suspected that Burmese crew members had
alerted their country's  authorities to illegal activities on
Thai trawlers.

Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh is scheduled to visit
Rangoon early next month and will convey a letter from Prime
Minister Banharn Silapa-acha expressing "regret" over the
killings and ensuring Thailand's seriousness in solving the case.

"The Thai government is not going to apologize to the Burmese
government but it will express its condolence. The crime involved
a private fishing company," Poksak said.

Poksak was here to attend a meeting of Thai ambassadors and
consul generals.Meanwhile, a well-informed source said that
Burmese Ambassador to Thailand U Tin Winn had met Foreign
Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Saroj Chavanavirat on
Wednesday to discuss the incident.
The source quoted Saroj as telling the Burmese envoy that the
Foreign Ministry and other authorities concerned were doing their
best to resolve the issue.
 
Poksak said the Burmese government had expressed its
"understanding" of Thailand's explanation about its seriousness
and sincerity in handling the case.

A Thai skipper and a Cambodian crew member of the vessel on which
15 Burmese were beaten and thrown overboard have been arrested,
and arrest warrants have been issued for 10 other Thai crewmen.

Burmese authorities were furious about the murders, prompting
them to order the closure of a temporary checkpoint on Kawthaung
Island opposite Thailand's Ranong province.

The order resulted in the closing of the last border trade link
between Thai land and Burma as two other main checkpoints, one
in Tak and the other in Chiang Rai province, were closed down
earlier.

Poksak said Thai private firms should be far-sighted and adopt
long-term business strategies when investing in other countries
instead of operating with short-term measures aimed at maximum
profits.

The ambassador denied criticism that Thailand was taking a weak
position in handling the Thai-Burmese problems. Earlier this year
the Burmese government  failed to react to a series of protests
by Thailand on incursions by Burmese troops into Thai  territory.

Critics said Thailand had over-reacted to the murders of the
Burmese crewmen, compared to Rangoon's reaction to the
incursions.

"We are not taking the weaker position with Burma. In the case
of the incur sions by Burmese troops into Thai territory, the
Rangoon government had claimed that they were actually the  work
of two groups of Burmese ethnic minorities.

"The deaths of the Burmese crewmen have nothing to do with the
Thai government, but a private company," Poksak said.

The same source said a team from Narong Canning Co had already
arrived in Rangoon to explain the situation to the Burmese
government.

The vessel involved in the crime was operating under a concession
granted to the Myanmar-Narong Canning firm, a joint venture of
Narong Canning. (TN)

====item====


INTERIOR OFFICIAL PLAYS DOWN BURMA'S SEA BORDER CLOSURE
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

Deputy permanent secretary for the Interior Damri Wattanasingha
yesterday played down the seriousness of the Burmese closure of
its sea border with Thailand, claiming it is closed annually at
this time of the year because of egg-laying season.

His comments contradict reports that the Border was closed in
wake of the murders of at least six Burmese fishermen on board
a Thai vessel.

Damri said Rangoon had simply "suspended", not "revoked", the
fishing licence of the Thai company whose vessels and crewmen
were suspected of involvement in the murders of the Burmese
fishermen.

"The NCC Asia Fishery Co Ltd had its fishing licence suspended
because it had violated some regulations by using nets to catch
shrimps and equipping its vessel with a radar," Damri said.

"The closure of waters for fishing at this time of the year is
Burma's annual practice because it is the season fish lay eggs.
Fishing during this period is prohibited. It is understandable,"
he stressed.

His information is at odds with that of senior Interior Ministry
officials, Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and local
authorities.

Earlier reports had it that Rangoon closed its territorial waters
to all Thai vessels, even if they held concessions to fish in
Burmese waters.

The order came shortly, after the government was alerted to the
incident in which Thai fishermen murdered Burmese crewmen.

The murders were reportedly committed after the Burmese informed
their author ities of illegal fishing activities being carried
out by the company off the southern province of Ranong.
 
The bodies of at least six Burmese fishermen have been swept
ashore since the incident. The men had clearly been beaten and
their ankles and wrists tied with rope before being thrown
overboard.

"Because the company's vessels and fishermen are alleged to have
been involved in the murders, it should bear responsibility for
the incident," said Damri.
 
Two men have already been arrested in connection with the
murders. Eight Thais suspected of involvement in the murders were
still at large. (TN)

====item====

BBC SAYS BROADCASTS JAMMED
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

The British Broadcasting Corporation said yesterday that its
World Service broadcasts in Burmese were being jammed for the
first time in their 55-year history.

"BBC engineers have found deliberate interference on two of the
three regular short-wave radio frequencies carrying BBC Burmese
language programmes," the BBC said in a statement.

Elizabeth Wright, the BBC World Service's Asia-Pacific head, said
a distinc tive electronic "wobble" noise was first detected in
the Burmese capital Rangoon two weeks ago and had now been
confirmed by BBC staff as jamming.

The BBC said the exact source of the noise has not been
established and a spokeswoman refused to comment when asked
whether the Burmese authorities might be responsible.

She said the jamming began shortly after a BBC interview with
Burmese opposi tion leader Aung San Suu Kyi was broadcast in
Burma. (TN)

====item====

SAN MIGUEL MAKES FIRST SALE TO BURMA
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

San Miguel Packaging Products (SMPP), a division of food and
beverage giant San Miguel Corp (SMC), has made its first sale to
Burma, according to a com pany statement issued yesterday.

