Border tense in wake of DKBA attack

Published on Oct 1, 2002

The situation remained tense on the Thai-Burma border in Tak province yesterday, a day after several rockets fired by a pro-Rangoon splinter group strayed into Thailand.

The shells were fired into Ban Mae Konekane village late on Sunday evening, wounding one villager and damaging at least four homes and two cars.

More then 130 villagers and Buddhist monks in the area were temporarily evacuated. It is reported they have since returned to their homes under army protection.

Border officers said the attacks were carried out by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a splinter group that broke away from the rebel Karen National Union (KNU) in 1995 to form an alliance with the military government of Burma.

KNU officers accused the DKBA of intentionally firing rockets into Thailand to create confusion.

The area in question has come under close scrutiny by Thai drugs and security agencies following a number of seizures of methamphetamines on the border near the DKBA-controlled area.

Brief exchanges of gunfire between security forces and DKBA units are common but they have never escalated into an all-out fighting.

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