The Nation - Junta revokes Thai tra

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The Nation - Oct 8, 1999.
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Junta revokes Thai trawler rights

BURMA has temporarily closed its waters to Thai fishing boats operating out
of southern Thailand following the dramatic hostage crisis at the Burmese
Embassy last Friday.

Thai trawlers licensed to fish in Burmese waters under the Burmese flag had
been asked to stop fishing and report to Burmese authorities within 20 hours
from Oct 6, Wanchai Sangsukiam, the Thai Overseas Fisheries Association,
said.

A Rangoon military spokesman was quoted by The Associated Press as
confirming that fishing concessions granted to Thais had been ''suspended
for the time being for security reasons''.

About 400 Thai fishing boats operate under Burmese flags in Burmese waters.

In addition, the Burmese authorities asked 300 Thai boats with Thai flags
operating in the Burmese territorial waters to report to Burmese authorities
within five days.

Bancherd Viphakkit-anan, chairman of Ranong Fisheries Association, said that
several Thai trawlers have already paid the advance payment worth several
hundred thousand baht to Burmese authorities. ''I estimate that the damage
would be Bt200 million,'' he said.

In a separate development, an official source on the Thai-Burmese border in
Tak province said Burmese troops had rounded up 60 of its nationals and
placed them under detention for trying to cross over to the Thai side. The
move reflected the seriousness of the Burmese authorities towards the order
to close the border, according to the source.

The decision to shut down the border came after five armed students stormed
the Burmese Embassy last Friday, taking 38 people hostage at gunpoint and
preventing 51 others from leaving the compound.

A deal to release all the hostges was struck 25 hours later when Thai
authories agreed to give the five gunmen a safe passage by helicopter to the
Burmese border.

Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said he had ordered the Agriculture Ministry to
examine the impact behind closing Burmese waters to Thai fishermen who were
earlier granted concessions by Rangoon to work there.

Chuan said he has instructed the Foreign Ministry to check if the initiative
to ban Thai boats had came from the central government or local authorities.

''We have to admit that the central government and the local authotiries in
Burma implement double-standard policies,'' the premier said, suggesting
that the action taken may not have come from Rangoon.

There was no indication how long Burma's waters would be closed to Thai
fishermen.

Wanchai is hopeful that the suspension would be temporary, considering the
mutual benefit to Burma in businesses with Thai partners.

At present, about 400 Thai trawlers pay between US$8,000 and US$10,000
(Bt304,000-Bt380,000) in monthly licence fees to the Burmese authorities,
which also collected taxes on every fish as the catch has to be exported
from a Burmese port.

Wanchai said he was not certain whether the fishing licence would be valid
after the ban. ''We will wait for a week to see if the Burmese authorities
lift the ban on Thai boats,'' Wanchai said.

Wanchai said the move would not only affect about 1,000 Thai trawlers but
also a higher number of migrant workers from Burma who have jobs aboard the
vessels.

Bancherd said Thai trawlers have urged the association to file a petition to
the Foreign Ministry to solve the problem quickly.

Thamrong Prakobboon, director general of the Fisheries Department, said that
so far about 120 Thai boats have reported to Burmese authorities to
acknowledge the revocation of fishing rights. The licence would be extended
on the year-on-year basis. Thamrong indicated that Burmese authorities would
refund the licence fee for licences which have not yet expired.

The Nation