SMPP Division President Raul C Hernandez said the shipment covers
two 20-foot vans of bottle caps, which was ordered by Burma-based
beverave companies Pepsi Cola Products Myanmar and Lo Hein
Company.

Hernandez said the two transactions mark the entry of SMPP into
the Burmese market. The orders will be shipped to Burma in
September.

SMPP also exports softdrink caps to Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea
and Nepal, as well as other types of bottle caps to Bangladesh.

The business ties SMC is forging with Burma through SMPP is a
step toward the company's efforts to establish a solid foothold
in the South Asian market, the statement said.

In 1994, SMC entered the Indian market with its shrimp-feed
exports. SMC is currently exploring the possibility of
establishing a joint venture brewery in India. (TN)

====item====

BURMA, US FIRM IN MINING DEAL
22 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

The Burmese Ministry of Mines and East Asia Gold Corp of the
United States have signed a gold and copper exploration and
production-sharing contract.

Exploration will be carried out near Thabeikyine, about 700
kilometres north of Rangoon. The Burmese junta initially invited
foreign companies to prospect for gold and copper last October.
(BP)

====item====

FOREIGN MINISTER ASKED TO EXPLAIN TIES WITH BURMA
22 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has invited Foreign Minister
M.R Kasem S. Kasemsri to explain current relations between
Thailand and Burma to the com mittee on Thursday.

Committee chairman Suwat Liptapallop, secretary-general of the
Chart Pattana Party, said the recent  murder of Burmese crewmen
on board a Thai vessel and the subsequent closure of the border
between the two countries have seriously affected the economy and
security.

The committee wants the Foreign Minister to explain the situation
and the Government's policy towards neighbouring countries.

Representatives of the National Security Council will also be
invited to testify, Mr Suwat said. Mr Suwat urged the Government
to speed up efforts to improve the worsening relations with Burma
"before it is too late."
 
A delegation led by M.R. Kasem will visit Rangoon early next
month. Chief adviser to the Foreign Minister Gen Siri Tiwaphan
said during a border inspection in Tak Province's Mae Sot
district the visit would take place after Deputy Prime Minister
and Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh returns from Burma.

Gen Siri believed a joint Thai-Burmese border demarcation
committee to solve border disputes would help resolve conflicts
between the two countries.
 
Thailand and Burma were successful in their joint demarcation of
the border in the Mae Sai and Ruak rivers while he was Third Army
commander. (BP)

 

Subject: Aug22
Cc: 



------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------

The BurmaNet News: August 22, 1995

HEADLINES:
==========

THE NATION:GOVT REGRETS FISHING DEATHS, BUT STRESSES IT CANNOT
APOLOGIZE
THE NATION: INTERIOR OFFICIAL PLAYS DOWN BURMA'S SEA BORDER
CLOSURE
THE NATION: BBC SAYS BROADCASTS JAMMED
THE NATION:SAN MIGUEL MAKES FIRST SALE TO BURMA
BKK POST:BURMA, US FIRM IN MINING DEAL
BKK POST:FOREIGN MINISTER ASKED TO EXPLAIN TIES WITH BURMA
----------------------------------------------------------
Produced with the support of the Burma Information Group
(B.I.G).

The BurmaNet News is an electronic newspaper covering Burma.
Articles from newspapers, magazines, newsletters, the wire
services and the Internet as well as original material are
published.               

The BurmaNet News is e-mailed directly to subscribers and is
also distributed via the soc.culture.burma and seasia-l
mailing lists and is also available via the reg.burma
conference on the APC networks. For a free subscription to the
BurmaNet News, send an e-mail message to:
majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxx   
   
In the body of the message, type "subscribe burmanet-l"
(without quotation marks) Letters to the editor, comments or
contributions of articles should be sent to the editor at:
strider@xxxxxxxxxxx

-------------------------------------------------------------
INFORMATION ABOUT BURMA VIA THE WEB AND GOPHER:
Information about Burma is available via the WorldWideWeb at:

FreeBurmaWWW http://199.172.178.200/freebrma/freebrma.htm.
[including back issues of the BurmaNet News as .txt files]
BurmaWeb:  http://www.uio.no/tormodl

Burma fonts: 
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~lka/burmese-fonts/moe.html

Ethnologue Database(Myanmar):
    
http://www-ala.doc.ic.ac.uk/~rap/Ethnologue/eth.cgi/Myanmar 

TO ACCESS INFORMATION ABOUT BURMA VIA GOPHER:

 gopher csf.colorado.edu.

Look under the International Political Economy section, then
select Geographic_Archive, then Asia, then Burma. 


