Thai and Burmese negotiators to forward issue to their govts
By Subin Kheunkaew and Assawin Pinijwong
The Thai-Burmese Regional Border Committee (RBC) failed to settle the Doi Lang mountain border dispute during their meeting on Friday, said Third Army chief Samroeng Siwadamrong yesterday. He said the RBC spent 15 hours on Friday debating the disputed 32-square-kilometre area, to which both Thailand and Burma lay claim. The committee has now decided to forward the issue to their respective governments, said Lt-Gen Samroeng.
The RBC secretary for the Thai side, Maj-Gen Witchu Daoruang, said he saw trouble coming when he looked at the meeting agenda.
''The agenda for this meeting differed from that tabled in the previous meetings. We tried to explain to the meeting that final decisions could not be made at this level and we could not agree to Burma's demand,'' he said.
Thailand and Burma have locked horns over Doi Lang, the former military stronghold of drug kingpin Khun Sa, since the mid-'90s, after Khun Sa surrendered to Rangoon and withdrew his forces from the rugged terrain in Mae Ai district.
Several hundred troops from the two sides are deployed in the area at 20 outposts, some of which are just a few metres apart.
Lt-Gen Samroeng said troops have been instructed to exercise extra caution to avoid confrontation.
''I have told all personnel stationed in the area to take a break if they feel they really need it. With guns in our hands and plenty of pressure to cope with, a single bullet could trigger a bilateral problem. We must exercise extra caution,'' he said.
A Burmese delegate was taken to hospital in the middle of the talks at around 9pm on Thursday after he came down with stomach pain. The officer apparently suffered from stress.
Meanwhile, Burma has set up temporary passport issuance units in three border towns to facilitate Burmese people wanting to cross the border to seek employment, a local source said. The passport units were ordered set up in Tachilek opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Sai, Myawaddy opposite Tak's Mae Sot and Kawthaung opposite Ranong.
According to the source, Gen Maung Aye, deputy chairman of the State Peace and Development Council and the Burmese army chief, ordered the establisment of the units. The source said the passport units were aimed at helping Burmese nationals seek jobs in Thailand and Thai authorities in curbing an influx of illegal migrants.
It is estimated that there are up to one million illegal Burmese migrants in Thailand and about 500,000-600,000 registered Burmese workers.
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