The Nation(2/8/99)

[mandalay@xxxxxxxxxx]

Chiang Mai border post to be closed

A BORDER checkpoint in Chiang Mai which is allegedly used as a channel to
smuggle drugs from Burma into Thailand will be closed this week, Prime
Minister Chuan Leekpai announced yesterday during a trip to the area. 

Chuan had hinted at the imminent closure on Friday and Saturday but given
no date. After his inspection of the area yesterday, the prime minister
said he would instruct Chiang Mai governor Pravit Sisophon to order the
closure of the San Ton Doo temporary checkpoint in Mae Ai district this week. 

It is so far the government's most drastic anti-drug action which has
bilateral implications. The Foreign Ministry is known to have been cautions
over the proposed closure, but most senior military officers, local
authorities, police, the Nation Security Council and the Office of the
Narcotics Control Board favour the measure. 

Information he obtained from yesterday's trip would also be presented to
the National Security Council, on which Chuan serves as ex-officio chairman. 

Chuan said the Kiew Pa Wok temporary checkpoint in Chiang Mai's Chiang Dao
district would not be closed as had been recommended by local authorities,
because the border checkpoint acted as an important channel of cross-border
trade and communication for many people from both sides of the border. 

The prime minister added, however, that the authorities would be stricter
with people who pass the checkpoint. 

He said yesterday Rangoon would also be informed of the closure. 

''The Burmese government should also be informed of the closure,'' he said,
adding that according to international practice, closure of a border
checkpoint should be agreed to by the countries which share the border. 

Chuan said the Interior Ministry alone could order closure of the
checkpoint. But National Security Council secretary-general Kachadpai
Burusapatana said yesterday that the prime minister, in his capacity as the
ex-officio NSC chairman, was empowered to order the closure. 

''San Ton Doo is a special checkpoint. It doesn't need the power of the
Interior Ministry to close. The prime minister is empowered to order the
closure. He has the final say,'' Kachadpai said. 

Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart said yesterday that Chuan had told
him the checkpoint had to be closed. 


Sanan said the prime minister had the power to order the closure without
consulting the NSC. He was ready to instruct the Chiang Mai governor to
enforce the closure if ordered by the prime minister. 

Earlier, Sanan reportedly appeared to disagree with the closure of the San
Ton Doo checkpoint for fear that it would affect people living in the
border area. 

Chuan, accompanied by the NSC chief and Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Surayud
Chulanond, inspected the Thai-Burmese border in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai
yesterday as pressure mounted for border checkpoints to be closed as part
of a security crackdown on drug trafficking. 

The premier's group also went to Mae Fa Luang district of Chiang Rai, where
a haul of about four million amphetamine pills had been seized after an
armed clash between a Thai border patrol unit and drug couriers from
outside the country. 

Kachadpai said yesterday the San Ton Doo checkpoint had no substantial
economic benefits for Thailand and was a threat to national security. 

He added that his agency was specifically concerned about border situations
in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son. 

The checkpoint is adjacent to the Burmese city of Yon, reportedly a
stronghold of the separatist United Wa State Army (UWSA), a major
trafficker of amphetamines and other illicit drugs. 

Akom Tuladilik, a district chief in Chiang Mai, said yesterday the Third
Army Area had temporarily closed the Kiew Pa Wok checkpoint many times, the
latest on May 1, after it had been found that it had been used by foreign
immigrants to enter Thailand, and by drug traffickers. 

Surapol Tansuwan, chairman of the Region 9 Chamber of Commerce, which also
covers Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, said yesterday the private sector
agreed to the closure of the San Ton Doo checkpoint because it was small
and the closure was unlikely to affect border trade in the area as claimed
by some people. 

Many other routes could become alternative channels for border trade, he
added. 
-------------------------
REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE: Sign refugee convention and earn world respect

THE recent spate of incidents along the Thai-Burmese border involving
refugees, drugs and the demarcation line require a new thinking on the part
of Thailand. 

One of the most important ways to gradually settle the Thai-Burmese border
issues is to deal with the influx of Burmese refugees differently. In fact,
the time has come for the Thai government to give full protection to
innocent refugees living along the Thai-Burmese border. To do so, the Chuan
government must accede without delay to the United Nations Convention
relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951. 

By dragging its feet on this, as the government has done over the past four
decades, would only hold Thailand and its national security interests
hostage to the porous Thai-Burmese border as well as the junta leaders in
Burma. 