----------------------------------------------------------
BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LIST

BurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of different
topics related to Burma.  The scope of the subjects involved
is simplytoo broad for any one person to cover. BurmaNet is
therefore organizing a number of volunteer coordinators to
field questions on various subjects. If you have questions on
any of the following subjects, please direct email to the
following coordinators, who will either answer your question
or try to put you in contact with someone who can:

Arakan/Rohingya/Burma-   [volunteer needed]
Bangladesh border
Art/archaeology/:        [volunteer needed]
Campus activism:                                 
Boycott campaigns:                               
Buddhism:                Buddhist Relief Mission, 
                         c/o NBH03114@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fonts:                   tom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
History of Burma:        zar1963@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chin history/culture:
Kachin history/culture:  74750.1267@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Karen history/culture:   102113.2571@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                         Karen Historical Society
Mon history/culture:     [volunteer needed]
Naga history/culture:    [volunteer needed]
[Burma-India border]
Pali literature:         "Palmleaf"
                         c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
Shan history/culture:    [volunteer needed]
Tourism campaigns:          bagp@xxxxxxxxxx
                         "Attn. S. Sutcliffe"   
World Wide Web:          FreeBurma@xxxxxxxxx
Volunteering:            Dr. Christina Fink
                         c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx

[Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage]
----------------------------------------------------------

====item====

GOVT REGRETS FISHING DEATHS, BUT STRESSES IT CANNOT APOLOGIZE
19 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

The government is not in a position to "apologize" for the murder
of Burmese fishermen on a Thai trawler recently because the crime
concerns a private fishing company, not the government, Thai
Ambassador to Rangoon Poksak Nilubol said yesterday.

What the government can do is express "regret" for the deaths,
allegedly at the hands of Thai crewmen, as well as take legal
action against the culprits, he stressed.

Poksak was referring to the apparent revenge killings by a group
of Thai crewmen who suspected that Burmese crew members had
alerted their country's  authorities to illegal activities on
Thai trawlers.

Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh is scheduled to visit
Rangoon early next month and will convey a letter from Prime
Minister Banharn Silapa-acha expressing "regret" over the
killings and ensuring Thailand's seriousness in solving the case.

"The Thai government is not going to apologize to the Burmese
government but it will express its condolence. The crime involved
a private fishing company," Poksak said.

Poksak was here to attend a meeting of Thai ambassadors and
consul generals.Meanwhile, a well-informed source said that
Burmese Ambassador to Thailand U Tin Winn had met Foreign
Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Saroj Chavanavirat on
Wednesday to discuss the incident.
The source quoted Saroj as telling the Burmese envoy that the
Foreign Ministry and other authorities concerned were doing their
best to resolve the issue.
 
Poksak said the Burmese government had expressed its
"understanding" of Thailand's explanation about its seriousness
and sincerity in handling the case.

A Thai skipper and a Cambodian crew member of the vessel on which
15 Burmese were beaten and thrown overboard have been arrested,
and arrest warrants have been issued for 10 other Thai crewmen.

Burmese authorities were furious about the murders, prompting
them to order the closure of a temporary checkpoint on Kawthaung
Island opposite Thailand's Ranong province.

The order resulted in the closing of the last border trade link
between Thai land and Burma as two other main checkpoints, one
in Tak and the other in Chiang Rai province, were closed down
earlier.

Poksak said Thai private firms should be far-sighted and adopt
long-term business strategies when investing in other countries
instead of operating with short-term measures aimed at maximum
profits.

The ambassador denied criticism that Thailand was taking a weak
position in handling the Thai-Burmese problems. Earlier this year
the Burmese government  failed to react to a series of protests
by Thailand on incursions by Burmese troops into Thai  territory.

Critics said Thailand had over-reacted to the murders of the
Burmese crewmen, compared to Rangoon's reaction to the
incursions.

"We are not taking the weaker position with Burma. In the case
of the incur sions by Burmese troops into Thai territory, the
Rangoon government had claimed that they were actually the  work
of two groups of Burmese ethnic minorities.

"The deaths of the Burmese crewmen have nothing to do with the
Thai government, but a private company," Poksak said.

The same source said a team from Narong Canning Co had already
arrived in Rangoon to explain the situation to the Burmese
government.

The vessel involved in the crime was operating under a concession
granted to the Myanmar-Narong Canning firm, a joint venture of
Narong Canning. (TN)

====item====


INTERIOR OFFICIAL PLAYS DOWN BURMA'S SEA BORDER CLOSURE
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

Deputy permanent secretary for the Interior Damri Wattanasingha
yesterday played down the seriousness of the Burmese closure of
its sea border with Thailand, claiming it is closed annually at
this time of the year because of egg-laying season.

His comments contradict reports that the Border was closed in
wake of the murders of at least six Burmese fishermen on board
a Thai vessel.

Damri said Rangoon had simply "suspended", not "revoked", the
fishing licence of the Thai company whose vessels and crewmen
were suspected of involvement in the murders of the Burmese
fishermen.

"The NCC Asia Fishery Co Ltd had its fishing licence suspended
because it had violated some regulations by using nets to catch
shrimps and equipping its vessel with a radar," Damri said.

"The closure of waters for fishing at this time of the year is
Burma's annual practice because it is the season fish lay eggs.
Fishing during this period is prohibited. It is understandable,"
he stressed.

His information is at odds with that of senior Interior Ministry
officials, Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and local
authorities.

Earlier reports had it that Rangoon closed its territorial waters
to all Thai vessels, even if they held concessions to fish in
Burmese waters.

The order came shortly, after the government was alerted to the
incident in which Thai fishermen murdered Burmese crewmen.

The murders were reportedly committed after the Burmese informed
their author ities of illegal fishing activities being carried
out by the company off the southern province of Ranong.
 
The bodies of at least six Burmese fishermen have been swept
ashore since the incident. The men had clearly been beaten and
their ankles and wrists tied with rope before being thrown
overboard.

"Because the company's vessels and fishermen are alleged to have
been involved in the murders, it should bear responsibility for
the incident," said Damri.
 
