TWO FACED YANGON

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Two-faced Yangon 
>From Business Times 14/10/99

THAILAND has been presented with a wonderful opportunity to re-assess its
ties with the schizophrenic Myanmar military dictatorship -- which thanks
Bangkok on the one hand for the handling of the embassy drama but shuts its
borders and halts fishing cooperation on the other. 

The praise and words of appreciation from the Myanmar authorities for the
way the Thai government handled the Oct 1-2 occupation of the Myanmar
embassy were in sharp contradiction to the action by Yangon so soon after
this potentially explosive situation was ended without bloodletting. 

The military junta abruptly scrapped the concession rights granted to Thai
fishing trawlers without any clarification. Hundreds of Thai vessels were
forced to hurry back home to Ranong from Myanmar waters and, as a result,
now at least 5,000 Myanmarese who crewed on the trawlers are without work. 

The closure of the border at the same time has brought a complete halt to
trade and travel between the two countries and caused huge damage to many
businesses. 

If actions speak louder than words, then clearly the praise and the thanks
offered by Myanmar's leadership -- the most recent expression being from
Nyunt Maung Shien, director-general of the political affairs department, at
the senior Asean officials meeting in Bangkok -- are meaningless. They are
intended only to fool the more gullible into believing the Yangon regime is
made up of civilised men who are as willing as the next fellow to
congratulate the peaceful end to the embassy siege. 

The Bangkok Post, Oct 13