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Suspicious junta frustrates Thais
South China Morning Post
Thursday October 2 1997
Suspicious junta frustrates Thais
ANALYSIS by William Barnes in Bangkok
Three months ago Burma was welcomed into the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, but that did not stop it from building on a Moei River island to spy
on Thailand.
Burma is desperate for friends but remains suspicious of outsiders, especially
its traditional enemy across the river.
Burmese soldiers are cloaked in a fierce tradition that their key task is to
protect the Burmese heartland from rapacious foreigners.
So when nature decided a couple of years ago to change the course of the Moei
River - an important border marker - it clipped a few score hectares off Burma
in favour of Thailand.
The result has been a long and bitter squabble that Thai peace-seekers have
failed to quell.
The "principled" Burmese simply do not trust the "unprincipled" Thais, as they
tend to view things.
Burmese Foreign Minister Ohn Gyaw may sit beaming at any number of regional
conferences that preach non-confrontation, but along the border it is the hard
men of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, the ruling military junta,
who still call the shots.
This means that the nearby, newly completed HK$25 million Friendship Bridge,
remains unused - to the frustration of Thai traders who are eager to do
business across the border.
Earlier this year Thai army chief General Chettha Thanajaro hugged his
opposite number, General Maung Aye, on the bridge, declaring "mutual
understanding" had been achieved.
The Burmese regime has no access to development money from the likes of the
World Bank or the Asian Development Bank because of its poor human rights
record and refusal to deal with the opposition, the National League for
Democracy.
Yet the junta has been ambivalent at best. The generals appear to like the
idea of Thai money being used to open up Tavoy port and other transport links.
But enthusiastic Thai talk of opening an overland route into Rangoon has met
with a cool response. A local politician who wanted to lead a "friendship"
convoy was firmly rebuffed.
"We find it very frustrating. Nothing we do seems to please them," said one
Thai security official.