The Nation, Mar: 26. Chuan ord

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

      Chuan orders full border
      retaliation

      Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai yesterday
      ordered an all-out retaliation to any intrusion
      on Thai soil by armed groups from Burma
      now that Rangoon has denied any
      responsibility for a series of cross-border
      attacks. 

      In his strongest response so far to the
      western border problem, Chuan quoted an
      intelligence report as stating the frequent
      invasion by the Democratic Karen Buddhist
      Army (DKBA) was linked to illegal logging
      in Salween forest. 

      ''The Burmese government, through its
      ambassador who received notes protesting
      the invasions, has denied any responsibility
      or involvement with the cross border attack
      and therefore cannot prevent them,'' Chuan
      said. 

      ''Therefore, we will order the Thai army to
      be in the full operation of retaliating.'' 

      Chuan spoke after chairing a Defence
      Council meeting during which he was told
      about the cross-border attacks on Thai
      camps for Burmese refugees in Tak and
      Mae Hong Son province. 

      ''We will not allow Burmese minorities to
      use Thailand as a base to attack Burma,''
      Chuan said. 

      He said security along the border was not
      in good shape and he planned to merge the
      existing 19 Thai camps into 11 and move
      them deeper into Thailand. 

      However, the relocation of the camps would
      affect local people in the areas, he added. 

      The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday named
      the intruders as the DKBA. In the past, it
      had referred to them as an ''armed group
      from Burma''. The DKBA are said to be
      connected to the Burmese ruling
      authorities. 

      Referring to a Foreign Ministry proposal
      that the United Nations High Commission
      for Refugees (UNHCR) would be allowed to
      get involved with Thai camps for displaced
      Burmese, Chuan said this will allow the UN
      body to realise the existing problem. 

      He said the UNHCR will have a greater
      opportunity to inspect the Thai authorities'
      administration of the camps. 

      ''Our policy in dealing with displaced
      Burmese is open and transparent. If the
      UNHCR does not witness what is going on
      in the camps, it can easily criticise us
      without any sound information. Allowing
      them to go into the camps will enable them
      to understand our difficulties in operating
      the shelters,'' Chuan said. 

      Meanwhile Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan
      expressed strong support for involving the
      UN agency with the shelters. 

      Surin said he expected positive results
      from the government's decision although
      there was a division of opinions on the
      matter. 

      ''The UNHCR should be allowed to realise
      the problems in the camps for displaced
      Burmese. With the UN agency, which is
      competent in camps, we can be helped
      with documentation, figures and data about
      the Burmese there,'' he said. 

      Others will accept information about the
      Burmese ratified by UNHCR, Surin said,
      adding the public would know the Burmese
      had been in these camps for many
      generations. 

      The minister quoted UN Secretary-General
      Kofi Annan as telling Chuan, when they met
      in Kuala Lumpur at an international meeting
      last year, that the UN was willing to help
      Thailand in dealing with the displaced
      Burmese. 

      In a separate interview, Permanent
      Secretary on Foreign Affairs Saroj
      Chavanavirat said at the moment a
      committee was discussing the extent of
      UNHCR's involvement on the matter. 

      ''We are discussing the issue but it is too
      early to say that the UNHCR will be allowed
      to administer the camps as it needs more
      discussion. What the UNHCR could do is
      help our authorities in taking care of the
      camps,'' Saroj said. 

      Meanwhile, Army Chief Gen Chettha
      Thanajaro said the attacks from minority
      Burmese groups in Thailand was old news. 

      He said similar incidents had occurred
      frequently along the Thai-Burmese border
      in the Kanchanaburi province because the
      border had not yet been demarcated. 

      ''I will try to solve the immediate problem. I
      will expel refugees, who are believed to be
      soldiers, from Thai soil even if it creates
      problems with non-government
      organisations,'' he said. 

      Chettha said Thailand may be attacked
      over the human rights issue but the root of
      the problem had to be dealt with. He said
      refugee camps should house only women,
      children and the elders otherwise the
      problem will not be solved. 

      BY PIYANART SRIVALO and MARISA
      CHIMPRABHA 

      The Nation