Rangoon steps up rhetoric

Published on Jun 1, 2002

Burma's state-controlled media stepped up its warlike rhetoric against Thailand yesterday, attacking the country's "insincere", "crafty" and "spiritually weak" people.

In a concerted media campaign apparently aimed at punishing Thailand for a series of skirmishes and artillery exchanges along the common border, Rangoon newspapers began referring to the country as "Yodaya", a local corruption of Siam's former capital, Ayutthaya, which was sacked by the Burmese army in 1767.

"When the Burmese government is mad at Thailand, they call it Yodaya," a Rangoon-based analyst said. "This has happened before."

"Our forefathers never acknowledged Yodayas as their rivals who had military skills and military pride," an article said yesterday in the English-language New Light of Myanmar newspaper. "They did not think highly of the Yodayas. They regarded Yodayas as spiritually and physically weak and insincere people. Yes, they were."

The article, written under the pseudonym "Kyaw Htin Nawrahta", which is the name of an ancient Burmese king, went on to describe various acts of treachery blamed on Thailand.

"In the past, every time Burma was weak, Yodayas began to attack the remote areas to grab them easily," it said. "Thus, Burma had to march into Yodaya to attack and crush Ayutthaya. Now, let's see whether the description of Yodayas made by our forefathers is correct or not."

The article concluded with a denunciation of Thailand's "bend with the wind" foreign policy, saying it was a lack of principles that kept the Kingdom from falling to communism or colonialism.

Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai downplayed an earlier verbal attack from Rangoon accusing the Thai leadership of telling "bare-face lies" about its relationships with insurgent groups sheltering on Thai soil.

"It's hearsay. I have yet to see anything in writing," Surakiart said, adding that the report quoting Maj-General Kyaw Win could have been exaggerated by international news agencies in Rangoon.

Speaking to reporters in Sydney while accompanying Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on his state visit to Australia, Surakiart managed to squeeze out of commenting on a statement made by Kyaw Win. Burma's deputy intelligence chief had accused Thailand of supporting rebel armies, namely the Karen National Union and the Shan State Army (SSA).

"We have solid proof that they have allowed the Sura [Shan United Revolutionary Army] to establish military bases inside Thailand and are giving them support, including recruitment and providing them with food supplies," Kyaw Win said. Sura is the name the Burmese government has tagged the SSA outfit.

"For years they [Thailand] have provided both moral and material support to groups taking up arms against our government.

"Now responsible leaders are denying such bases exist," he said. "This is tantamount to telling bare-faced lies."

Kyaw Win produced area maps to pinpoint exact locations where Shan and Karen ethnic militias had set up camps within Thai territory.

Ties between the two countries took a nosedive last week following border clashes between Thai soldiers and the pro-Rangoon United Wa State Army, suspected of involvement in the cross-border, illicit drug trade. Burma accused Thai troops of violating its sovereignty by attacking the Wa army.

Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said he had proposed to Rangoon that he be allowed to meet with top Burmese officials in an effort to defuse the conflict.

Rangoon responded by slapping a blanket visa ban on all Thai officials.

Thaksin insisted on Wednesday that Thai-Burmese ties were in good shape, and Surakiart urged the militaries of both sides to hold talks as soon as possible.

Kraisak Chonhavan, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign affairs, told reporters that the government could not deny that it was aware of the military exercise along the border.

"The military exercise and the operation's Bt200-million budget has to get approval from the government. So Thaksin can't try to calm tensions by cancelling the exercise and saying he knew nothing about it," Kraisak said.

The Nation, Agencies

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