bangkok Post(28/7/99)

[mandalay@xxxxxxxxxx]

Don't let drug alarm close the border, says Kachadpai
NSC chief calls for proof of trafficking


Yuwadee Tunyasiri and Wasana Nanuam 


Thailand cannot overlook the impact on trade and other "normal" relations
with Burma from the closure of border passes to halt the inflow of
narcotics, the secretary-general of the National Security Council said
yesterday. Closing the border without proof of drug-smuggling could not
promote the policy of strengthening economic ties, said Kachadpai
Burusapatana.

Trade was a way to eliminate distrust and bring Thailand closer to its
neighbours, Mr Kachadpai said.

The army has proposed closing two border checkpoints in Chiang Mai at Kiew
Pha Wok in Chiang Dao district and Ban San Ton Du in Mae-Ai district, to
curb drug-trafficking.

The passes lead to areas controlled by the United Wa State Army, regarded
as the biggest drug producer in the Golden Triangle, according to Gen
Surayud Chulanont, the army chief.

Gen Surayud has questioned the benefit of keeping the Ban San Ton Du pass
open, although bilateral trade via this channel has generated 66 million
baht a year for Thailand.

Gen Surayud said the UWSA had used the money from drug trade to buy
construction materials from Thailand to build a dam and other
infrastructure in its territory, while Thais were being turned into drug
addicts.

Around 6,000 Thai workers are reportedly employed as construction workers
by the UWSA.

The army chief admitted the Interior Ministry and National Security Council
would have the final say on whether the checkpoints should be closed.

Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart said the closure could affect local
border trade.

Mr Kachadpai said while little was known about the volume and value of
drugs smuggled from Burma, such problems should not be allowed to disrupt
legal trade.

Trading must continue and if border fighting erupted or evidence of drug
smuggling was found, the provincial administration had full power to close
the border passes, he said.

Mr Kachadpai said security agencies needed a thorough study before deciding
if the border should be closed.

The military has stepped up its campaign against drugs by deploying more
troops along the border, while seeking Burma's co-operation in destroying
production sources and educating border villagers on the dangers of
narcotics, Mr Kachadpai said.


Burma has been fighting its own drug problems, he said, and the country
destroyed large volumes of drugs annually and promoted crop substitution
programmes.
----------------------------------------------------------
Where are Thailand's borders?
Kanjana Spindler


Some months ago, in a fit of visionary zeal, I compiled a list of priority
actions which I suggested the government of Prime Minister Chuan should
address. One of the items on that list was the demarcation of Thailand's
borders.

The full extent of this problem was recently brought home to me when I
requested some figures from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thailand's
border with Burma is estimated to be 2,401km long. To date, only 59km have
been mutually agreed upon or officially demarcated, leaving 2,342km to go.

Our border with Lao PDR is estimated to be 1,810km long, of which 408km
have been demarcated. However, the land border, as opposed to the riverine
border, is only 702km long so the demarcated length of 408km represents 58%
of the total land border. Our border with Cambodia is estimated to be 798km
long and of this total zero kilometres have been demarcated.

The figures I obtained did not include Malaysia but I understand, not
surprisingly, that our border with our southern neighbour is almost
completely demarcated.

So, in the year 2542, when the reasonably affluent hill trekker can know
his or her position to within 10m courtesy of a satellite tracking device
worn on one's wrist, the Kingdom of Thailand continues to be surrounded to
the west, north and east by a no-man's land of undefined territory.

Of course this is not a problem of technology. It's a legacy from past
governments of confused responsibilities and lack of priority. For obvious
reasons, in days gone by, the Royal Thai Army considered itself the
guardian of Thailand's borders. For financial reasons related to the
illegal cross-border trade in logs, narcotics and other commodities, and
for supposedly strategic military reasons as well, the RTA was happy having
such ill-defined borders. Throw in the Ministry of Interior's vested
interests and you have the complete picture.

But today this situation has changed dramatically. The RTA has clearly
ceded authority and responsibility for border demarcation to the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and current RTA Commander-in-Chief Gen Surayud Chulanont
told me recently that he considers border demarcation the most important
issue Thailand needs to address in strategic military terms.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs seems to agree with Gen Surayud but Deputy
Foreign Minister M.R Sukhumbhand Paribatra points out that diplomacy is a
process that cannot always produce overnight results. This is true of
course, but for a number of reasons the rapid and complete demarcation of
Thailand's borders should now be elevated to a national priority. This
means it should be accorded the human and financial resources necessary to
achieve this goal in a timely manner and with the necessary flexibility in
negotiating terms.

Narcotics suppression is the first reason for a strengthened focus on
successful border demarcation. While it may be true to say there is no

causal relationship between the narcotics flowing into Thailand from our
neighbours and the lack of demarcated borders, in terms of narcotics
suppression the lack of well-defined borders clearly presents a major
problem, one that Gen Surayud feels very strongly about. Ill-defined
borders create a vacuum in which banditry thrives and law and order don't
exist. This is the clear cost of not knowing where Thailand stops and our
neighbours' territory begins.

At the same time, Thailand's ambition to become the centre of trade,
transport and communications and tourism for Indochina and Burma absolutely
depends on getting this issue of borders fixed. Gen Chatichai Choonhavan's
vision of turning battlefields into marketplaces remains valid but nearly a
decade after he first articulated it, without border demarcation, it
remains just that.
---------------------------------------------------------