DATE=1/25/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=THAILAND-KAREN
NUMBER=5-45306
BYLINE=GARY THOMAS
DATELINE=BANGKOK
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The siege that ended Tuesday morning at a hospital
in western Thailand, was the second incident in recent
months in which armed Burmese dissidents have seized a
facility in Thailand. For years, Thailand has taken a
somewhat lenient attitude towards Burma's ethnic insurgent
groups. However, as VOA Southeast correspondent Gary
Thomas reports, this latest drama has revolted Thais and is
expected to cause the government to rethink its policy.
TEXT: Thailand is normally a very hospitable place. But
the takeover of the Ratchaburi hospital by Burmese
insurgents is widely seen by Thais as an abuse of their
hospitality by ethnic Burmese who have been granted refuge.
It was the second such incident involving Burmese
dissidents in Thailand in the past four months.
Chaiyachoke Chulasiriwongs, a professor of international
relations at Thailand's Chulalongkorn University, notes
ethnic groups like the Karen have not only taken refuge
here, but have been using Thailand as a staging ground for
their fight against the Rangoon government. He says the
overwhelming sentiment in the country is that government
has to take a tougher line with the refugees.
// CHAIYACHOKE ACT //
If the government takes the feelings of the Thai people as
a whole seriously - especially when the general election is
coming very close - I think the government should do
something definitely. Because what happened yesterday and
this morning, if you ask any Thai, my judgement would be
very unhappy about the minorities coming in and out and
what they did at Ratchaburi hospital.
// END ACT //
For years, groups like the Karen received not only
humanitarian assistance when they crossed the border, but,
say analysts, military help as well. During the Cold War,
Thailand wanted to keep the then-socialist-style government
in Rangoon off guard.
But after Burma - called Myanmar by the military government
- was admitted to the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations in 1997, things changed. Hoping to keep on good
terms with a fellow ASEAN member, the Thai government began
cracking down, occasionally pushing Karen and other ethnic
rebels back across the border. Still, the policy was
haphazardly enforced.
In October, an armed group calling itself the Vigorous
Burmese Student Warriors took over the Burmese Embassy in
Bangkok. Thai authorities made the controversial decision
to allow the group to leave unhindered and gave them safe
passage to the border. There, the group took refuge with a
ragtag splinter group of ethnic Karen fighters calling
themselves "God's Army". It was this group that seized the
Ratchaburi hospital on Monday.
Burma was furious at Thailand's handling of the embassy
siege and Thai-Burmese relations were severely strained.
Critics charged the leniency shown the embassy hostage
takers would only encourage more terrorist incidents -
which is just what happened in Ratchaburi Monday.
Analysts here agree that under such circumstances, the
government had little choice but to take the tough but
risky action it did Tuesday morning. All ten hostage
takers were killed, but all of the hostages were freed
unharmed. (SIGNED)
NEB/GPT/FC
25-Jan-2000 04:21 AM EDT (25-Jan-2000 0921 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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