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India asked to give safepassage aid

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<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5><b>India asked to give
safepassage aid<br>
</font></b><font size=3>THE Royal Thai Navy has asked India for safe
passage for returning Thai vessels currently in Burmese waters as Burma
has sealed off its territorial waters to Thai fishing boats, an informed
source at the Naval Operation Centre said yesterday. <br>
The Thai military attache in India has forwarded a request to the Indian
Navy to permit Thai vessels in waters off Burma's Rakhine province to
sail through Indian waters on their return home. <br>
''The Navy has drawn up a contingency plan to assist the Thai vessels in
returning to Thailand, now that Burma has closed its territorial waters
to our fishing vessels,'' the source told The Nation. <br>
''We are worried that some vessels which are now fishing deep in Burmese
waters, as in Rakhine, will be unable to return in time to meet the
deadline. If they cannot make it, they could pass through Indian waters
before sailing into Thai territory.'' <br>
The contingency plan was mapped out following Burma's cancellation of
fishing licences for Thai fishing boats from last Wednesday. The Burmese
have issued a grace period until Tuesday for vessels which fishing deep
in its seas to pass out of its territorial waters. <br>
Rangoon claims that it wants to review the licence-granting system, as
well as get internal security under control following the occupation of
the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok by five heavily armed Burmese students.
<br>
It says it will reconsider the licences for the Thai boats when it
completes the review and the security situation returns to normal. <br>
The source said that before the closure was announced there had been
about 400 Thai fishing boats with legitimate licences to fish in Burmese
waters. <br>
''Most vessels have already left Burmese waters, except about 150 which
are fishing deep in Burmese territory in Rakhine. There is a great
possibility that they will not be able to meet next Tuesday's deadline,''
the source said. <br>
About 70 vessels detained near Burma's Victoria Point, opposite Ranong
province, have been released after Burmese authorities checked their
licences. <br>
Meanwhile Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai yesterday told Thai fishermen and
border traders suffering huge losses following the closure of Burmese
waters and frontiers to be calm, saying the measures would only be
temporary. <br>
Chuan said the relevant Thai authorities, particularly the Foreign
Ministry and the Navy, had already been assigned to monitor the situation
and contact Burma to clear up any possible misunderstandings. <br>
''Thai fishermen and border traders should calm down, as the authorities
concerned, particularly the Foreign Ministry and the Thai Navy, have been
instructed to solve the problems,'' Chuan said. <br>
''I believe that the measures implemented on the frontier checkpoints and
waterfronts will only be temporary. [Burma] is not the same as democratic
countries. When both sides sit down and talk, the problems will be solved
without much delay, because traders of both countries have long relied on
each other,'' he told reporters. <br>
Commenting on a report that Burma has allowed only petrol to pass the
sealed frontier, Chuan said that was happening because Burma had no oil
for its own consumption. <br>
Burma's sealing off of all Thai-Burmese border checkpoints and the
cancellation of fishing licences to Thai vessels is linked to Thailand's
handling of the seizure of the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok last week.
<br>
After 26 hours of negotiations, five Burmese student activists who had
stormed the embassy with heavy weapons were released unharmed in return
for the release of 89 hostages. Rangoon has criticised Bangkok for
releasing the hostage-takers and accused some foreign hostages of being
involved in a conspiracy. <br>
The premier repeated his earlier statement that Burma was not in a
position to criticise Thailand, because the hostage-takers had been
Burmese. <br>
He went on to say that Burma had sent mixed signals, as its leaders had
sent a letter of gratitude to the Thai government while their authorities
were issuing orders to close the border and revoke fishing licences.
<br>
Chuan said that any revocation should have been conducted in accordance
with the agreement both sides had signed. <br>
Thailand will not take any countermeasures against Burma as it wished to
settle the problem like reasonable adults, Chuan said, adding that the
country would not, however, leave the issues unresolved. <br>
The premier said, without elaboration: ''What Thailand is doing right now
to solve the problems has clearly shown [Burma] what we feel about the
situation.'' <br>
All three permanent checkpoints linking Thailand with Burma, in Tak,
Ranong and Chiang Rai provinces, have been closed since Monday. <br>
The Nation<br>
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