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Bkk post- Border closure halts Wa a



Subject: Bkk post- Border closure halts Wa army's construction drive

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Bangkok Post - Jan 03, 2000
THAI-BURMESE RELATIONS


Border closure halts Wa army's construction drive
Influential groups in bid to reopen pass


Sermsuk Kasitipradit AND Nusara Thaitawat
San Ton Du, Mae Ai, Chiang Mai


Development of the border village of Mong Yawn into the United Wa State =
Army's southern military command headquarters has come to a standstill, =
following Thailand's closure of the San Ton Du-Mong Yawn border crossing =
since August.=20

A senior officer of the Third Army responsible for security in the North =
said the closure of San Ton Du has had the desired effect on the UWSA, =
widely believed to be the biggest and most powerful drug trafficking =
group in the region.=20

"Construction materials and other essential commodities could reach Mong =
Yawn in just 3-4 hours when the border was open. But the situation has =
changed dramatically with the government's decision to close the =
crossing.=20

"It now takes at least 5-7 days for supplies to reach Mong Yawn via =
Chiang Dao's Kiew Pha Walk crossing, and the road is really bad," the =
officer said.=20

He admitted there was still pressure from certain influential persons to =
reopen San Ton Du. He said the army's consent was crucial for such a =
decision. "Under the present circumstances, it is absolutely unlikely =
the army will agree," he said.=20

Informed sources with links to the leadership in Mong Yawn said the UWSA =
was getting increasingly frustrated with the situation, as at first it =
believed the closure would only be temporary.=20

Not only has Mong Yawn's development suffered, but trade has also been =
badly affected.=20

A Thai businessman who supplied construction materials and petrol to =
Mong Yawn said the leadership there re-sold part of its imports at =
10-20% profit to buyers deeper in Burma's eastern Shan State.=20

UWSA dependents, mostly young mothers and their infants, the sick and =
seriously wounded soldiers are still allowed across the border into =
Thailand for medical care on humanitarian grounds.=20

Mong Yawn's major infrastructure projects include a hydro-electric dam, =
a huge underground oil storage, roads, telephone lines and pipe water, =
and housing for UWSA leaders and thousands of soldiers and their =
dependents who were being systematically relocated from other =
UWSA-controlled areas in northern Shan State.=20

Its development projects include agriculture, animal husbandry, public =
health and education. The projects, aimed at achieving self-sufficiency =
and designed-according to USWA propaganda-to gradually wipe out drug =
trafficking, were estimated by an independent development worker to be =
worth at least one billion baht.=20

Before August, the UWSA employed 5,000-6,000 Thai workers in the whole =
of its southern military command stretching from Mong Yawn to Mong Hsat, =
including 500-600 in Mong Yawn alone. The UWSA is headquartered in =
Pangsanh near the Shan-Chinese border.=20

Army chief Gen Surayud Chulanont had pushed hard for the closure of the =
border crossing, after the army became fully convinced that the UWSA =
used drug money to fund Mong Yawn's development. The army chief had =
clarified several times that the ultimate purpose of the crossing's =
closure was not to stem the flow of drugs into the country, but to cause =
utmost difficulty to the UWSA in its aspirations to develop Mong Yawn.=20

The grand plan was for Mong Yawn, a dusty little village formally under =
the control of retired drug kingpin Khun Sa of the Mong Tai Army, to =
become home for 200,000 Wa people once construction was completed.=20

An intelligence officer from Pha Mueng Task Force, which supervises =
security along the Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai border, said a large number of =
Thai workers still in Mong Yawn had contacted the army for help to come =
back home.=20


