BKK Post, March 30, 1998. Editoria

[burma@xxxxxxxxxx]

March 30, 1998. Editorial 
                            Trying to avoid border troubles

Thailand faces a number of risks as our neighbours battle for power. The 
first is the danger to Thai citizens from the fighting. In recent 
months, fire from both Burma and Cambodia has hit Thai territory, and 
killed our citizens. Cross-border attacks by Rangoon-supported 
guerrillas have become intolerably deadly. Our challenge is to deal with 
our border problems realistically, but to avoid being sucked into the 
internal politics or fighting of our neighbours. 

On one side, there are the Karen forces raised by the Rangoon 
government. They have joined a campaign against Karen rebels whose 
dispute with Burma?s central government reaches back virtually to the 
nation?s independence. This year the fighting has flowed into Thailand, 
where it has killed Thai citizens and the innocent Karen refugees we are 
sheltering. 

Things are marginally better on the northeastern border, but potentially 
far more dangerous. Cambodia remains incapable of settling its internal 
problems. This continues to pose grave security risks to our country. 
Thailand continues to shelter tens of thousands of Cambodians. But this 
drain on our money and human resources may be the least of the problems 
on the Khmer border. A confusing and menacing situation threatens to 
draw Thailand in. 

Prince Norodom Ranariddh returns to Cambodia today to establish his 
presence for the July elections. Hun Sen supporters have raised tensions 
by holding demonstrations against him. The kangaroo courts against 
Prince Ranariddh in recent weeks have been totally unnecessary and 
harmful to security. It is entirely moot whether Hun Sen, whose 
reputation as the godfather of Cambodia is growing, will allow free 
elections. 

If that is not enough, there will be a memorial today for the dead in 
last year?s terrorist attack on a political meeting in Phnom Penh. The 
US embassy has issued travel warnings around the capital. It notes that 
large crowds carry the potential for political violence. 

Up on our Cambodian border, Thai forces and citizens face danger and 
uncertainty, as do tens of thousands of Khmer refugees. A strong 
propaganda campaign from Phnom Penh began last week to claim that the 
Khmer Rouge base at Anlong Veng was in government hands. Although this 
has proved incorrect, strong rumours continue to be fanned by the Hun 
Sen team and its foreign advisers. As with a similar false campaign last 
December, many of the rumours being spread from Phnom Penh centre on 
Khmer Rouge leaders fleeing towards Thailand. 

Thailand confronts the dilemma it has had to face so many times in the 
past two decades. On the one hand, it is clear the country must defend 
its borders from intruders. As Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai made clear 
last week, there can be no further warnings or simple protests when 
Burma?s so called Burmese Democratic Karen Army crosses our frontier. If 
anything, it was time for the premier, who is also defence minister, to 
take a stand on these outrageous border incursions. 

If Thailand cannot welcome armed attackers, we always have tried to 
welcome innocent victims of war. In the past two decades, well over one 
million old men, women and children have sought asylum on Thai soil. 
Today, the number of Cambodian and Burmese refugees is approaching 
150,000. We continue to provide food and shelter to these casualties of 
war, and must continue to do so. 

Thailand must punish, quickly and violently, any further attack from 
across the border. Our authorities cannot allow harm to come to our 
citizens, nor to refugees. At the same time, we must not become directly 
involved in the problems of Burma and Cambodia. 

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