Bangkok Post(5/5/99)

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Raid linkedto Burmesemilitary Surayud: Grenadesused are evidence





Post Reporters


Grenades used in the attack on a Mae Hong Son police station point to the
involvement of the Burmese military, the army chief said yesterday. 



An official complaint will be lodged with Rangoon since it has been
established that the 10 intruders used Burmese-issue grenades in the attack
on Nam Piang Din station last Saturday, Gen Surayud Chulanont said. 



The army has informed the foreign and interior ministries of its findings
and submitted a protest letter to the local Thai-Burmese border committee. 



Army personnel have been deployed in and around Ban Nam Piang Din to
investigate the attack and protect residents, Gen Surayud said. 



It was possible the attack was motivated by a conflict between Thai
villagers and Burmese troops who had been refused the use of some
long-tailed boats. 



Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra will raise the issue during
his visit to Rangoon, which starts tomorrow. 



The latest attack by the rebels on Thai soil came on Saturday when the
so-called "Red Star" Karen army fired on Nam Piang Din police station in
Mae Hong Son. The police station was severely damaged but there were no
casualties. 



Meanwhile, the Northern Narcotics Suppression Coordination Centre has
concluded the rising number of border incidents over the past two months
were a result of Thailand's intensified action on drugs suppression, which
has inflicted heavy losses on narcotics producers and traders, Third Army
Region commander Lt-Gen Sommai Vichavorn said. 



Lt-Gen Sommai said the incidents indicated the drug warlords wanted to
display their power and influence. "The attack on Nam Piang Din police
station was intended to draw our forces to concentrate on one spot so they
could deliver the drugs more easily elsewhere," he said. 



Mae Hong Son province has sent a letter to the Interior Ministry asking it
to demand 230,000 baht compensation from Burma. 



At the same time, the Karenni National Progressive Party issued a statement
dated May 3 denying any involvement in the attack on Nam Piang Din police
station.