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