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re voa thai burma



voa, thailand, burma, grace de Dawn Star, Paris

DATE=3/14/96
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-32710
TITLE=THAILAND / BURMA
BYLINE=DAN ROBINSON
DATELINE=BANGKOK
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 

INTRO:  THAILAND'S PRIME MINISTER GOES TO BURMA THIS WEEKEND, A 
VISIT AIMED AT EASING STRAINED RELATIONS.  V-O-A'S DAN ROBINSON 
REPORTS THE THAI LEADER AND OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS HAVE 
RECENTLY BEEN RESPONDING TO ALLEGATIONS FROM HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS 
THAT THAILAND IS  NOT  DOING ENOUGH TO ENCOURAGE BURMA'S MILITARY
GOVERNMENT TO PERMIT A TRANSITION TO CIVILIAN RULE:

TEXT:  RELATIONS BETWEEN THAILAND AND BURMA HAVE GONE FROM GOOD 
TO WORSE, AND BACK AGAIN, AS THE TWO COUNTRIES FEUDED ABOUT LAND 
AND SEA DISPUTES AND TRADED ALLEGATIONS OF SUPPORT FOR REBEL 
FORCES ALONG THEIR BORDER.

BECAUSE OF ITS TWO-THOUSAND KILOMETER FRONTIER WITH BURMA, 
THAILAND HAS BEEN THE STRONGEST PROPONENT AMONG SOUTHEAST ASIAN 
COUNTRIES OF ECONOMIC ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT IN 
RANGOON.

THAI COMPANIES ARE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN BURMA WITH INVESTMENTS IN 
A NUMBER OF AREAS -- FROM BANKING AND CONSTRUCTION TO 
EXPLOITATION OF THE COUNTRY'S OIL AND GAS RESERVES.

HOWEVER, THAILAND -- WHICH HAS A LONG HISTORY OF RIVALRY WITH 
BURMA -- ALSO HAS SECURITY CONCERNS.  IN RECENT MONTHS, THAI 
FORCES ALONG THE BORDER HAVE BEEN ON ALERT AS BURMESE GOVERNMENT 
TROOPS MOVED AGAINST VARIOUS REBEL ARMIES.

LAST YEAR, THE TWO COUNTRIES ALMOST CAME TO BLOWS AMID ATTACKS BY
A RANGOON-SUPPORTED ETHNIC KAREN SPLINTER GROUP ON THAI VILLAGES 
AND REFUGEE CAMPS.

IN ANOTHER INCIDENT, BURMA ACCUSED THAILAND OF SUPPORTING MEMBERS
OF THE SHAN STATE ARMY OF OPIUM TRAFFICKER, KHUN SA.  THE 
GOVERNMENT IN RANGOON DEMANDED MONETARY COMPENSATION AFTER AN 
ATTACK ON THE NORTHEASTERN BORDER TOWN OF TACHILEK WHERE THE 
BORDER HAS BEEN CLOSED EVER SINCE.

THE KILLINGS OF SEVERAL BURMESE ON A THAI-OWNED FISHING BOAT ALSO
ANGERED RANGOON, WHICH AGAIN DEMANDED COMPENSATION.  A MAJOR 
SOUTHERN BORDER CROSSING WAS SHUT, AND RANGOON REVOKED FISHING 
RIGHTS FOR THAI BOATS.

ALTHOUGH MUCH OF THE PRELIMINARY WORK FOR REPAIRING RELATIONS HAS
BEEN CARRIED OUT BY LOWER OFFICIALS, THAI SOURCES SAY MUCH 
DEPENDS ON WHAT THE THAI PRIME MINISTER, BARNHARN SILPA-ARCHA 
(SILPAH-ACHA), SAYS TO SENIOR BURMESE LEADERS IN RANGOON.

HE WILL BE THE FIRST PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT BURMA SINCE 1980.  
POLITICAL OBSERVERS SAY BOTH SIDES WANT TO MOVE BEYOND THE 
DISAGREEMENTS OF THE PAST YEAR AND PUT THE FOCUS BACK ON CLOSE 
ECONOMIC RELATIONS.

IN A SYMBOLIC MOVE, THAI GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SAY BURMA IS 
EXPECTED TO RE-OPEN THREE BORDER CROSSINGS ONE DAY BEFORE THE 
THAI LEADER'S VISIT.  HOWEVER, OTHER REPORTS HAVE QUOTED THAI 
MILITARY OFFICIALS AS SAYING A RE-OPENING IS  NOT  SO CERTAIN.

IN ADDITION TO SIGNING A NEW AGREEMENT REGULATING BORDER TRADE, 
THE THAI PRIME MINISTER WILL INSPECT THAI INVESTMENT PROJECTS.  
HE WILL DISCUSS THE TROUBLESOME MARITIME DISPUTES AND POSSIBLY 
THE QUESTION OF BURMESE REFUGEES IN THAILAND.

AS HE PREPARED TO LEAVE FOR RANGOON, THE THAI PRIME MINISTER WAS 
COMING UNDER RENEWED CRITICISM FROM HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ACCUSING 
THE GOVERNMENT OF DOING  NOTHING  TO HELP BRING ABOUT DEMOCRATIC 
CHANGE IN BURMA.

THE THAI LEADER RESPONDED BY REFERRING AGAIN TO THE POLICY OF 
ECONOMIC ENGAGEMENT, AND THE GOAL OF BRINGING BURMA INTO THE 
ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN) AND A FUTURE 
10-COUNTRY SOUTHEAST ASIAN COMMUNITY.

// OPT //  MR. BARNHARN WILL ALSO BE THE HIGHEST-LEVEL THAI 
VISITOR SINCE LAST YEAR'S RELEASE OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI -- THE 
BURMESE DEMOCRACY LEADER WHOSE OUTSPOKEN VIEWS CONTINUE TO 
IRRITATE THE RANGOON MILITARY GOVERNMENT.  AS FOR THAILAND'S 
POSITION ON AUNG SAN SUU KYI AND HER NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR 
DEMOCRACY, THAI PRESS REPORTS HAVE QUOTED GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AS
SAYING BANGKOK CONSIDERS THE MATTER BURMA'S INTERNAL AFFAIR.

// OPT // AUNG SAN SUU KYI HAS CRITICIZED FOREIGN INVESTMENT 
SAYING IT HELPS TO SUPPORT AN UNPOPULAR MILITARY GOVERNMENT AND 
ECONOMIC POLICIES THAT ARE  NOT  HELPING MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN 
BURMA.  // END OPT //  (SIGNED)

NEB/DR/CF

14-Mar-96 7:07 AM EST (1207 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America