The Nation
MAE SAI, Chiang Rai
The situation remained tense here yesterday with Thai soldiers sealing off long stretches of Thailand's northern border with Burma following heavy clashes with Burmese troops throughout the day that resulted in the death of at least three Thai villagers.
At least 16 Thai nationals, seven of them soldiers, were injured in the fighting. Unconfirmed reports said 20 Burmese soldiers had been killed, officials said.
The fighting has turned this normally vibrant commercial district into a ghost town, with local residents and shopkeepers packing whatever belongings they can and fleeing into Chiang Rai province.
About 800 Thai soldiers have been deployed to border areas in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces. The Army has asked the Air Force to help it secure the border area, said Lt-General Wathanachai Chaimuanwong, commander of the Third Army Region.
Yesterday's clashes erupted after a unit of Burmese soldiers who had occupied a Thai base camp near Ban Pang Noon since Friday refused to retreat over the border.
At least 19 Thai Rangers were positioned there when Burmese troops overran the base on Friday, deputy commander of the Third Army Region Lt-General Chamlong Phothong, told The Nation yesterday.
Visiting Queen Margrethe and members of the Danish royal family accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in northern Thailand were yesterday contemplating cancelling a visit to the nearby Golden Triangle area for security reasons, according to official
sources.
Shortly after the three-hour clash at Ban Pang Noon yesterday morning, Burmese soldiers began firing random volleys of gunfire every five to 10 minutes or so into the heart of Mae Sai while shelling the outskirts of the town, damaging about 10 homes.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, an emotional Wathanachai accused Burma of violating Thailand's sovereignty and provoking the incident.
"They want the hill [near Ban Pang Noon] so they can position their artillery there to shoot at the [Shan] minority army. But this is our territory. I can't allow them to walk over us like this," the visibly tense commander said.
Ban Pang Noon is about seven kilometres south of Chiang Rai province's Mae Sai, a major commercial town bordering Burma's Tachilek town. Thai goods cross the border at the town, destined for as far away as China and India.
Other areas along the northern Thai-Burmese border remained on the alert, with troops from both sides closely monitoring each other's movements.
According to Chamlong, the 19 Thai Rangers who were in the base camp near Ban Pang Noon tried to persuade the Burmese to return over the border. "It was when the Burmese decided to release them and sent them back down to us that we decided to shell the hill," Chamlong said.
"It is our duty to defend our sovereign territory," he said. For the past week Burmese government troops have been engaged in heavy fighting with soldiers from the Shan State Army (SSA), a rebel outfit fighting for autonomy from Rangoon.
About 50 ethnic Shan families displaced by fighting between SSA soldiers and Burmese government troops live near Ban Pang Noon in Mae Pha Luang district, Chamlong said.
During the press conference yesterday, Wathanachai accused the Burmese troops of "deliberately trying to shoot down one of our helicopters, which was transporting food to troops in the area."
The incident took place at about 2pm on Saturday in Doi Lang, just 70 kilometres south of Mae Sai district, Chamlong said.
"It was intentional, and the incident is not an isolated one. The troops who shot at the helicopter are from the same unit that invaded our territory," Wathanachai said. The helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing at a nearby army base near Tha Thon.
Disputed Doi Lang, once occupied by soldiers belonging to opium warlord Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army, has for the past six years been occupied by both Thai and Burmese troops. The area became debatable after Khun Sa surrendered to Rangoon in January 1996 in return for an amnesty.
Throughout the weekend, firefights and exchanges of artillery shells between SSA troops and Burmese soldiers on the outskirts of Tachilek could be heard clearly in nearby Mae Sai.
Wathanachai said Burmese soldiers had launched "a heavy operation" against the SSA in an effort to give the United Wa State Army (UWSA), a pro-Rangoon ethnic outfit, greater control of the border region.
Headquartered in Panghsang on the Chinese border, the 20,000-strong UWSA is one of the world's largest armed drug-trafficking groups. It controls a large area along the northern Thai-Burmese border, where it engages in illicit drug production and trafficking.
Mae Sai, one of the liveliest towns along the border, was pretty much deserted yesterday afternoon amid fear that fighting could spill over into the town.
Chamlong said the border would remain closed until the situation returned to normal. Opening it now would risk the town falling into the hands of the Burmese and endangering national security, he said.
