Firm hand needed with the Burmese

Firm hand needed with the Burmese

The continuing cross-border shelling between the Wa drug army
and Thai troops along the northern border is a slap in the face
for the Thai government. Thai troops along the northern border
have been slugging it out with soldiers belonging to the United
Wa State Army (UWSA), a pro-Rangoon outfit dubbed the world's
largest armed drug trafficking group.

And once again, villagers are exposed to violence.

For the past nine months since Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra's fence-mending visit to Rangoon in June, the
government has been saying that the two sides have achieved a
level of understanding.

The Wa and their illicit drugs have effectively become a
bargaining chip in Thai-Burmese deals. So far there has been no
indication from Rangoon that they would like to see the Wa taken
out of the equation. The fundamental problems -- drugs,
insurgencies, refugees, illegal migration and mutual suspicion --
continue to shape bilateral ties.

The ongoing clashes are a testimony that normalcy is still
nowhere in sight. The government has to stop misleading the
people. We need to hold Rangoon accountable for the Wa's illicit
activities. For too long Rangoon has been playing the UWSA card
in its dealings with Thailand. It's time to put a stop to this.

Rangoon is quick to cry foul, accusing Thailand of being
offside when clashes between the UWSA and Thai troops break out.
Their favorite word is "sovereignty". But with "sovereignty"
comes responsibility. Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai,
during his upcoming visit to Mandalay, must tell Rangoon it is
accountable for the Wa's illicit activities. In short, the
generals can't have their cake and eat it too.

-- The Nation, Bangkok