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Who is Who in Thai/Burma Relations



At 12:54 PM 10/14/99 -0400, Rangoon Post Co-Editor wrote:
THREE PAGODAS PASS, Thailand (AP) 
>Thailand-Myanmar Border Suddenly Volatile Over Hostage Crisis
>(...)
>Student rebels who held dozens of hostages for a day were flown to the
>border and allowed to go free. Senior Thai officials described them as
>fighters for democracy rather than terrorists _ actions that enraged
>Myanmar, turning the border suddenly volatile. 
>
>Normally, tens of thousands of dollars change hands every weekend as
>thousands of tourists, villagers and traders make the low-key
>cross-border trek. But now, the usual warm welcome for big spenders has
>been replaced by a cold frown. 
>
>"We understand that the pride of the Myanmar side is hurt, but to engage
>in prolonged measures and rhetoric of antagonism towards Thailand will
>accomplish nothing," Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Cross-border trade benefits people on both sides of the border, not just the Thai people." 
>(...)


What Sukhumbhand didnt say is that his government in Thailand is getting heavy criticism from the opposition parties for having created this situation where Thai merchants, fishers, and factory owners suffer economic damage.  So of course they would like to correct the situation.  But this is very difficult given the clear stand the current Thai government has taken in favor of the Burmese democratic forces.

Causing political trouble for the Chuan government by cutting off all border trade (and thus interfering in the internal affairs of Thailand?) is one of the junta's preferred methods for punishing the "misbehavior" of their democratic neighbor.  The other is threatening border conflict.  

They can do all this easily, as they are answerable to no one in Burma but their fellow generals in the junta.  On the Burmese side, no one complains, regardless of economic damage.  As everyone in Burma knows, being poor is bad enough, but being poor and in jail, poor and beaten up, or poor and dead, is much worse.


At 11:16 PM 10/14/99 +0200, S.Wansai wrote:
(from THE NATION - October 15, 1999)
Thai-Burmese tensions kick-start clash in Parliament

>Though [Thai Foreign Minister] Surin did not name names, it was understood that he was referring to the wife of Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, leader of the NAP. She allegedly was linked to attempts to seek a number of logging and fisheries concessions by the Burmese military government during Chavalit's various stints in the army and afterwards. Chavalit has close personal connections with the Burmese military junta.
>
>Surin's statement infuriated the opposition, whose members demanded that the foreign minister retract his statement.
>
>Speaking on his way back to Nakhon Phanom, Chavalit urged Thailand to
>understand the feelings of the Burmese, who had been hurt by the incident, and not to call them dictators every time a dispute surfaced.
>
>Chavalit blamed Rangoon's anger on the Thai government's inconsistency in the handling of the hostage crisis. ''You can not call them [the captors]
>democratic student activists, after all, the circumstances already pointed
>to them as terrorists,'' he said.
>
>The Nap leader said the government had to do its utmost to restore bilateral ties since being Thailand's neighbour was a permanent, not temporary, arrangement with Burma.
>
>He said Thailand's chronic problems with Burma had resulted from the
>government's lack of understanding of its neighbour. ''I don't understand
>why we had so many problems with Burma, unlike China or India, who also share long borders with Burma but still manage to maintain good relations with it,'' he said.

Chavalit, when he was Prime Minister in the mid-1990's, maintained good relations with the junta by deporting about 200 student democracy asylum-seekers, at Rangoon's request.  As his reward for being a "obedient Junta friend", Chavalit received many contracts for Burmese fishing rights and timber exports, as was reported extensively in the local newspapers. I remember one front page photo of Chavalit and Than Shwe holding hands as they walked together in Rangoon.

It is very important that we understand who is who in Thai government, who are the sincere friends of democracy, and who are the old Thai military dictatorship fans, in democracy clothing.  I for one am very impressed to see Thai politicians, such as Interior Minister Sanan, Foreign Minister Surin, Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand, and Prime Minister Chuan begin to distinguish themselves by political principle, rather than by the political expediency that has always been the case in the past.  

The opposition NAP, Gen. Chavalit's  party, was outraged that these Thai Democrats took a position similar to the US and EU in favor of the Burmese democracy movement, instead of working with the SPDC junta to keep the money flowing from the rape of Burma's forests and seas (not to mention long-standing drugs business).  

Cheers for Prime Minister Chuan's Democratic Party.  The Burmese democracy movement must thank him for his support and find ways to work more closely with his government.  He has taken personal political risks on our behalf, and has risked the safety of his country as well.  He cannot expect any personal benefit from this breakaway position, only flak from the intrenched military and business interests, both in Thailand and in other ASEAN countries.  Please lets all stand behind him, and the courageous and principled Thailand that he represents.