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KAWMOORA FALLS
Received: by pilot.physics.adelaide.edu.au (5.61+IDA+MU/UA-5.23)
id AA05899; Thu, 23 Feb 1995 16:16:31 +1030
/* written Thu Feb 23 16:05:00 CST 1995 by uneoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx */
/* ------------------ KNU: Kawmoora falls ------------------------------ */
THE AUSTRALIAN, FEBRUARY 22, 1995.
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KAREN REBELS TO FIGHT ON DESPITE STRONGHOLD'S FALL
By Ron Corben in Bangkok and AFP
THE Karen National Union vowed to continue the struggle against the
Burmese junta and to adopt a strategy of ``mobile guerilla warfare''
after abandoning yesterday its last stronghold at Kawmoora on the
Thai-Burmese border after a two month siege.
The announcement followed heavy shelling of the camp after Burma had
moved about 3000 reinforcements into the area, at least doubling the
number of junta troops against an estimated 1000 guerilla fighters at
Kawmoora , a Thai border source said.
In a statement released late yesterday, the KNU said that to continue
to defend Kawmoora, about 500km north-west of Bangkok, would have been
``at high cost''.
Military analysts say the recent fall of Manerplaw -- the KNU stronghold
of 21 years -- and now Kawmoora, is expected to again raise questions
over the Karen leadership, presently headed by General Bo Mya.
General Bo Mya has been accused of failing to address problems within
the Karen fighting forces that led to a damaging split between the
largely Buddhist lower ranks and that of the Christian leadership.
But the KNU, the political wing of the ethnic Karen people's almost
five decade civil war with the military regime in Rangoon, said the
abondanment of Kawmoora reflected a shift in strategy ``in fovour
of mobile guerilla warfare''.
``The withdrawl of the KNU from Kawmoora must therefore be seen not
as a defeat but the next logical step in the reconstruction of the
KNU, military as well as politically'', it said.
Sources at the Karen Refugee Centre at the Thai border town of Mae Sot
told The Australian yesterday that the withdrawal from Kawmoora occurred
in early hours of Tuesday.
Other border sources spoke of the use of ``chemical gas'' by the
Burmese forces, believed to be tear gas.
The abondanment of Kawmoora is expected to result in a fresh wave of
refugees into Thailand at the nearby Huay Kalok Karen refugee camp,
which has a population of about 4000.
But in the statement the KNU reaffirmed it would ``continue to struggle,
with its allies and all the opposition forces in Burma for peace,
democracy and justice for all the people of Burma.''
The statement said that peace in the country would only come about
``when the SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) accepts
that the political problems underlying the long civil war must be
solved by political means''.
The KNU said it was still willing to engage in dialogue with the SLORC
about achieving a ceasefire but insisted that ``genuine dialogue must
include consideration of the necessary political settlement''.
Meanwhile, the Thai army on Monday fired several smoke shells into
Burma after junta mortar rounds and anti-personnel shells landed on
Thai soil, The Nation daily reported. Military authorities could not
be reached for confirmation.
/* ENDREPORT */