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

NEWS - The Junta's Tantrum Ends : B



Subject: Re: NEWS - The Junta's Tantrum Ends : Burma border opened, trade  normalised

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------35DE913D8361B96A520CB63D
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Dear Friends,

what a action to earn international respect. I know many countries will
congratulate Burma for this step. And many countries will just forget,
that it was also Burma who closed the border.

Metta
Heiko

Rangoon Post Co-Editor wrote:
> 
> THE NATION - November 24, 1999
> 
> Headlines
> 
> The Junta's Tantrum Ends :
> Burma border opened, trade normalised
> 
> RANGOON has agreed to unconditionally reopen its border with Thailand
> today,
> ending nearly two months of strained relations triggered by what Burma
> saw
> as Bangkok's improper handling of the Burmese Embassy hostage crisis,
> Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said yesterday.
> 
> The Burmese military government also agreed to facilitate the safe
> return of
> illegal Burmese workers whom it earlier rejected, he said.
> 
> The agreement was reached in Rangoon yesterday after a series of
> meetings
> between senior government officials and Surin, who was in Rangoon on a
> one-day trip.
> 
> Surin said the First Secretary of the ruling State Peace and Development
> Council, Lt Gen Khin Nyunt, had instructed township border committees
> supervising four border checkpoints to meet their Thai counterparts
> today,
> signalling the normalisation of border activities.
> 
> ''We have agreed that from Wednesday the township committees supervising
> the
> border at Ranong, Three Pagoda Pass, Mae Sot and Mae Sai will be
> meeting.
> 
> ''Everthing will return to normal, including border trade and
> cross-border
> travel procedures,'' Surin said on his return to Bangkok.
> 
> Earlier in Manila, Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said he
> planned to ask Surin how Southeast Asian countries could help ease
> tensions
> between Bangok and Rangoon.
> 
> Siazon is to meet Surin this week during the annual Asean Summit in
> Manila.
> 
> Siazon said he would ask Surin about Burma's decision to close the
> border.
> 
> ''I'd like to know what way other Asean countries can help ease the
> tensions
> there,'' Siazon said.
> 
> ''It seems to be natural that neighbours with a long border tend to have
> tensions. But any exacerbation could be dangerous and could further
> undermine Asean. We don't want to see that happen.''
> 
> Surin said Rangoon has agreed that the future handling of border
> disputes
> would be based on international laws and practices.
> 
> ''Any disruption of border activities will be informed in advance by
> both
> sides. From now on [Thai-Burma] relations will be on an equal footing
> and
> both sides will look forward to strengthen their ties through the spirit
> of
> Asean and neighbourliness,'' he said.
> 
> He said Burma has not linked the resumption of border activities with a
> demand for the arrest of the five Burmese armed rebels who stormed the
> embassy in Bangkok and held more than 30 hostages at gunpoint on Oct 1.
> 
> The siege ended peacefully after the gunmen were flown to the border in
> return for the release of all hostages.
> 
> The Burmese military government, which branded the five as terrorists,
> closed the border, halting lucrative cross-border trade and excluding
> Thai
> fishermen from its territorial waters.
> 
> Thailand in turn began an expulsion of Burmese workers who have flooded
> into
> the country from their own impoverished land in search of employment.
> 
> However, in a related development yesterday, Foreign Ministry
> director-general of East Asian affairs, Veerasak Footrakul, quoted Khin
> Nyunt as saying that the embassy attackers should be handled in
> accordance
> with Thai laws.
> 
> Responsible authorities of both sides are also set to negotiate the
> resumption of Thai fishing activities in Burmese waters.
> 
> According to Surin, the Foreign Ministry would inform its counterparts
> of
> the date of the meeting.
> 
> Surin said Burma wanted the fishing deals to be more regulated as Thai
> trawlers had often breached bilateral agreements by fishing outside
> concession areas, he said.
> 
> Surin said Burma also agreed to take back Burmese illegal workers on the
> grounds that they should return to the areas they have left.
> 
> According to Surin, Burma admitted that these people sneaked out of the
> country.
> 
> In the past, Rangoon has declined to admit that the workers were Burmese
> nationals, thus, complicating the extradition process even further.
> 
> Rangoon was earlier reluctant to take them back; arguing it did not know
> from where they originated.
> 
> The Nation, Associated Press

-- 
+================== Burma Group Tuebingen ==================+
| Heiko Schaefer                  | heiko@xxxxxxxxxxxxx     |
| Beim Herbstenhof 42             |                         |
| 72076 Tuebingen, Germany        | Tel: ++49 7071 55 25 54 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
|              http://www.burmagroup.de/                    |
+===========================================================+
--------------35DE913D8361B96A520CB63D
Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=us-ascii;
 name="heiko.vcf"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Description: Card for Heiko Schaefer
Content-Disposition: attachment;
 filename="heiko.vcf"

begin:vcard 
n:Schäfer;Heiko
tel;home:++49 (70 71) 55 25 54
tel;work:++49 (70 71) 55 25 54
x-mozilla-html:TRUE
url:http://www.burmagroup.de/
org:Burma Group Tübingen (BGT);Headquarter
adr:;;Beim Herbstenhof 42;Tübingen;;72076;Germany
version:2.1
email;internet:heiko@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
title:EC-Member
note:International Group for Freedom, Peace and Democracy in Burma
x-mozilla-cpt:;-16544
fn:Heiko Schäfer
end:vcard

--------------35DE913D8361B96A520CB63D--