Two men have already been arrested in connection with the
murders. Eight Thais suspected of involvement in the murders were
still at large. (TN)

====item====

BBC SAYS BROADCASTS JAMMED
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

The British Broadcasting Corporation said yesterday that its
World Service broadcasts in Burmese were being jammed for the
first time in their 55-year history.

"BBC engineers have found deliberate interference on two of the
three regular short-wave radio frequencies carrying BBC Burmese
language programmes," the BBC said in a statement.

Elizabeth Wright, the BBC World Service's Asia-Pacific head, said
a distinc tive electronic "wobble" noise was first detected in
the Burmese capital Rangoon two weeks ago and had now been
confirmed by BBC staff as jamming.

The BBC said the exact source of the noise has not been
established and a spokeswoman refused to comment when asked
whether the Burmese authorities might be responsible.

She said the jamming began shortly after a BBC interview with
Burmese opposi tion leader Aung San Suu Kyi was broadcast in
Burma. (TN)

====item====

SAN MIGUEL MAKES FIRST SALE TO BURMA
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

San Miguel Packaging Products (SMPP), a division of food and
beverage giant San Miguel Corp (SMC), has made its first sale to
Burma, according to a com pany statement issued yesterday.

SMPP Division President Raul C Hernandez said the shipment covers
two 20-foot vans of bottle caps, which was ordered by Burma-based
beverave companies Pepsi Cola Products Myanmar and Lo Hein
Company.

Hernandez said the two transactions mark the entry of SMPP into
the Burmese market. The orders will be shipped to Burma in
September.

SMPP also exports softdrink caps to Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea
and Nepal, as well as other types of bottle caps to Bangladesh.

The business ties SMC is forging with Burma through SMPP is a
step toward the company's efforts to establish a solid foothold
in the South Asian market, the statement said.

In 1994, SMC entered the Indian market with its shrimp-feed
exports. SMC is currently exploring the possibility of
establishing a joint venture brewery in India. (TN)

====item====

BURMA, US FIRM IN MINING DEAL
22 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

The Burmese Ministry of Mines and East Asia Gold Corp of the
United States have signed a gold and copper exploration and
production-sharing contract.

Exploration will be carried out near Thabeikyine, about 700
kilometres north of Rangoon. The Burmese junta initially invited
foreign companies to prospect for gold and copper last October.
(BP)

====item====

FOREIGN MINISTER ASKED TO EXPLAIN TIES WITH BURMA
22 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has invited Foreign Minister
M.R Kasem S. Kasemsri to explain current relations between
Thailand and Burma to the com mittee on Thursday.

Committee chairman Suwat Liptapallop, secretary-general of the
Chart Pattana Party, said the recent  murder of Burmese crewmen
on board a Thai vessel and the subsequent closure of the border
between the two countries have seriously affected the economy and
security.

The committee wants the Foreign Minister to explain the situation
and the Government's policy towards neighbouring countries.

Representatives of the National Security Council will also be
invited to testify, Mr Suwat said. Mr Suwat urged the Government
to speed up efforts to improve the worsening relations with Burma
"before it is too late."
 
A delegation led by M.R. Kasem will visit Rangoon early next
month. Chief adviser to the Foreign Minister Gen Siri Tiwaphan
said during a border inspection in Tak Province's Mae Sot
district the visit would take place after Deputy Prime Minister
and Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh returns from Burma.

Gen Siri believed a joint Thai-Burmese border demarcation
committee to solve border disputes would help resolve conflicts
between the two countries.
 
Thailand and Burma were successful in their joint demarcation of
the border in the Mae Sai and Ruak rivers while he was Third Army
commander. (BP)

 



------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------

The BurmaNet News: August 22, 1995

HEADLINES:
==========

THE NATION:GOVT REGRETS FISHING DEATHS, BUT STRESSES IT CANNOT
APOLOGIZE
THE NATION: INTERIOR OFFICIAL PLAYS DOWN BURMA'S SEA BORDER
CLOSURE
THE NATION: BBC SAYS BROADCASTS JAMMED
THE NATION:SAN MIGUEL MAKES FIRST SALE TO BURMA
BKK POST:BURMA, US FIRM IN MINING DEAL
BKK POST:FOREIGN MINISTER ASKED TO EXPLAIN TIES WITH BURMA
----------------------------------------------------------
Produced with the support of the Burma Information Group
(B.I.G).

The BurmaNet News is an electronic newspaper covering Burma.
Articles from newspapers, magazines, newsletters, the wire
services and the Internet as well as original material are
published.               

The BurmaNet News is e-mailed directly to subscribers and is
also distributed via the soc.culture.burma and seasia-l
mailing lists and is also available via the reg.burma
conference on the APC networks. For a free subscription to the
BurmaNet News, send an e-mail message to:
majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxx   
   
In the body of the message, type "subscribe burmanet-l"
(without quotation marks) Letters to the editor, comments or
contributions of articles should be sent to the editor at:
strider@xxxxxxxxxxx

-------------------------------------------------------------
INFORMATION ABOUT BURMA VIA THE WEB AND GOPHER:
Information about Burma is available via the WorldWideWeb at:

FreeBurmaWWW http://199.172.178.200/freebrma/freebrma.htm.
[including back issues of the BurmaNet News as .txt files]
BurmaWeb:  http://www.uio.no/tormodl

Burma fonts: 
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~lka/burmese-fonts/moe.html

Ethnologue Database(Myanmar):
    
http://www-ala.doc.ic.ac.uk/~rap/Ethnologue/eth.cgi/Myanmar 

TO ACCESS INFORMATION ABOUT BURMA VIA GOPHER:

 gopher csf.colorado.edu.

