Myanmar blasts Thailand for escalating tension
Myanmar blasts Thailand for escalating tension
BANGKOK (AP): Myanmar on Thursday accused the Thai army of escalating tensions at the border, saying it went against Southeast Asian nations' determination to resolve disputes peacefully.
In a statement received in Bangkok, Myanmar's military regime claimed Thailand had sent troops on joint operations with anti- Myanmar ethnic Shan rebels and attacked military camps on the Myanmar side of the border.
The "irresponsible actions" can jeopardize the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' "unprecedented determination to solve regional matters peacefully," the statement said.
The statement reiterated an accusation made by a senior army officer on Wednesday that Thai troops took part in an attack on the Pachee outpost on Sunday, killing six Myanmar troops. The camp is in eastern Shan State, which lies 50 yards (meters) from Thai border security units.
The Thai army has already denied it took part in the raid, and backed the Shan rebels' claim that they seized 170,000 methamphetamines from the outpost after the attack.
Myanmar said the claim was aimed at discrediting its army.
"The tactics and trend being implemented by the Thai Army at present along the common border with Myanmar will definitely not help in our fight to eliminate narcotic drugs," the statement said.
Thailand did not immediately respond to the statement. The army spokesman's mobile phone was turned off and the Foreign Ministry spokesman was not available to take a call.
Thailand and Myanmar are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a group which promotes economic, and to a lesser extent, political cooperation. The main tenet of ASEAN is noninterference in other countries' affairs.
The two neighbors have been at loggerheads since their armies fought a skirmish in February in the worst border clash in years, after fighting between ethnic rebels and Myanmar forces spilled over the border. Thailand denies helping the rebels.
Relations are also sour because Thailand accuses Myanmar of doing little to stop the trafficking of methamphetamine drugs by a powerful ethnic Wa army that reached a cease-fire with Yangon one decade ago. Drugs are the main cause of crime in Thailand.
"Myanmar sincerely urges Thailand to cooperate in a meaningful way to also achieve its goal of a drug-free kingdom instead of blaming others for the Thai people's every bad and peculiar habit," the statement said.
Thailand estimates that 800 million methamphetamine pills will be smuggled from Myanmar, also known as Burma, this year.
Myanmar, which is also a major heroin producer, says it is doing all it can to fight drugs with limited resources.