NEWS - Thais play down fallout from

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Subject: NEWS - Thais play down fallout from Myanmar embassy siege 

Thais play down fallout from Myanmar embassy siege 
                        02:47 a.m. Oct 05, 1999 Eastern 

                        By Sutin Wannabovorn 

                        BANGKOK, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Thailand will not
change its policy of sheltering dissidents and
                        refugees despite last week's attack on Myanmar's
embassy in Bangkok by five armed students,
                        Thai officials said on Tuesday. 

                        They also said the incident was unlikely to
affect ties with neighbouring Yangon. 

                        Myanmar accused Thailand on Monday of glorifying
the gunmen 

                        after Bangkok called them student pro-democracy
activists and even suggested that some
                        foreigners taken hostage had helped to stage the
attack. The gunmen took 89 hostages but
                        later freed them and escaped. 

                        ``Yes, there is some sentiment (from Yangon) as
the incident is still fresh, but that feeling will
                        eventually evaporate,'' Foreign Minister Surin
Pitsuwan told reporters. 

                        ``The long-standing and close relations between
the two countries will not be affected by the
                        incident and all aspects of cooperation will
continue as usual,'' he said. 

                        ``Creating confidence is the top priority for
the time being,'' Surin said, adding that Thailand had
                        increased the number of security personnel at
the Myanmar embassy. 

                        Myanmar's military government had also agreed to
step up security at the Thai embassy in
                        Yangon, Surin said. 

                        THAILAND WILL CONTINUE GIVING SHELTER 

                        Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra
said: 

                        ``The action of a few people will not change the
long-standing Thai humanitarian policy.
                        Thailand is the Buddhist nation where we provide
sheltering for people who run away from
                        suffering and seek help and refuge. One incident
cannot make us change this policy.'' 

                        Thailand provides shelter for dissident Myanmar
students after Yangon killed thousands of
                        pro-democracy supporters in late 1988. 

                        Sukhumbhand and another Thai official were taken
by the embassy attackers as guarantors of
                        safe passage in a helicopter. The attackers
released them after making their escape at a town
                        along the Thai-Myanmar border. 

                        THAILAND WOULD NOT BE TOO STRICT WITH DISSIDENTS 

                        Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, who came
under fire for security lapses, agreed with
                        Sukhumbhand. 

                        ``Yes, we have to be more strict with them
(dissidents) but if we become too strict with them the
                        government will be subject to the criticism from
non-governmental organisations,'' he said. 

                        Myanmar's government had warned that Bangkok's
handling of the hostage saga with kid gloves
                        could set a precedent for other dissidents and
affect security of other embassies in Thailand. 

                        ``The students staged the drama because they
wanted to draw attention from the international
                        community. At this time everyone seemed to be
paying attention to East Timor,'' said Lieutenant
                        Colonel Ner Hdar, spokesman for the Karen
National Union (KNU) guerrilla group, which is
                        fighting the Yangon government for a autonomous
eastern Karen state. 


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