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THE NATION: Camp terrorised by Kare
- Subject: THE NATION: Camp terrorised by Kare
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 11 Mar 1998 23:58:00
Politics
Camp terrorised by Karen
rebels
TAK -- An armed group of Karen ethnic
rebels reportedly backed by Burmese
troops yesterday launched an early morning
attack on a refugee camp in northern
Thailand, torching over 1,000 dwellings,
killing two and leaving over 50 injured,
border security officials said.
The incident, along with a previous
cross-border attack by armed Burmese
groups, prompted the Foreign Ministry to
submitted a protest letter to Burma.
In the latest attack, about 50 fighters of the
Burma-based Democratic Karen Buddhist
Army (DKBA) under the command of Maj
Col Maung Che Doo and Maj Col Too Ma
Sae crossed the Moei River into Mae Sot
district's Baan Huay Kalok and attacked the
refugee camp there with M-79 machine
guns and 60-mm mortars and RPG rockets
at 1.15 am yesterday.
The attack, believed to be backed by
Burmese troops at Kaw Moola base,
prompted a reprisal from a border patrol
police unit before the invaders retreated
across the river. A woman and child were
killed in the crossfire. The blaze destroyed
or damaged about 1,500 houses and left
over 50 injured.
About 9,000 refugees fled in panic to
nearby temples to take temporary shelter. It
took three hours before authorities could
bring the blaze under control.
Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman
Thinakorn Kanasuta said the ministry
yesterday submitted a letter to Burma to
protest two cross-border attacks by armed
Burmese groups, including the latest one.
The ministry also demanded the release of
three Thai villagers who were taken
hostage during an intrusion by about 20
armed troops on Feb 28 in which a Thai
was killed and two others injured, Thinakorn
said.
The letter was handed over to Khin Muang
Oo, minister counsellor of the Burmese
Embassy in Bangkok, by East Asian Affairs
Department Deputy Director General
Arbhorn Manasvanich.
In the letter, the ministry demanded that
Burma investigate the incidents and take
action to prevent a recurrence. It also
demanded compensation for the families of
the victims.
Referring to the February incident, the letter
said about 20 mortar shells had landed at
Ban Tha Ta Fang, in Mae Hong Son's Mae
Sariang district.
The Nation, agencies