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The Nation: Govt to Lodge Protest with Envoy
BY DON PATHAN
The Nation
THE Foreign Ministry will today summon Burmese Ambassador Hla Maung to receive an official letter of protest condemning recent clashes between Thai and Burmese troops, said Surapong Jayanama, director-general of the ministry's East Asia Department yesterday.
The government will also demand financial compensation for loss of life and property caused by Burmese troops, Surapong said.
"Burmese troops have violated the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Surapong said. "The Thai Army responded directly to the violation, which Thailand deems provocative," Surapong said.
Foreign Ministry chief spokesman Pradarp Phibulsonggram said the government would call on Rangoon to reconvene the Thai-Burmese Regional Border Committee (RBC) as soon as possible to help clear the air following clashes that left at least three Thai villagers dead and more than a dozen injured.
The RBC is a bilateral committee set up to solve border disputes. It is chaired by the army commanders overseeing the countries' regions involved. The committee last met about two years ago, Pradarp said.
Thai and Burmese troops exchanged fire over the weekend, resulting in the death of at least three Thai villagers.
Seven Thai soldiers were reported to be in a serious condition, said Thai army officials, while news reports claimed 20 Burmese soldiers had been killed.
A Thai helicopter was also shot at on Saturday by Burmese troops positioned at Doi Lang, about 70 kilometres south of Mae Sai district. The helicopter was forced to carry out an emergency landing at an army camp at Tha Ton.
Army officials described the border area along Thailand's Mae Sai and Mae Ai districts as tense, with both sides monitoring each other's movements closely.
The weekend clashes marked the first direct confrontation between Thai and Burmese soldiers in three years.
Five years ago Burmese troops crossed deep into Thailand to burn down the Huay Kalok refugee camps near Mae Sot district, where thousands of ethnic Karens were living.
The incident was repeated the following year, forcing the Thai government to condemn the acts.
Yesterday's incident forced security planners to ponder the timing of the clashes.
One security official said Thai authorities believed the act was a deliberate test of new Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was installed as premier on February 9, the same day Burmese troops
illegally seized a hill near Ban Pang Noon and held at least 19 Thai Rangers hostage for some time.
Both Thaksin and General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who is expected to receive the Defence Ministry post, have publicly criticised the state of Thai-Burmese relations under Chuan Leekpai, saying they would use their relations with the Burmese junta to patch things up.
Many Thai defence planners expect more violent incidents along the border in the near future, with the Burmese generals looking forward to a less confrontational Bangkok government, the source said.
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Terrified Villagers Flee from 'Cruel Burmese'
February 12, 2001
By Jeeraporn Chaisri
The Nation
BAN PONG - Po, 67, woke up to gunfire yesterday morning and, grabbing
whatever she could, fled the area with her three-year-old niece.
All she has left in her possession is an extra set of clothes for her
niece. She said she had no idea how long the girl would have to wear
them before she could get hold of something new.
Po trekked for two kilometres from Doi Ngam before arriving at the main
road where she and others felt safe from stray Burmese bullets. She and
her niece were met by local authorities who were picking up evacuees.
"There was a guesthouse nearby that was blown to pieces," Po said.
"Smoke and dirt were all over the place."
Po said she had been worried that there would not be enough blankets to
go around, adding that the biting cold in the evenings in the North
didn't cross her mind when she was fleeing for her life. There were
plenty of blankets, however.
Po said she hopes peace comes soon so she and her family can return.
"There is no place as warm and peaceful as one's home. It's cold at
night and I'm concerned about my niece," she said.
Sukhavich Srithong, coordinator at Ban Pong's evacuation centre, said
there are about 1,000 people at the centre and that another 1,000 are
expected to arrive in the night.
The centre will not provide food because of a shortage of funds.
As the incident took place yesterday when most officers were away, it
has been difficult to coordinate with other government agencies,
Sukhavich said.
"For the time being, we can provide water and medicine but no food
because we don't have the money. We will welcome a helping hand from any
organisation that can help.
"It's not certain how long the situation will drag on," he said.
The evacuation centre at Ban Pong's school consists of a four-storey
building and another two-storey building, as well as more than 10 big
tents packed with villagers.
In addition to arriving with family members, many came with dogs and
cats and a quite a few with roosters. Some arrived with carts of rice,
water and blankets hauled by motorbikes.
Police set up a checkpoint to inspect unauthorised vehicles, but some
motorcycle taxis managed to sneak through, heading for Mae Sai to pick
up those still stranded.
