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Shan troops cross border to abduct



Subject: Shan troops cross border to abduct nine from Mae Hong Son

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     THE NATION - October 30, 1999

      Local & Politics=20


      Shan troops cross border to abduct nine from Mae Hong Son

      AN ethnic group in armed conflict with the Rangoon junta has =
abducted nine hilltribe people in Mae Hong Son province, saying one of =
the captured men is a mutineer dealing in drugs, Thai authorities said.=20

      Some 15 to 20 armed men belonging to The Shan State Army crossed =
the border from Burma on Thursday night to abduct nine people, including =
a one-year-old girl from Ban Maihung, three kilometres from Pan Ma Pa =
District, according to Governor Poj Uthana.=20

      He said the group had captured Maung Too and three of his comrades =
before taking five others with them.=20

      The armed men forced Ja Tao, a villager, to drive them to the =
border before disappearing into Burma, said Don Pramudwinai, the Foreign =
Ministry spokesman.=20

      Don said the incident was unrelated to the recent arrest of 22 =
Thai gamblers opposite Ranong province.=20

      The Shan State Army claimed responsibility for the incident. =
Yesterday the third Army Region deployed troops to arrest the intruders, =
but no traces were found.=20

      Thai military officials said they were seeking the release of any =
Thai nationals. At least some of the captives were believed to be Shans =
without formal Thai residency.=20

      The objective of the abduction was unclear, the governor said, =
adding that a group of Thai police was following the armed group.=20

      The Shan State Army, which has vowed to oppose drug trafficking =
along the border, said in a statement yesterday that one of the captured =
men was a mutineer dealing in drugs.=20

      Yod Surk, who leads 4,500 Shan State Army troops, has said the =
Shan State Army has adopted an anti-drug policy and its movement is no =
longer merely fighting for independence from Burma.=20

      Maung Thu, the alleged narcotics trafficker, will be punished in =
accordance with Shan State Army regulations, and the others will be =
released as soon as the army determines they are not involved in drug =
trafficking, he said.=20

      The Shan State Army was formerly run by drug lord Khun Sa, who has =
surrendered to the Rangoon military junta. Yod Surk is a former aide to =
Khun Sa.=20

      At a monthly briefing for journalists yesterday, the Thai army =
said troops were combing four provinces along the rugged border with =
Burma for five student exiles who stormed the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok =
a month ago, driving relations between the countries to their lowest =
level in years.=20

      The four provinces are home to tens of thousands of refugees from =
Burma who have fled the military regime's attempts to crush resistance =
to its rule.=20

      ''The army task force, with cooperation from the Border Patrol =
Police and special border armed forces, have joined the search,'' said =
spokesman Col Pairoj Thogma-eng. ''If arrested, the five men will be =
sent to face criminal charges in Thailand.''=20

      Pairoj stressed, however, that the military believed the five were =
on the Burmese side of the border, probably receiving assistance from =
ethnic or student rebels opposed to the regime.=20

      The Nation, Agencies
    =20


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    <TD vAlign=3Dcenter width=3D300><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT =
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      <P><FONT size=3D2><STRONG>THE NATION - October 30, =
1999</STRONG></FONT>
      <P><STRONG>Local &amp; Politics</STRONG></FONT> <FONT=20
      face=3Darial,Times><FONT size=3D+2>
      <P>
      <H2><FONT color=3D#000000>Shan troops cross border to abduct nine =
from Mae=20
      Hong Son</FONT></H2></FONT><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT =
size=3D+.5>
      <P>
      <P>AN ethnic group in armed conflict with the Rangoon junta has =
abducted=20
      nine hilltribe people in Mae Hong Son province, saying one of the =
captured=20
      men is a mutineer dealing in drugs, Thai authorities said.=20
      <P>Some 15 to 20 armed men belonging to The Shan State Army =
crossed the=20
      border from Burma on Thursday night to abduct nine people, =
including a=20
      one-year-old girl from Ban Maihung, three kilometres from Pan Ma =
Pa=20
      District, according to Governor Poj Uthana.=20
      <P>He said the group had captured Maung Too and three of his =
comrades=20
      before taking five others with them.=20
      <P>The armed men forced Ja Tao, a villager, to drive them to the =
border=20
      before disappearing into Burma, said Don Pramudwinai, the Foreign =
Ministry=20
      spokesman.=20
      <P>Don said the incident was unrelated to the recent arrest of 22 =
Thai=20
      gamblers opposite Ranong province.=20
      <P>The Shan State Army claimed responsibility for the incident. =
Yesterday=20
      the third Army Region deployed troops to arrest the intruders, but =
no=20
      traces were found.=20
      <P>Thai military officials said they were seeking the release of =
any Thai=20
      nationals. At least some of the captives were believed to be Shans =
without=20
      formal Thai residency.=20
      <P>The objective of the abduction was unclear, the governor said, =
adding=20
      that a group of Thai police was following the armed group.=20
      <P>The Shan State Army, which has vowed to oppose drug trafficking =
along=20
      the border, said in a statement yesterday that one of the captured =
men was=20
      a mutineer dealing in drugs.=20
      <P>Yod Surk, who leads 4,500 Shan State Army troops, has said the =
Shan=20
      State Army has adopted an anti-drug policy and its movement is no =
longer=20
      merely fighting for independence from Burma.=20
      <P>Maung Thu, the alleged narcotics trafficker, will be punished =
in=20
      accordance with Shan State Army regulations, and the others will =
be=20
      released as soon as the army determines they are not involved in =
drug=20
      trafficking, he said.=20
      <P>The Shan State Army was formerly run by drug lord Khun Sa, who =
has=20
      surrendered to the Rangoon military junta. Yod Surk is a former =
aide to=20
      Khun Sa.=20
      <P>At a monthly briefing for journalists yesterday, the Thai army =
said=20
      troops were combing four provinces along the rugged border with =
Burma for=20
      five student exiles who stormed the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok a =
month=20
      ago, driving relations between the countries to their lowest level =
in=20
      years.=20
      <P>The four provinces are home to tens of thousands of refugees =
from Burma=20
      who have fled the military regime's attempts to crush resistance =
to its=20
      rule.=20
      <P>''The army task force, with cooperation from the Border Patrol =
Police=20
      and special border armed forces, have joined the search,'' said =
spokesman=20
      Col Pairoj Thogma-eng. ''If arrested, the five men will be sent to =
face=20
      criminal charges in Thailand.''=20
      <P>Pairoj stressed, however, that the military believed the five =
were on=20
      the Burmese side of the border, probably receiving assistance from =
ethnic=20
      or student rebels opposed to the regime.=20
      <P>The Nation,=20
Agencies</P></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></BODY>=
</HTML>

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