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Trade disrupted as Burma shuts bord



Subject: Trade disrupted as Burma shuts border passes 

Date: 13 Jun 1997 

The Nation 

Trade disrupted as Burma shuts border passes 

BURMESE officials closed all border passes opposite Mae Sot district in Tak 
province yesterday, resulting in a disruption of cross-border trade. 

Army Commander Gen Chettha Thanajaro said he was perplexed by the move, but 
stressed that the closure was ''not a serious problem because we don't have 
any conflict. A border dispute is a small incident. Don't exaggerate this 
matter because that would affect trade and relations between the two 
countries." 

Burmese officials gave no warning of the impending closure. Even members of 
the Joint Border Committee working closely with Burmese border officials said 
they were mystified as to why it occurred. 

Maj Rijirawat Vongsariyanarong, the head of the Thai-Burmese Coordinating 
Committee, said Lt Col Sai Phone, the commander of Burma's 275th Infantry 
Division, informed him of the reason for the border closure after it had 
occurred. 

Maj Rijirawat quoted Lt Col Sai Phone as saying security problems prompted the 
move and that Burma would like to reorganise regulations concerning border 
crossings and goods trafficking. 

Maj Rijirawat said Burma had neglected to officially notify Bangkok of the 
closure. According to the Thailand-Burma Treaty on Trade and Investment 
Cooperation, if either country wishes to close a border pass, it must notify 
the other country at least three months in advance. 

Border officials said they believed the closure resulted from the dispute over 
Burmese dredging of the Moei River, which Rangoon claims has changed course, 
resulting in a loss of Burmese territory. 

Gen Chettha said the Army will not take any action at present but will wait 
for the results of the next round of talks between Joint Border Committee 
representatives, scheduled in Rangoon at the end of the month. 

Burmese troops set up dredging equipment in the Moei River opposite Ban Rim 
Moei early last month, near Wat Phrathat Khok Chang in Tambon Tha Sai Luad. 
They apparently intended to change the river's course back to where it was 
before flooding altered it. 

Both sides refused to give ground. Burma insisted that their dredging plan was 
based on an aerial map and photographs taken in 1989, while Thai authorities 
refused to accept a claim that had expanded from 150 rai to 300 rai. 

Early attempts to resolve the dispute failed as both sides insisted on their 
original proposals. The third round of talks, which took place on Tuesday, 
ended with the Burmese delegation headed by U Aye Lwin walking out of the 
meeting. 

The spontaneous closure has affected Tak's cross-border trade, which consists 
of 100 metric tonnes of consumer goods exported to Burma every day, Panithi 
Tangphati, the vice president of Tak's Chamber of Commerce, said. 

''Yesterday, around 50 trucks arrived at the border passes and were stuck 
here. Many of them had to drive back because they don't have warehouses here," 
he said. 

Panithi said the unexpected nature of the closure will shake the confidence of 
Thai traders along the border, as well as foreign investors in Burma.