BKK POST: February 1, 1998: BORDER

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

BKK POST: February 1, 1998: BORDER ROW

              Thai troops set to
              fight if Burmese
              invade island

              Shots twice fired at Aviation Dept plane

              Supamart Kasem 
              Mae Sot, Tak

              Troops will fight to protect Thailand's sovereignty if Burma
              invades an island in the Moei River which has been cut off by the
              flow of the river.

              A former diplomat said yesterday that he feared the dispute
              could spread after Burmese troops twice fired shots at an
              Aviation Department plane on Thursday.

              The Thai soldiers were sent to the island after the incident.

              The ex-diplomat said he feared for the worst if local officials
              could not settle the issue. 

              "I don't want to say clearly what would happen. But if both sides
              cannot not compromise, problems could snowball into conflict at
              national level," he warned.

              Burmese officials in Myawaddy threatened yesterday to send
              forces to the 340-rai island, cut off from the mainland at Ban
              Mae Kone Kane by erosion, to drive off the Thai soldiers. 

              The army deployed troops on the island on Friday to safeguard
              Thai citizens there who were reportedly intimidated by Burmese
              soldiers at Palu Camp.

              An intelligence source said Light Infantry Regiment 275
              commander, Saing Phone, demanded at a Friday meeting in
              Myawaddy, opposite Mae Sot, that Thailand withdraw its forces
              or face retaliation.

              Lt Col Saing Phone accused Thailand of violating an agreement
              made by the Thai-Burmese Border Committee on January 22,
              that it would not send in troops. Burma has in turn promised not
              to station troops on the island near Wat Phra That Khok Chang
              Puek.

              The source said Lt Col Saing Phone told the meeting that Burma
              would send forces and heavy machinery in to dig the water
              channel near the island if Thailand turned down the pullout
              demand.

              Thai authorities, according to the source, warned Burma to think
              "carefully" about this as sending troops to the island would be a
              violation of Thailand's sovereignty. 

              A Thai soldier said Burma had sent soldiers and an excavator to
              the island near Wat Phra That Khok Chang Puek before
              Friday's meeting. 

              The relationship between the two countries' border officials
              turned sour after Thailand started building a concrete
              embankment to reclaim Ban Mae Kone Kane which was lost
              due to erosion four years ago.

              Burma protested and banned Thai forces and construction
              workers from landing on the island. 

              The dispute seemed to have been settled at the January 22
              meeting when Burma agreed to withdraw its troops from the
              island and let the Thais on it stay.

              Burmese soldiers also apologised for encroaching on Thai soil.

              Thai villagers on the island, however, reported later to the Fourth
              Infantry Regiment Task Force that they were intimidated by the
              Burmese forces.




                                    




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Last Modified: Sun, Feb 1, 1998