BKK Post, March 28, 1998. BORDER

[burma@xxxxxxxxxx]

March 28, 1998. BORDER

Reprisal raid kills 10 Karens
Anti-Rangoon forces launch counter-attack
Supamart Kasem Wassana Nanuam

At least 10 guerrillas of the pro-Rangoon Democratic Karen Buddhist Army 
were killed and scores were wounded in a counterattack by anti-Rangoon 
Karen forces who burned down three DKBA bases on Thursday night.

About 100 fighters of the mainstream Karen National Union staged the 
attack in revenge for a series of cross-border DKBA raids on Karen 
refugee camps located on Thai soil.

The KNU divided its forces into three groups to attack three DKBA 
military bases around 10 p.m., said a Border Patrol Police officer.

The first group heavily shelled the DKBA's 999th Brigade in Ban Kokko, 
opposite Ban Wongpha in Mae Ramat district of Tak, forcing about 50 DKBA 
guerrillas to abandon the base, which was later razed to the ground.

The second group rained mortar rounds on the DKBA's Ban Kyoar Pado base, 
while the third group raided another nearby base, opposite Ban Wang 
Takhian in Tak's Mae Sot district. DKBA defenders tried to put up 
resistance but failed to protect their heavily bombarded bases.

Thai officials said the echoes of small and heavy weapons fire could be 
heard throughout the rugged border area on Thursday night. About 10 
mortar rounds landed on Thai soil, but no casualties were reported.

The KNU claimed at least 10 DKBA guerrillas were killed and many others 
wounded in the night attack, while five of its fighters were also 
wounded.

After the attack, the KNU forces withdrew to its base opposite Mae 
Ramat.

Sources said the KNU had sent a letter to warn the three DKBA bases of 
its plan to attack in advance. In the letter, the KNU condemned DKBA 
guerrillas as the tools used by Rangoon to kill their fellow Karens.

DKBA guerrillas have frequently sneaked across the border from their 
bases in Burma this month. They have burned down two refugee camps and 
fired mortar rounds at another. Thailand has twice protested to the 
Burmese government over the DKBA raids.

Thousands of Karen refugees, many of them KNU supporters, have been 
housed in several refugee camps in Thailand after years of fighting in 
their homeland. The KNU has been fighting Rangoon for Karen autonomy for 
50 years.

The refugee camps have become prime targets of the Rangoon-backed DKBA.

The Thai army has vowed to get tough with Karen refugees found to have 
weapons hidden in the camps on Thai soil.

Speaking during his inspection of the refugee camps in Mae Hong Son 
province, Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro yesterday said 
the army would not allow Karen fighters posing as refugees to use Thai 
territory to stage attacks on their rivals.

All able-bodied Karen men would be forcily repatriated soon as a 
precaution against further border raids by DKBA rebels, said the army 
chief, adding only women, children and old people would be allowed to 
remain in the camps.

"Many Karen men are supporters of the anti-Rangoon Karen National Union. 
They are not allowed to stay in our land. If found, they will be 
disarmed and sent back to their country," said Gen Chettha.

He said while the repatriation of Karen males might elicit protests from 
human rights activists, it was a necessary step as the camps housed both 
DKBA supporters and KNU members, and authorities were unable to tell 
them apart.

The army chief ordered the camps and border areas searched for hidden 
weapons as well as DKBA and KNU guerrillas hiding in Thai territory.

He also stressed the need to relocate the refugee camps about 10 
kilometres deeper inside Thailand.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra is due to 
inspect the refugee camps at Huay Kalok and Ban Mae La in Tak next 
Wednesday.

The visit is aimed at gathering information from local authorities and 
at getting first-hand look before his talks with the Burmese government, 
tentatively scheduled for April 7-8.

The two camps were attacked by DKBA forces in late February and on March 
11.

M.R. Sukhumbhand said Thailand would continue providing shelter for 
Burmese nationals escaping fighting in their homeland to Thailand. But 
"Thailand will not allow them to use Thai territory as a base to fight 
other countries."

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