Thais want dialogue with Myanmar over clashes

Thais want dialogue with Myanmar over clashes

BANGKOK (REUTERS): Thailand's new government on Monday backed
away from an early visit to Myanmar to patch up relations after
bloody border clashes, but said it would seek to restore friendly
ties through dialogue.

Tensions flared between the two countries earlier this month,
with dozens reported killed in clashes between soldiers.

Thailand says Myanmar soldiers sized one of its border
outposts and then hit the Thai frontier town of Mae Sai with
stray shells during a battle against ethnic guerrillas.
But Myanmar has denied it shelled Mae Sai, and has accused the
Thai military of backing ethnic Shan rebels, who Yangon says are
the major drug producers and traffickers in the region.

New Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his defense
minister, former premier Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, are expected to
take a softer line on Myanmar than the previous government.

But the border clashes have handed the new administration an
early diplomatic dilemma. Thaksin said last week he would visit
Myanmar soon to try to soothe tensions. But new Foreign Minister
Surakiart Sathirathai told reporters on Monday there were no
plans for an early visit, although dialogue was needed.

"If the first negotiations do not produce results, you just
have to try again. It is unrealistic to expect results from one
single meeting," he said. Military talks at the border to calm
tensions have not so far produced any results.

Surakiart said Thailand would not interfere in clashes between
ethnic groups in Myanmar, but would take strong action if Thai
territory or citizens were affected.

"Conflict with ethnic minority groups are Myanmar's internal
affair and Thailand would not intervene. But there would be an
exception if Thais are injured or killed in such incidents, in
which case the armed forces would have to step in to safeguard
our sovereignty," he told reporters.

He said good relations were in the interests of both
countries: "Close and peaceful ties ... would be conducive to
border trade which is beneficial to the people of both
countries."

Since the clashes, each side has accused the other of
supporting the drugs trade.

Thailand says the United Wa State Army, an ethnic army allied
with Yangon, is the main player in narcotics production and
trafficking and is flooding Thailand with amphetamine pills. It
says Yangon is turning a blind eye to the drugs trade.

But Myanmar says the Shan guerrillas are the culprits, and
insists it is trying to stamp out drug trafficking.

Myanmar's official media has been heavily critical of the Thai
military, with a commentary in official newspapers on Monday
saying Thai troops had been helping Shan guerrillas attack
targets in Myanmar.

But in an apparent olive branch to the new government in
Bangkok, it suggested their political enemies may have been
behind the clashes.

"In the internal political tricks of Thailand, a group of some
deficient politicians tried to use the Thai army to make the new
government lose confidence. They did so since the new government
seemed to pay high regard to Myanmar-Thai relations," the
commentary said.

Another commentary on Saturday accused the Thai army of trying
to promote a "Greater Thailand Policy" and push the country's
borders outwards.

Accusing the military of helping Shan drug trafficking, it
said: "A poisonous viper should be dealt with accordingly."
Tensions at the border remained high, with the crossing between
Mae Sai and the Myanmar town of Tachilek remaining closed. Both
sides have reinforced their troops in the area.