Look under the International Political Economy section, then
select Geographic_Archive, then Asia, then Burma. 


----------------------------------------------------------
BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LIST

BurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of different
topics related to Burma.  The scope of the subjects involved
is simplytoo broad for any one person to cover. BurmaNet is
therefore organizing a number of volunteer coordinators to
field questions on various subjects. If you have questions on
any of the following subjects, please direct email to the
following coordinators, who will either answer your question
or try to put you in contact with someone who can:

Arakan/Rohingya/Burma-   [volunteer needed]
Bangladesh border
Art/archaeology/:        [volunteer needed]
Campus activism:                                 
Boycott campaigns:                               
Buddhism:                Buddhist Relief Mission, 
                         c/o NBH03114@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fonts:                   tom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
History of Burma:        zar1963@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chin history/culture:
Kachin history/culture:  74750.1267@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Karen history/culture:   102113.2571@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                         Karen Historical Society
Mon history/culture:     [volunteer needed]
Naga history/culture:    [volunteer needed]
[Burma-India border]
Pali literature:         "Palmleaf"
                         c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
Shan history/culture:    [volunteer needed]
Tourism campaigns:          bagp@xxxxxxxxxx
                         "Attn. S. Sutcliffe"   
World Wide Web:          FreeBurma@xxxxxxxxx
Volunteering:            Dr. Christina Fink
                         c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx

[Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage]
----------------------------------------------------------

====item====

GOVT REGRETS FISHING DEATHS, BUT STRESSES IT CANNOT APOLOGIZE
19 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

The government is not in a position to "apologize" for the murder
of Burmese fishermen on a Thai trawler recently because the crime
concerns a private fishing company, not the government, Thai
Ambassador to Rangoon Poksak Nilubol said yesterday.

What the government can do is express "regret" for the deaths,
allegedly at the hands of Thai crewmen, as well as take legal
action against the culprits, he stressed.

Poksak was referring to the apparent revenge killings by a group
of Thai crewmen who suspected that Burmese crew members had
alerted their country's  authorities to illegal activities on
Thai trawlers.

Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh is scheduled to visit
Rangoon early next month and will convey a letter from Prime
Minister Banharn Silapa-acha expressing "regret" over the
killings and ensuring Thailand's seriousness in solving the case.

"The Thai government is not going to apologize to the Burmese
government but it will express its condolence. The crime involved
a private fishing company," Poksak said.

Poksak was here to attend a meeting of Thai ambassadors and
consul generals.Meanwhile, a well-informed source said that
Burmese Ambassador to Thailand U Tin Winn had met Foreign
Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Saroj Chavanavirat on
Wednesday to discuss the incident.
The source quoted Saroj as telling the Burmese envoy that the
Foreign Ministry and other authorities concerned were doing their
best to resolve the issue.
 
Poksak said the Burmese government had expressed its
"understanding" of Thailand's explanation about its seriousness
and sincerity in handling the case.

A Thai skipper and a Cambodian crew member of the vessel on which
15 Burmese were beaten and thrown overboard have been arrested,
and arrest warrants have been issued for 10 other Thai crewmen.

Burmese authorities were furious about the murders, prompting
them to order the closure of a temporary checkpoint on Kawthaung
Island opposite Thailand's Ranong province.

The order resulted in the closing of the last border trade link
between Thai land and Burma as two other main checkpoints, one
in Tak and the other in Chiang Rai province, were closed down
earlier.

Poksak said Thai private firms should be far-sighted and adopt
long-term business strategies when investing in other countries
instead of operating with short-term measures aimed at maximum
profits.

The ambassador denied criticism that Thailand was taking a weak
position in handling the Thai-Burmese problems. Earlier this year
the Burmese government  failed to react to a series of protests
by Thailand on incursions by Burmese troops into Thai  territory.

Critics said Thailand had over-reacted to the murders of the
Burmese crewmen, compared to Rangoon's reaction to the
incursions.

"We are not taking the weaker position with Burma. In the case
of the incur sions by Burmese troops into Thai territory, the
Rangoon government had claimed that they were actually the  work
of two groups of Burmese ethnic minorities.

"The deaths of the Burmese crewmen have nothing to do with the
Thai government, but a private company," Poksak said.

The same source said a team from Narong Canning Co had already
arrived in Rangoon to explain the situation to the Burmese
government.

The vessel involved in the crime was operating under a concession
granted to the Myanmar-Narong Canning firm, a joint venture of
Narong Canning. (TN)

====item====


INTERIOR OFFICIAL PLAYS DOWN BURMA'S SEA BORDER CLOSURE
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

Deputy permanent secretary for the Interior Damri Wattanasingha
yesterday played down the seriousness of the Burmese closure of
its sea border with Thailand, claiming it is closed annually at
this time of the year because of egg-laying season.

His comments contradict reports that the Border was closed in
wake of the murders of at least six Burmese fishermen on board
a Thai vessel.

Damri said Rangoon had simply "suspended", not "revoked", the
fishing licence of the Thai company whose vessels and crewmen
were suspected of involvement in the murders of the Burmese
fishermen.

"The NCC Asia Fishery Co Ltd had its fishing licence suspended
because it had violated some regulations by using nets to catch
shrimps and equipping its vessel with a radar," Damri said.