The recent announcement by the National Security Council that Thailand
would repatriate 90,000 Burmese displaced persons within three years is a
retrogressive step, given the long history of Thai hospitality and
diplomacy. Those refugees who are safe inside Thailand should be allowed to

stay and those who want to return voluntary should be able to do so
anytime. The refugees, however, must not be forcibly sent back. Such an
action would not only contravene Thai social responsibility, but it also
violates United Nations principles. 

Even with the ongoing economic crisis that hit the country two years ago,
Thailand remains a popular destination for the destitute escaping from
political oppression and poverty in their bid to seek jobs and a better
life. Above all, the Thais are hospitable people. Most of these people are
coming from Burma these days. They can literally cross the 2,420-kilometre
Thai-Burmese border at will, albeit under the watchful eyes of the border
patrol police. 

Both the Karens and the Shans, the two major minorities that have relied on
Thailand's generosity, have long historical links with the Thais. Their
peoples have been summarily suppressed and intimidated, forcing them to
cross over to the Thai side for safety reasons. These minorities are still
waging a war of liberation against the Burmese security forces. 

Although Thai-Burmese relations have improved over the past months, it has
not yet reached the level of mutual trust that warrants major breakthroughs
in refugee issues, drugs suppression, and above all, border security. 

Beginning this year, the Foreign Ministry has become more accommodating
with Rangoon in the hope that it could influence positive changes in Burma.
As the new Asean chairman, Thailand wants to ensure some progress in
Burma's political situation, as well as improvements along the Thai-Burmese
border. 

In recent months, the border security in northern Thailand with adjacent
areas to Burma has become very tense. These areas have now become great
sources of heroin and amphetamines before they reach the rest of the world.
The Burmese side has yet to provide full cooperation to wipe out this
illicit trade. Like Thailand, the international community is increasingly
willing to cooperate with Burma on drug-related issues while maintaining a
firm position on human rights and democracy. 

Army chief Gen Surayud Chulanont, since he took over this powerful position
eight months ago, has adopted a no-nonsense policy on the Thai-Burmese
border. Any border incursions by the Burmese forces would be responded to
with the strongest measures possible. The security forces have been
instructed to be professional and to avoid shady transactions. Transparency
along border areas has since increased tremendously. 

Last July, Thailand invited the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to play a
bigger role in taking care of the Burmese refugees living in settlements
along the Thai-Burmese border. It was a good decision. But the government
needs to go further in facilitating the work of UNHCR and other
international relief organisations. After all, Thailand has nothing to hide. 

Thailand should utilise the good office of UNHCR by expanding the
organisation's access to the border areas. Existing facilities in Mae Hong
Son and Kanchanaburi are no longer sufficient to deal with situation. 


UNHCR and other international relief organisations have assisted Thailand
to cope with its refugee problems on humanitarian grounds. But to guarantee
the refugees' safety, Thailand needs to do more. These border refugees have
from time to time resettled in new camps deep inside the Thai territory to
ensure that they would be safe from possible attacks and incursions from
the Burmese military. And they should be allowed to remain. Moving them
back would gravely endanger their lives. 

Thai officials have been engaging in a self-indulgence game by arguing that
Thailand has done more than its fair share to assist and provide shelter to
the refugees for the past 30 years. Thailand's cooperation with the
international community over the Cambodian refugees epitomised Thai
generosity, they said. So, there is no need to accede to the 1951 convention. 

To persist on this line of argument is totally missing the point. Thailand
must come out of the closet in dealing with its refugees, an issue that
will not go away as long as human security in neighbouring countries does
not improve. The four decades of engaging the Karen refugees and their
armed elements should provide valuable lessons for the Thais. Thai
authorities have to recognise that these issues are long-standing and need
a coherent and well-defined policy -- not a knee-jerk policy every time
there is an incursion by the Burmese troops. 

The Chuan government must weigh carefully the pros and cons in dealing with
the refugees. By acceding to the 1951 convention, Thailand will be a
responsible partner of the world community. What kind of achievements has
the country attained in the past by avoiding its international commitment
on refugees, other than more agonies and internal conflicts? 

After all, this is not a zero-sum game. It will also be the first step in
tackling complicated border issues, particularly the refugee problems, as
they can be effectively dealt with in a transparent manner and with the
assistance of the international community. 
-----------------
AUST-BURMA TALKS 

RANGOON - Australian human rights commissioner Chris Sidoti arrived in
Rangoon yesterday for talks with Burmese officials on the establishment of
an independent human rights commission in the country, diplomatic sources
said. 

Sidoti's four-day visit follows talks at the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations meeting in Singapore last week between Burmese Foreign Minister Win
Aung and Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who proposed the
establishment of an independent human rights commission in Burma. 
Sidoti is expected to discuss with Burmese officials the technicalities of
establishing such a commission, the sources said.
---------------------