BKK Post, March 14, 1998. BORDER

[burma@xxxxxxxxxx]

March 14, 1998. BORDER

Gunmen kill Mae Sot councillor
Pro-Rangoon Karen renegades suspected
Supamart Kasem 
Tak

Alocal politician who owned the largest cattle market in this province 
was gunned down on Thursday by armed intruders, believed to be members 
of the pro-Rangoon Democratic Karen Buddhist Army.

Police said Khampho Samutla, a Mae Sot municipal councillor, was 
travelling with three other men from the municipality heading for Tha 
Song Yang village in Tambon Tha Song Yang to buy cattle.

His car was blocked by a large truck left on kilometre marker 130 on the 
Mae Sot-Mae Sariang highway at 9 p.m.

When the car stopped, it was showered with rifle fire from an armed 
group. Mr Khampho was shot in the chest and died at the scene. His 
driver turned the car round and drove to Tha Song Yang police station.

Local police and soldiers then rushed to the scene but found no trace of 
the attackers.

Pol Lt-Col Vinai Onsuwankul, deputy chief of the Tha Song Yang police 
station, said the scene was a dangerous zone where the military imposed 
a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m, because alien troops often intruded to 
commit robbery.

He assumed that the DKBA was responsible for the attack.

The incident is the latest in a spate of attacks on Thai territory by 
alien troops over the past two years.

The latest such incident took place on Wednesday night when DKBA forces 
attacked a Karen refugee camp at Ban Huay Kalok, Tak, killing two and 
wounding more than 40.

The attack prompted an outcry from the world community including the 
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which was joined by the 
European Union yesterday.

Britain, acting as the EU presidency, called for the attacks to stop, 
for the Burmese authorities to prevent such incidents from recurring and 
for Thai officials to safeguard the security of the refugees.

The situation prompted people in Tak to complain repeatedly to local MPs 
about their lives being in danger. The complaints were forwarded to the 
House military committee on Thursday, Democrat MP for Tak Chaiwut 
Banawat said yesterday.

The panel was to inquire about the problem from Army Commander-in-Chief 
Gen Chettha Thanajaro, National Security Council secretary-general Gen 
Boonsak Kamhaengritthirong and some Interior officials in charge, 
because Tak villagers doubted the efficiency of the government in 
protecting Thai people in the border province, Mr Chaiwut said.

Deputy Foreign Minister M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra will raise the issue 
with Burmese authorities during his visit on March 27 and 28 originally 
intended for trade talks, he added.

It was reported yesterday that the refugees have to live in makeshift 
shelters which lack hygiene and are beginning to suffer fever, diarrhoea 
and infections from burns and bullet wounds.

Parichart Khiawcha-on, a public health officer at Ban Huay Kalok 
village, said his clinic had treated over 200 refugees from the camp.

Under the current situation the refugees refused to leave their families 
to go to Mae Sot hospital 12 kilometres away for treatment, he said. 

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