Thaksin
hopes that tension between Burma and Thailand will ease and that
Rangoon will reopen border checkpoints
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday ordered the
withdrawal of troops from an exercise near the northern border
in a bid to ease tension with Burma after Rangoon closed border
crossings in response to recent skirmishes.
Thaksin said he hoped Rangoon would respond positively to the
move by reopening border checkpoints soon, although Thailand
would not dispatch diplomats to negotiate for their reopening.
"The situation is back to normal now that troops have
started withdrawing to their stations," he said.
Misunderstandings could easily happen between the two
countries, the PM said, as Thailand shared a common border with
Burma, which was at war with ethnic insurgent groups.
"The drill at the border could be misinterpreted [by
Burma]," he added.
Tension between the two neighbours soared early this week
after thousands of Thai troops were deployed to border areas on
a mission that senior military officials have described as a
"routine exercise" by the Third Army.
The move came amid local and international reports that
Thailand received permission from the junta's number two,
General Maung Aye, to strike the Pro-Rangoon United Wa State
Army (UWSA), believed to be the largest producer and exporter of
illicit drugs to Thailand.
But Burma was upset after a series of attacks on UWSA
military posts by Shan State Army (SSA) guerrillas. The junta
later accused Thailand of firing artillery rounds into its
territory to support the attacks led by SSA Commander Yawd Serk,
who says Burmese government officials are involved in the drug
trade.
Army Commander Surayud Chulanont said the Thai military did
not side with any ethnic army but has a duty to defend the
sovereignty of the nation and provide protection to Thai
citizens in border areas.
"We can prove that our soldiers did not shell into
Burma. In contrary, some mortar shells landed on Thai soil and
we protested over the incident but we obtained no response from
Burma," he said.
Deputy Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha said the Shan
fighters were able to easily defeat Burmese troops in the battle
because they were in better positions, not because of Thai
support.
Burma should enforce its weak points rather than blame its
neighbour, Yuthasak said.
Inaccurate intelligence information from border areas led to
a wrong decision by Rangoon to close the border with Thailand,
he said, adding that the withdrawal of Thai troops from the
exercise would allow the junta's generals to have a clearer
view.
Yuthasak said local officials would call a meeting of the
Township Border Committee today to exchange information about
the border incident in a bid to reopen border crossings.
He did not say whether Burmese officials had agreed to attend
the meeting.