"The closure of waters for fishing at this time of the year is
Burma's annual practice because it is the season fish lay eggs.
Fishing during this period is prohibited. It is understandable,"
he stressed.

His information is at odds with that of senior Interior Ministry
officials, Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and local
authorities.

Earlier reports had it that Rangoon closed its territorial waters
to all Thai vessels, even if they held concessions to fish in
Burmese waters.

The order came shortly, after the government was alerted to the
incident in which Thai fishermen murdered Burmese crewmen.

The murders were reportedly committed after the Burmese informed
their author ities of illegal fishing activities being carried
out by the company off the southern province of Ranong.
 
The bodies of at least six Burmese fishermen have been swept
ashore since the incident. The men had clearly been beaten and
their ankles and wrists tied with rope before being thrown
overboard.

"Because the company's vessels and fishermen are alleged to have
been involved in the murders, it should bear responsibility for
the incident," said Damri.
 
Two men have already been arrested in connection with the
murders. Eight Thais suspected of involvement in the murders were
still at large. (TN)

====item====

BBC SAYS BROADCASTS JAMMED
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

The British Broadcasting Corporation said yesterday that its
World Service broadcasts in Burmese were being jammed for the
first time in their 55-year history.

"BBC engineers have found deliberate interference on two of the
three regular short-wave radio frequencies carrying BBC Burmese
language programmes," the BBC said in a statement.

Elizabeth Wright, the BBC World Service's Asia-Pacific head, said
a distinc tive electronic "wobble" noise was first detected in
the Burmese capital Rangoon two weeks ago and had now been
confirmed by BBC staff as jamming.

The BBC said the exact source of the noise has not been
established and a spokeswoman refused to comment when asked
whether the Burmese authorities might be responsible.

She said the jamming began shortly after a BBC interview with
Burmese opposi tion leader Aung San Suu Kyi was broadcast in
Burma. (TN)

====item====

SAN MIGUEL MAKES FIRST SALE TO BURMA
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

San Miguel Packaging Products (SMPP), a division of food and
beverage giant San Miguel Corp (SMC), has made its first sale to
Burma, according to a com pany statement issued yesterday.

SMPP Division President Raul C Hernandez said the shipment covers
two 20-foot vans of bottle caps, which was ordered by Burma-based
beverave companies Pepsi Cola Products Myanmar and Lo Hein
Company.

Hernandez said the two transactions mark the entry of SMPP into
the Burmese market. The orders will be shipped to Burma in
September.

SMPP also exports softdrink caps to Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea
and Nepal, as well as other types of bottle caps to Bangladesh.

The business ties SMC is forging with Burma through SMPP is a
step toward the company's efforts to establish a solid foothold
in the South Asian market, the statement said.

In 1994, SMC entered the Indian market with its shrimp-feed
exports. SMC is currently exploring the possibility of
establishing a joint venture brewery in India. (TN)

====item====

BURMA, US FIRM IN MINING DEAL
22 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

The Burmese Ministry of Mines and East Asia Gold Corp of the
United States have signed a gold and copper exploration and
production-sharing contract.

Exploration will be carried out near Thabeikyine, about 700
kilometres north of Rangoon. The Burmese junta initially invited
foreign companies to prospect for gold and copper last October.
(BP)

====item====

FOREIGN MINISTER ASKED TO EXPLAIN TIES WITH BURMA
22 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has invited Foreign Minister
M.R Kasem S. Kasemsri to explain current relations between
Thailand and Burma to the com mittee on Thursday.

Committee chairman Suwat Liptapallop, secretary-general of the
Chart Pattana Party, said the recent  murder of Burmese crewmen
on board a Thai vessel and the subsequent closure of the border
between the two countries have seriously affected the economy and
security.

The committee wants the Foreign Minister to explain the situation
and the Government's policy towards neighbouring countries.

Representatives of the National Security Council will also be
invited to testify, Mr Suwat said. Mr Suwat urged the Government
to speed up efforts to improve the worsening relations with Burma
"before it is too late."
 
A delegation led by M.R. Kasem will visit Rangoon early next
month. Chief adviser to the Foreign Minister Gen Siri Tiwaphan
said during a border inspection in Tak Province's Mae Sot
district the visit would take place after Deputy Prime Minister
and Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh returns from Burma.

Gen Siri believed a joint Thai-Burmese border demarcation
committee to solve border disputes would help resolve conflicts
between the two countries.
 
Thailand and Burma were successful in their joint demarcation of
the border in the Mae Sai and Ruak rivers while he was Third Army
commander. (BP)

 

>From steele@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  Wed Aug 23 03:26:40 1995
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------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
----------------------------------------------------------

The BurmaNet News: August 22, 1995

HEADLINES:
==========

THE NATION:GOVT REGRETS FISHING DEATHS, BUT STRESSES IT CANNOT
APOLOGIZE
THE NATION: INTERIOR OFFICIAL PLAYS DOWN BURMA'S SEA BORDER
CLOSURE
THE NATION: BBC SAYS BROADCASTS JAMMED
THE NATION:SAN MIGUEL MAKES FIRST SALE TO BURMA
BKK POST:BURMA, US FIRM IN MINING DEAL
BKK POST:FOREIGN MINISTER ASKED TO EXPLAIN TIES WITH BURMA
----------------------------------------------------------
Produced with the support of the Burma Information Group
(B.I.G).

