The bangkok Post (19-8-99) (r)

[mandalay@xxxxxxxxxx]

August 19, 1999 
BURMA
Sniffer dog school opened
Issues to range from visas to narcotics
The National Police Office has established Thailand's first-ever sniffer dog
training centre in Lampang to teach the animals to locate drugs smuggled into
the country through the North.
Lampang police chief Pol Maj-Gen Samrit Ponghiran said yesterday that the
centre was training the first class of 30 sniffer dogs that will be
deployed at
Lampang police stations near known drug smuggling routes.
He said: "These dogs will be trained particularly to hunt for methamphetamines
from the tens of thousands of vehicles running on northern highways each day.
We will train more dogs for the whole of the North in the future."Pol Maj-Gen
Samrit said it was getting harder for officers to search vehicles for
narcotics
because drug traffickers were using more ingenious methods to modify their
vehicles to hide the methamphetamine drug.



Surin for talks in Rangoon
Bhanravee Tansubhapol
Thailand and Burma will sign agreements on cultural co-operation and visa
exemption for diplomats and officials in Rangoon next week.
Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan is to co-chair the fifth Joint Commission
meeting with Win Maung, his Burmese counterpart.
The Aug 23-25 meeting will cover the border fight against drugs, illegal
workers, car smuggling, as well as refugees.
Thailand will ask Burma to grant visas to Thai tourists travelling through
international channels, as Bangkok issues Burmese nationals 30-day visas,
whereas Rangoon only gives visas on arrival to group tours travelling from
Chiang Mai to Mandalay and Pagan.
The Law and Treaties Department is also drafting a framework to suppress car
smuggling into Burma, along the lines of a system used with Cambodia.
To promote trade and tourism, Thailand will propose upgrading the
checkpoint at
Three Pagodas Pass, which Mr Surin is scheduled to visit on Friday.
Thailand also will raise discussions over maritime conflicts, as Burma has not
complied with measures adopted at a regional border committee meeting in
Phuket
last March. Burma still uses armed vessels for coastal patrols and does not
make radio contact with Thai counterparts. Another area of contention is
Rangoon's failure to resolve problems regarding refugees and illegal workers.
Thailand will express its concerns over the operation of casinos at the Golden
Triangle. Mr Surin will also pay a courtesy call on Gen Than Shwe, the Burmese
premier, and Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, secretary 1 of the State Peace and Development
Council.