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<DIV align=3Dleft><FONT color=3D#900000 =
face=3DARIAL,HELVETICA><B>Bangkok Post - Jan=20
03, 2000</B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft><FONT color=3D#900000 =
face=3DARIAL,HELVETICA><B>THAI-BURMESE=20
RELATIONS</B></FONT></DIV><BR><!-- HEADLINE -->
<H1 align=3Dleft><FONT size=3D4>Border closure halts Wa army's =
construction=20
drive</FONT></H1>
<H1><!--KICKER--><FONT size=3D+2><I><FONT size=3D4>Influential =
</FONT>groups in bid=20
to reopen pass</I></FONT><BR><BR></H1>
<P><FONT color=3D#000000><!--BYLINE--><B><FONT size=3D3>Sermsuk =
Kasitipradit AND=20
Nusara Thaitawat</FONT></B><BR><!--BYLINE--><B><FONT size=3D3>San Ton =
Du, Mae Ai,=20
Chiang Mai</FONT></B><BR>
<P><FONT size=3D+2><B>D</B></FONT>evelopment of the border village of =
Mong Yawn=20
into the United Wa State Army's southern military command headquarters =
has come=20
to a standstill, following Thailand's closure of the San Ton Du-Mong =
Yawn border=20
crossing since August. </P>
<P>A senior officer of the Third Army responsible for security in the =
North said=20
the closure of San Ton Du has had the desired effect on the UWSA, widely =

believed to be the biggest and most powerful drug trafficking group in =
the=20
region. </P>
<P>"Construction materials and other essential commodities could reach =
Mong Yawn=20
in just 3-4 hours when the border was open. But the situation has =
changed=20
dramatically with the government's decision to close the crossing. </P>
<P>"It now takes at least 5-7 days for supplies to reach Mong Yawn via =
Chiang=20
Dao's Kiew Pha Walk crossing, and the road is really bad," the officer =
said.=20
</P>
<P>He admitted there was still pressure from certain influential persons =
to=20
reopen San Ton Du. He said the army's consent was crucial for such a =
decision.=20
"Under the present circumstances, it is absolutely unlikely the army =
will=20
agree," he said. </P>
<P>Informed sources with links to the leadership in Mong Yawn said the =
UWSA was=20
getting increasingly frustrated with the situation, as at first it =
believed the=20
closure would only be temporary. </P>
<P>Not only has Mong Yawn's development suffered, but trade has also =
been badly=20
affected. </P>
<P>A Thai businessman who supplied construction materials and petrol to =
Mong=20
Yawn said the leadership there re-sold part of its imports at 10-20% =
profit to=20
buyers deeper in Burma's eastern Shan State. </P>
<P>UWSA dependents, mostly young mothers and their infants, the sick and =

seriously wounded soldiers are still allowed across the border into =
Thailand for=20
medical care on humanitarian grounds. </P>
<P>Mong Yawn's major infrastructure projects include a hydro-electric =
dam, a=20
huge underground oil storage, roads, telephone lines and pipe water, and =
housing=20
for UWSA leaders and thousands of soldiers and their dependents who were =
being=20
systematically relocated from other UWSA-controlled areas in northern =
Shan=20
State. </P>
<P>Its development projects include agriculture, animal husbandry, =
public health=20
and education. The projects, aimed at achieving self-sufficiency and=20
designed-according to USWA propaganda-to gradually wipe out drug =
trafficking,=20
were estimated by an independent development worker to be worth at least =
one=20
billion baht. </P>
<P>Before August, the UWSA employed 5,000-6,000 Thai workers in the =
whole of its=20
southern military command stretching from Mong Yawn to Mong Hsat, =
including=20
500-600 in Mong Yawn alone. The UWSA is headquartered in Pangsanh near =
the=20
Shan-Chinese border. </P>
<P>Army chief Gen Surayud Chulanont had pushed hard for the closure of =
the=20
border crossing, after the army became fully convinced that the UWSA =
used drug=20
money to fund Mong Yawn's development. The army chief had clarified =
several=20
times that the ultimate purpose of the crossing's closure was not to =
stem the=20
flow of drugs into the country, but to cause utmost difficulty to the =
UWSA in=20
its aspirations to develop Mong Yawn. </P>
<P>The grand plan was for Mong Yawn, a dusty little village formally =
under the=20
control of retired drug kingpin Khun Sa of the Mong Tai Army, to become =
home for=20
200,000 Wa people once construction was completed. </P>
<P>An intelligence officer from Pha Mueng Task Force, which supervises =
security=20
along the Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai border, said a large number of Thai =
workers=20
still in Mong Yawn had contacted the army for help to come back home.=20
</P></FONT></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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