BKK Post, April 4,1998. ANALYSIS /

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BKK Post, April 4,1998.
ANALYSIS / TROUBLES ON THE BORDER


Karens  mock   Thai sovereignty

They cross the border at will and leave
death and destruction as their calling card.
Thai security forces appear at a total loss
what to do with the DKBA and its
murderous habits.

SUPAMART  KASEM



Chettha .. He was forced to
travel to Burma to seek the
return of a pick-up truck
captured from a Thai patrol
unit on Thai soil by marauding
Burmese troops.


Last month, two Thai soldiers were taken hostage by the
DKBA after a clash along the border in Phop Phra district.
The plight of the two remains unknown.  However, an
unconfirmed source said they have already been killed.
Fourth Infantry Regiment Task Force commander
Chatchapat Yamngarmriab says he has received two reports:
the first saying the two soldiers are still alive and the other
that they have been killed.


    Within a period of less than two months, 10  people, many of them Thai villagers and Karen refugees, were killed and scores of others were injured in a spate of attacks on ethnic Karen refugee camps on Thai soil by Rangoon-backed guerrillas and unidentified forces.

   Between mid-February and March this year, about 1,500 living quarters, government offices and Buddhist temples were razed by pro-Rangoon Democratic Karen Buddhist (DKBA) raiders and members of unidentified forces.
    Those killed in the recent attacks along the border and on refugee camps in Mae Hong Son's Mae Sariang, Thai Song Yang, Mae Ramat and Mae Sot districts, and Tak's Prop Phra include four officials, two Thai villagers and four Karen refugees.  The injured include seven soldiers, four Thai villagers and 47 Karen refugees.

   Why has the DKBA, a rag-tag band of fighters, been so daring and belligerent, not even blinking at the possible retaliation of the mighty Thai army?

   Well, for one thing, it's no secret that the DKBA has the full backing of the Burmese government, which wants all Karen refugees living on Thai soil to return home as part of its suppression drive against the mainstream Karen National Union (KNU), which has been battling for more autonomy for Burma's Karen minority for 50 years.

   The DKBA makes frequent raids on Thai soil as it wants to put pressure on the. 80,000-plus refugees, most of them supporters of the KNU.

   The DKBA and the Rangoon government suspect that the refugee camps house KNU guerrillas who use the camps to map out strategic plans, to attack the junta.

   The KNU is a strong ethnic group which has yet to reach a cease-fire agreement with the Burmese government.  Other ethnic minority groups such as the Kachin Independent Organisation (KIO), the forces of former drug kingpin Khun Sa, the Karenni Progressive Party (KNPP) and the New Mon State Party (NMSP) have all reached cease-fire agreements with the junta.

   The other main motive for the attacks stems from the loss of lucrative profits from illegal businesses.

   Thailand's crackdown on illegal logging and untaxed goods along the border have enraged the DKBA and other interest groups, and so they are staging sabotage activities on Thai soil in an attempt to force Thai authorities to stop blocking their businesses.-

    "High-level military officials always deny the (Burmese) government's involvement in the DKBA's attacks," said one observer.  "But it is widely known that the military junta fully backs the DKBA in rooting out the KNU.

   "The Rangoon government successfully split Karen renegades from the KNU by using their different religious beliefs as the key, to create a rift in the KNU.  The mainstream KNU members are Christian, while those who defected to the DKBA are Buddhist Karens."

   After splitting from the KNU, breakaway Karens formed the Democratic Karen Buddhist Organisation (DKB0) and the DKBA.

   A key man who directly receives policy from the Rangoon government is Phra Usa  Jana, in his capacity as chairman of the DKBO, which has its headquarters in Mya Yi Ngu temple in Hlaingbwe.

   The breakaway Karens were instrumental in helping the Burmese military overrun the bases of the KNU.

   The relationship between the Burmese government and the DKBA is no secret.

   A Rangoon TV station reported that former senior military officers with the now-defunct State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) met with key members of the DKBA at Mya Yi Ngu temple in early 1995.

   In the TV broadcast, Phra Usa Jana and former Slorc senior officials, including second secretary general Tin Oo, interior minister Mya Tein and south-eastern force commander Khet Sein, were seen embracing one another.

   "Rangoon has promised us that if we, the DKBA, can drive Karen refugees living in Thai camps back to Burma, it will reward us with vast border areas and the freedom to rule Karens.  To help us become self-sup porting, the Burmese government promised to open cross-border trade between Thailand and the DKBA," explained DKBA force commander To Hliang.

   With the incentives and military backing of Burma, the DKBA is determined to carry out its task to push for. the return of Karen refugees to Burma, according to a Thai official.

   Although Rangoon has employed many tactics, including the use of the DKBA, to put pressure on KNU royalists in refugee camps, the chance of signing a cease-fire agreement with the KNU remains slim.

   The KNU, now under the leadership of president Bo Mya, has vowed not to yield to any pressure from the DKBA and the Burmese government.

   Thailand, which houses Karen refugees, still adheres strictly to its constructive engagement policy towards Burma.

   The Thai military has played an active role in mediating talks between Burma and its minority groups and in protecting the lives of refugees. when the DKBA launches attacks on refugee camps.

   However, some observers have raised questions about Thailand's policy towards Burma.  They argue that Thai authorities have done little to retaliate against Burma and the DKBA after the latter attacked refugee camps.

    "From Oct' 95-Apr' 96, the DKBA and unidentified forces intruded on Thai soil 44 times,' said the observer.  'Many refugee camps and border villages were raided.  A total of 14 people were killed in the attacks and 20 were wounded, including Thai officials, Thai civilians and refugees.  But Thai officials have never pursued the culprits.

   "In February last year, Burmese troops attacked a Thai patrol unit at Mae Oo Koh village in Umphang district.  The Burmese soldiers seized a pick-up truck, weapons and communications devices from the unit.  But Thailand again did not retaliate after the attack."

   The incident prompted army chief Chettha Thanajaro to fly to Burma to meet Burma's military chief, Gen Maung Aye, and intelligence chief, Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt, in Thakilek, opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district.  The army chief wanted Burma to return the seized vehicle.

   It took time for local Burmese authorities to return the seized vehicle, but they have refused to be held responsible for the damage caused in  the attack.
There have been several such incidents, including border intrusions and encroachment on Thai soil.  Nonetheless, Thailand a tough stance on Burma:

   Last month, two Thai soldiers were taken hostage by the DKBA after a clash along the border in Phop Phra district.  The plight of the two remains unknown.  However, an unconfirmed source said they have already been killed.  Fourth Infantry Regiment Task Force commander Chatchapat Yamngarmriab says he has received two reports: the first saying the two soldiers are still alive and the other that they have been killed.

   A police source said even if a cease-fire agreement is signed between Rangoon and the KNU, Thailand will still be the victim of attacks by other Burmese minority groups.  It also must carry the heavy burden of housing over 80,000 refugees fleeing fighting inside Burma.

   Political instability, human rights violations and economic problems in Burma are the main causes of Burmese and Karens fleeing to Thailand.  These factors undermine security along the Thai-Burmese border, particularly while the DKBA refuses to pay any heed to Thai sovereignty..


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