The BurmaNet News is an electronic newspaper covering Burma.
Articles from newspapers, magazines, newsletters, the wire
services and the Internet as well as original material are
published.               

The BurmaNet News is e-mailed directly to subscribers and is
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-------------------------------------------------------------
INFORMATION ABOUT BURMA VIA THE WEB AND GOPHER:
Information about Burma is available via the WorldWideWeb at:

FreeBurmaWWW http://199.172.178.200/freebrma/freebrma.htm.
[including back issues of the BurmaNet News as .txt files]
BurmaWeb:  http://www.uio.no/tormodl

Burma fonts: 
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~lka/burmese-fonts/moe.html

Ethnologue Database(Myanmar):
    
http://www-ala.doc.ic.ac.uk/~rap/Ethnologue/eth.cgi/Myanmar 

TO ACCESS INFORMATION ABOUT BURMA VIA GOPHER:

 gopher csf.colorado.edu.

Look under the International Political Economy section, then
select Geographic_Archive, then Asia, then Burma. 


----------------------------------------------------------
BURMANET SUBJECT-MATTER RESOURCE LIST

BurmaNet regularly receives enquiries on a number of different
topics related to Burma.  The scope of the subjects involved
is simplytoo broad for any one person to cover. BurmaNet is
therefore organizing a number of volunteer coordinators to
field questions on various subjects. If you have questions on
any of the following subjects, please direct email to the
following coordinators, who will either answer your question
or try to put you in contact with someone who can:

Arakan/Rohingya/Burma-   [volunteer needed]
Bangladesh border
Art/archaeology/:        [volunteer needed]
Campus activism:                                 
Boycott campaigns:                               
Buddhism:                Buddhist Relief Mission, 
                         c/o NBH03114@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fonts:                   tom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
History of Burma:        zar1963@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chin history/culture:
Kachin history/culture:  74750.1267@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
Karen history/culture:   102113.2571@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                         Karen Historical Society
Mon history/culture:     [volunteer needed]
Naga history/culture:    [volunteer needed]
[Burma-India border]
Pali literature:         "Palmleaf"
                         c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
Shan history/culture:    [volunteer needed]
Tourism campaigns:          bagp@xxxxxxxxxx
                         "Attn. S. Sutcliffe"   
World Wide Web:          FreeBurma@xxxxxxxxx
Volunteering:            Dr. Christina Fink
                         c/o burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx

[Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage]
----------------------------------------------------------

====item====

GOVT REGRETS FISHING DEATHS, BUT STRESSES IT CANNOT APOLOGIZE
19 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

The government is not in a position to "apologize" for the murder
of Burmese fishermen on a Thai trawler recently because the crime
concerns a private fishing company, not the government, Thai
Ambassador to Rangoon Poksak Nilubol said yesterday.

What the government can do is express "regret" for the deaths,
allegedly at the hands of Thai crewmen, as well as take legal
action against the culprits, he stressed.

Poksak was referring to the apparent revenge killings by a group
of Thai crewmen who suspected that Burmese crew members had
alerted their country's  authorities to illegal activities on
Thai trawlers.

Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh is scheduled to visit
Rangoon early next month and will convey a letter from Prime
Minister Banharn Silapa-acha expressing "regret" over the
killings and ensuring Thailand's seriousness in solving the case.

"The Thai government is not going to apologize to the Burmese
government but it will express its condolence. The crime involved
a private fishing company," Poksak said.

Poksak was here to attend a meeting of Thai ambassadors and
consul generals.Meanwhile, a well-informed source said that
Burmese Ambassador to Thailand U Tin Winn had met Foreign
Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Saroj Chavanavirat on
Wednesday to discuss the incident.
The source quoted Saroj as telling the Burmese envoy that the
Foreign Ministry and other authorities concerned were doing their
best to resolve the issue.
 
Poksak said the Burmese government had expressed its
"understanding" of Thailand's explanation about its seriousness
and sincerity in handling the case.

A Thai skipper and a Cambodian crew member of the vessel on which
15 Burmese were beaten and thrown overboard have been arrested,
and arrest warrants have been issued for 10 other Thai crewmen.

Burmese authorities were furious about the murders, prompting
them to order the closure of a temporary checkpoint on Kawthaung
Island opposite Thailand's Ranong province.

The order resulted in the closing of the last border trade link
between Thai land and Burma as two other main checkpoints, one
in Tak and the other in Chiang Rai province, were closed down
earlier.

Poksak said Thai private firms should be far-sighted and adopt
long-term business strategies when investing in other countries
instead of operating with short-term measures aimed at maximum
profits.

The ambassador denied criticism that Thailand was taking a weak
position in handling the Thai-Burmese problems. Earlier this year
the Burmese government  failed to react to a series of protests
by Thailand on incursions by Burmese troops into Thai  territory.

Critics said Thailand had over-reacted to the murders of the
Burmese crewmen, compared to Rangoon's reaction to the
incursions.

"We are not taking the weaker position with Burma. In the case
of the incur sions by Burmese troops into Thai territory, the
Rangoon government had claimed that they were actually the  work
of two groups of Burmese ethnic minorities.

"The deaths of the Burmese crewmen have nothing to do with the
Thai government, but a private company," Poksak said.

The same source said a team from Narong Canning Co had already
arrived in Rangoon to explain the situation to the Burmese
government.

