Abduction revives border tensions

Don Pathan
The Nation

Thai political leaders and top officials in Bangkok were tight-lipped as to how the kidnapping of seven Thai army and narcotics officers by a pro-Rangoon armed group could have occurred just weeks after the fence-mending visit by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Rangoon.

Few were without an opinion as to how such an incident would affect the waxing and waning of Thai-Burmese relations. All agreed Burma's help was necessary for securing the release of the seven captives. Thai officers on the front lines along the border, on the other hand, were not so optimistic. Many see the incident as retaliation against the recent arrest of seven people, reportedly their associates, in connection with the smuggling of 74 kilograms of heroin and Bt90 million in cash.

Moreover, they said the kidnapping incident had not only strained working relations at the local level but more importantly, it had exposed the flaws in what has been billed as recuperating bilateral ties between the two governments. Needless to say, the "flaw" in this case is the 20,000-strong United Wa State Army (UWSA), dubbed one of the world's largest armed narcotics-trafficking groups.

The UWSA operate somewhat independently in an autonomous zone along Burma's northeastern frontier. At the height of the mudslinging that was kicked off by day-long cross-border shelling between the Thai and Burmese armies earlier this year, top brass from both sides were trading vicious accusations, saying their counterparts were taking kickbacks from drug traffickers.

Although the war of words may have quietened down following Thaksin's visit to Rangoon, feelings among border units remain tense, officials said. Many said it would take more than a "kiss-and-make-up" session between Thaksin and the junta to improve the situation on the front lines.

For years, Bangkok has consistently held Rangoon accountable for the Wa's illicit activities, despite acknowledging that the UWSA operate independently from Rangoon. This independence is illustrated by the fact that Burmese troops are required to disarm before entering Wa-controlled areas.

Two years ago, Thailand declared war on the UWSA, accusing them of regularly flooding the country with millions of methamphetamine pills. Economic sanctions were imposed against the Wa and a border checkpoint leading to Mong Yawn, one of their strongholds near the Thai border, was ordered shut.

According to the US State Department, Burma continues to be one of the world's largest producers of illicit opium, accounting for 80 per cent of the total production in Southeast Asia. A great deal of the drug activities there is controlled by the UWSA. The group entered a cease-fire agreement, but not a permanent peace deal, with the military government of Burma in 1989.