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NSC admits early warning failure

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<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5><b>NSC admits early warning
failure<br>
</font></b><font size=3>THE National Security Council yesterday prepared
an intelligence assessment on the Burmese embassy siege, acknowledging
their failure to give an early warning. <br>
The assessment also insisted that the incident was an isolated case meant
to grab world attention and called for tighter supervision of Burmese
students in the Maneeloy holding centre at Ratchaburi. <br>
Supreme Commander Gen Mongkol Ampornpisit revealed that Prime Minister
Chuan Leekpai had reprimanded the intelligence community for failing to
detect the preparations of the Burmese students. <br>
The National Security Council will forward this report, intended as a
basis to review measures dealing with future terrorist incidents, to the
National Committee on Anti-international Terrorism. The committee is to
convene a meeting tomorrow which will be chaired by the prime minister.
<br>
According to the council report, the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors
group, which stormed into the embassy and took hostages on Friday, was a
splinter faction of the Burmese opposition. The hostage-takers, possibly
grouped together on an ad hoc basis, had a single mission -- to win
international attention to the domestic political dispute in Burma. 
<br>
Thai intelligence authorities early on detected that the group was not
predisposed to the violent treatment of the hostages as they were focused
mainly on getting their messages out to the media. <br>
The report went on to note that although the increased security at the
embassy had helped to defuse protest activities planned for Sept 9, known
as the 9.9.99 action plan, there was no early warning for the embassy
occupation. <br>
Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Surayud Chulanont commented that although the
country had sheltered fleeing Burmese students and dissidents on
humanitarian grounds, these people had no right to abuse the host country
with their political activities. <br>
Surayud said the military had stood ready to assist in resolving the
embassy siege but the police and the Interior Ministry had the situation
under control. <br>
He voiced regret that there were no warnings even though the Burmese
students had hauled a large amount of war weapons into Bangkok. <br>
He also noted that the Interior Ministry was responsible for intelligence
gathering related to the activities of Burmese students in the holding
centre. <br>
The Army chief reasoned that the closure of border checkpoints by the
Burmese might have been aimed at preventing opposition members from
crossing into the country. <br>
Gen Thammarak Issarangkul na Ayutthaya, former commander of the Armed
Forces Security Centre, warned that the embassy occupation indicated a
lapse of security. <br>
Thammarak said the incident had ended well with the safety of all
hostages, though the handling of the incident was quite confusing and
failed to follow accepted procedures. <br>
The country has a permanent body to resolve international terrorist
incidents but this body was not activated to tackle the hostage situation
in the Burmese embassy, he noted. <br>
Special Branch deputy commissioner Yothin Mattayomchan revealed that his
office will review security measures provided for foreign embassies.
<br>
Yothin, conceding possible security flaws, argued that police guarding
the Burmese embassy had to balance between security concerns and the
ready access for visitors into the compound. <br>
''The Burmese diplomats had never requested strict security screening [of
visitors] so we focused on guarding without obstructing the access,'' he
said. <br>
The deputy commissioner stated that police intelligence would increase
coverage on the activities of Burmese students. <br>
Mae Sai district chief Thavorn Cherdphan said the border crossing
opposite Burma's Tachilek remained closed yesterday, voicing concern
about the impact on border trade. <br>
Kanchanaburi governor Jadet Insawang speculated that border contacts with
Burma would resume after Burmese authorities came to terms with the
situation. <br>
Jadet said he had instructed all border districts to step up security
measures to prevent the infiltration of Burmese rebels to stage their
activities like the embassy occupation. <br>
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