[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

Junta Officials Demanding 20 millio (r)

Subject: Junta Officials Demanding 20 million Payoff To Open Border

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_003C_01BF1096.73CE4520
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

SHAN HERALD AGENCY FOR NEWS=20

7 October 1999

No: 10 - 8

Junta Officials Demanding 20 million Payoff To Open Border

A businessman from Thailand told S.H.A.N. yesterday that local junta=20
officials are demanding a sum of 20 million baht payoff in order to =
reopen=20
the border between Burma's Shan State and Thailand's Chiangrai.

The businessman, who is currently stranded on the Burmese side since the =

closure on 1 October, when a group of students raided and occupied the=20
Burmese Embassy in Bangkok for 25 hours, disclosed to S.H.A.N.'s =
reporter=20
that the Distrct Peace and Development Committee officials in Tachilek =
were=20
asking for a payment of 20 million baht in order to obtain Rangoon's=20
permission to reopen the border between Shan State's Tachilek and =
Maesai,=20
Chiangrai Province.

"The generals were not happy with the way the Thai government handled =
the=20
affair, " he said. "It appeared to them as though the Thai officails =
were=20
doing their best to accomnodate and facilitate the hijackers instead of=20
shooting and subduing them".

He confirmed prices have gone skyhigh since the closure.

He added that, "The demand for the payoff is not unsual. There have been =
at=20
least two precedents already: first in 1995, when Khun Sa attacked=20
Tachilek, and second, when Thai police shot some Burmese drug suspects =
dead=20
in 1998. On the first occassion, the Thai business community had to pay =
B.=20
50 million and on the second, B. 20 million".

///END\\\
For further information, please contact S.H.A.N. at:
Shan Herald Agency for News.
P.O. Box. 15, Nonghoi P.O., 50007, Chiangmai, Thailand
Ph/Fax: (053) 807 121
e-mail: <shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

S.H.A.N. is a non-profit making, independent Shan media group. It is not =

affiliated to any political or armed organization.



------=_NextPart_000_003C_01BF1096.73CE4520
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2314.1000" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D4><STRONG><EM>SHAN HERALD AGENCY FOR NEWS =

</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D3>7 October 1999<BR><BR>No: 10 - =
8<BR><BR><FONT=20
size=3D4><STRONG>Junta Officials Demanding 20 million Payoff To Open=20
Border</STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D3><BR>A businessman from Thailand told =
S.H.A.N.=20
yesterday that local junta <BR>officials are demanding a sum of 20 =
million baht=20
payoff in order to reopen <BR>the border between Burma's Shan State and=20
Thailand's Chiangrai.<BR><BR>The businessman, who is currently stranded =
on the=20
Burmese side since the <BR>closure on 1 October, when a group of =
students raided=20
and occupied the <BR>Burmese Embassy in Bangkok for 25 hours, disclosed =
to=20
S.H.A.N.'s reporter <BR>that the Distrct Peace and Development Committee =

officials in Tachilek were <BR>asking for a payment of 20 million baht =
in order=20
to obtain Rangoon's <BR>permission to reopen the border between Shan =
State's=20
Tachilek and Maesai, <BR>Chiangrai Province.<BR><BR>"The generals were =
not happy=20
with the way the Thai government handled the <BR>affair, " he said. "It =
appeared=20
to them as though the Thai officails were <BR>doing their best to =
accomnodate=20
and facilitate the hijackers instead of <BR>shooting and subduing=20
them".<BR><BR>He confirmed prices have gone skyhigh since the =
closure.<BR><BR>He=20
added that, "The demand for the payoff is not unsual. There have been at =

<BR>least two precedents already: first in 1995, when Khun Sa attacked=20
<BR>Tachilek, and second, when Thai police shot some Burmese drug =
suspects dead=20
<BR>in 1998. On the first occassion, the Thai business community had to =
pay B.=20
<BR>50 million and on the second, B. 20 =
million".<BR><BR>///END\\\<BR>For=20
further information, please contact S.H.A.N. at:<BR>Shan Herald Agency =
for=20
News.<BR>P.O. Box. 15, Nonghoi P.O., 50007, Chiangmai, =
Thailand<BR>Ph/Fax: (053)=20
807 121<BR>e-mail: &lt;<A=20
href=3D"mailto:shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx";>shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx</A>&gt;<BR><BR>S.H.A.=
N. is a=20
non-profit making, independent Shan media group. It is not =
<BR>affiliated to any=20
political or armed organization.<BR><BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_003C_01BF1096.73CE4520--