The vessel involved in the crime was operating under a concession
granted to the Myanmar-Narong Canning firm, a joint venture of
Narong Canning. (TN)

====item====


INTERIOR OFFICIAL PLAYS DOWN BURMA'S SEA BORDER CLOSURE
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

Deputy permanent secretary for the Interior Damri Wattanasingha
yesterday played down the seriousness of the Burmese closure of
its sea border with Thailand, claiming it is closed annually at
this time of the year because of egg-laying season.

His comments contradict reports that the Border was closed in
wake of the murders of at least six Burmese fishermen on board
a Thai vessel.

Damri said Rangoon had simply "suspended", not "revoked", the
fishing licence of the Thai company whose vessels and crewmen
were suspected of involvement in the murders of the Burmese
fishermen.

"The NCC Asia Fishery Co Ltd had its fishing licence suspended
because it had violated some regulations by using nets to catch
shrimps and equipping its vessel with a radar," Damri said.

"The closure of waters for fishing at this time of the year is
Burma's annual practice because it is the season fish lay eggs.
Fishing during this period is prohibited. It is understandable,"
he stressed.

His information is at odds with that of senior Interior Ministry
officials, Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and local
authorities.

Earlier reports had it that Rangoon closed its territorial waters
to all Thai vessels, even if they held concessions to fish in
Burmese waters.

The order came shortly, after the government was alerted to the
incident in which Thai fishermen murdered Burmese crewmen.

The murders were reportedly committed after the Burmese informed
their author ities of illegal fishing activities being carried
out by the company off the southern province of Ranong.
 
The bodies of at least six Burmese fishermen have been swept
ashore since the incident. The men had clearly been beaten and
their ankles and wrists tied with rope before being thrown
overboard.

"Because the company's vessels and fishermen are alleged to have
been involved in the murders, it should bear responsibility for
the incident," said Damri.
 
Two men have already been arrested in connection with the
murders. Eight Thais suspected of involvement in the murders were
still at large. (TN)

====item====

BBC SAYS BROADCASTS JAMMED
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

The British Broadcasting Corporation said yesterday that its
World Service broadcasts in Burmese were being jammed for the
first time in their 55-year history.

"BBC engineers have found deliberate interference on two of the
three regular short-wave radio frequencies carrying BBC Burmese
language programmes," the BBC said in a statement.

Elizabeth Wright, the BBC World Service's Asia-Pacific head, said
a distinc tive electronic "wobble" noise was first detected in
the Burmese capital Rangoon two weeks ago and had now been
confirmed by BBC staff as jamming.

The BBC said the exact source of the noise has not been
established and a spokeswoman refused to comment when asked
whether the Burmese authorities might be responsible.

She said the jamming began shortly after a BBC interview with
Burmese opposi tion leader Aung San Suu Kyi was broadcast in
Burma. (TN)

====item====

SAN MIGUEL MAKES FIRST SALE TO BURMA
22 AUGUST 1995, The Nation

San Miguel Packaging Products (SMPP), a division of food and
beverage giant San Miguel Corp (SMC), has made its first sale to
Burma, according to a com pany statement issued yesterday.

SMPP Division President Raul C Hernandez said the shipment covers
two 20-foot vans of bottle caps, which was ordered by Burma-based
beverave companies Pepsi Cola Products Myanmar and Lo Hein
Company.

Hernandez said the two transactions mark the entry of SMPP into
the Burmese market. The orders will be shipped to Burma in
September.

SMPP also exports softdrink caps to Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea
and Nepal, as well as other types of bottle caps to Bangladesh.

The business ties SMC is forging with Burma through SMPP is a
step toward the company's efforts to establish a solid foothold
in the South Asian market, the statement said.

In 1994, SMC entered the Indian market with its shrimp-feed
exports. SMC is currently exploring the possibility of
establishing a joint venture brewery in India. (TN)

====item====

BURMA, US FIRM IN MINING DEAL
22 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

The Burmese Ministry of Mines and East Asia Gold Corp of the
United States have signed a gold and copper exploration and
production-sharing contract.

Exploration will be carried out near Thabeikyine, about 700
kilometres north of Rangoon. The Burmese junta initially invited
foreign companies to prospect for gold and copper last October.
(BP)

====item====

FOREIGN MINISTER ASKED TO EXPLAIN TIES WITH BURMA
22 AUGUST 1995, Bangkok Post

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has invited Foreign Minister
M.R Kasem S. Kasemsri to explain current relations between
Thailand and Burma to the com mittee on Thursday.

Committee chairman Suwat Liptapallop, secretary-general of the
Chart Pattana Party, said the recent  murder of Burmese crewmen
on board a Thai vessel and the subsequent closure of the border
between the two countries have seriously affected the economy and
security.

The committee wants the Foreign Minister to explain the situation
and the Government's policy towards neighbouring countries.

Representatives of the National Security Council will also be
invited to testify, Mr Suwat said. Mr Suwat urged the Government
to speed up efforts to improve the worsening relations with Burma
"before it is too late."
 
A delegation led by M.R. Kasem will visit Rangoon early next
month. Chief adviser to the Foreign Minister Gen Siri Tiwaphan
said during a border inspection in Tak Province's Mae Sot
district the visit would take place after Deputy Prime Minister
and Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh returns from Burma.

Gen Siri believed a joint Thai-Burmese border demarcation
committee to solve border disputes would help resolve conflicts
between the two countries.
 
Thailand and Burma were successful in their joint demarcation of
the border in the Mae Sai and Ruak rivers while he was Third Army
commander. (BP)