BORDER TENSION: Fighting displaces 1,500 Thais

Published on Jun 7, 2002

Burma tells Defence Ministry it will not allow shells to stray

Deputy Defence Minister General Yuthasak Sasiprapa yesterday instructed Thai troops along the border to use live artillery rounds against Burmese troops if they did not heed Thailand's smoke signals for their stray shells.

Yuthasak said Burma had deployed heavy artillery units along the border in its effort to take back positions lost to rebels of the Shan State Army (SSA) over the past two weeks.

The Defence Ministry has been informed by Burma that it would be restrained and would not allow Burmese artillery shells to stray into Thailand, Yuthasak said.

Third Army Region chief Lt-General Udomchai Ongkasing yesterday paid a visit to troops along the border and told them to exerciserestraint and not retaliate with live rounds if stray shells did not damage any property on the Thai side.

The idea is to prevent the already tense situation from getting out of hand, he said.

But, judging from the ongoing all-out fighting between SSA troops and advancing Burmese troops along the northern border, Udomchia's idea may just be wishful thinking.

In its third day yesterday, fighting between the Burmese Army and the SSA spread into an area opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Fah Luang district, displacing at least 1,500 local Thai residents.

Yesterday alone saw more than 30 mortar shells stray over to the Thai side. Thai Army officers monitoring the situation told The Nation that they suspected artillery units had already arrived at Burma's See Kiw Hill but had yet to go into action.

Throughout the day yesterday, Burmese troops tried desperately to regain the nearby Doi Kor Muang, which they lost to the SSA two weeks ago. The hill came under heavy Burmese bombardment, launched from the nearby See Kiw Hill less than 2 kilometres away.

The SSA, on the other hand, stood their ground, retaliating with both mortar and small-arms fire. They also took the fight to the Burmese by dispatching a platoon to the north of See Kiw Hill with the aim of forcing the Burmese to fight a two-front gun battle.

Thai Naval Commander Admiral Prasert Boonsrong, meanwhile, told reporters yesterday that the Navy had stepped up its patrols and brought reinforcements into the Andaman Sea.

However, he reassured journalists that there was no imminent threat to Thai territory in the area and that the fleet had enough strength and capability to defend the country.

Chaiwat Pumpuang

BAN MAE MOH, CHIANG RAI

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