Burmese daze
Source : Bangkok Post (June 07)
Whatever you do, don't mention the pagoda, or those pesky Shan, or those newspaper reports, or... But, otherwise, things could not be better. Where things could be better is at home where the man who would be everything to everybody has been denied a cherished command. And things could definitely be better for the permanent parliament staff being asked to give way.
Reports that the Shan State Army is planning a series of military attacks on Burmese outposts along the border have some people very worried that this might cause serious harm to our relations with Burma at a time when Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is planning a visit to Rangoon to present his credentials.
One who walks the Government House corridors said Mr Thaksin would probably make the trip before Burma's foreign minister, Win Aung, visits us in about a fortnight's time.
The prime minister also plans to tack on a Laos leg to his tour, and he would have us believe that the timing of his visit has nothing to do with U Win Aung popping in to see us.
"If everything is settled as swiftly as planned, then the premier's trip could start next week," said one cabinet minister.
"Under the present circumstances, once a chance opens for talks then we should snatch the opportunity if it can help resolve misunderstandings and strengthen bilateral ties," said a security officer.
The officer accepted that there were differences in thinking among the prime minister's battalion of advisers over the advisability and the timing of the trip.
Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, deputy prime minister and defence minister, favours Mr Thaksin getting over to Rangoon as soon as his billionaire housemaid can pack his valise. The minister thinks there is real urgency as there are elements out there wanting to hurt any chances of close ties between ourselves and the Burmese.
Apparently this elderly gentleman was beside himself with the news that the state-managed New Light of Myanmar newspaper ran a May 31 article which softened criticisms of Thailand and the monarchy which had appeared earlier in its pages.
"It is Gen Chavalit's genuine desire to see peace and stability along our border with Burma since neither side can benefit from the tense situation," said one chap at Defence.
He said a team led by one of Gen Chavalit's close lieutenants was already in Rangoon working out details of Mr Thaksin's visit.
The defence minister himself had been planning to pop across to Rangoon to rub epaulettes with his fellow generals there from June 18-20, but there might now be changes in the itinerary. The Foreign Ministry is working with Defence to work out a schedule for the prime minister.
Meanwhile, much closer to the action, Lt-Gen Watanachai Chaimuanwong, commander of the Third Army which keeps a watch on things along the border, has been told to avoid any unnecessary confrontation with the Burmese, according to one army leak.
He said people in Bangkok were very worried that events along the border could spoil the Thaksin does Rangoon tour and relations between our two countries generally.
This explains the trepidation within the Chavalit camp over reports that the Shan wanted to blacken the eye of the Burmese government forces and that our own Third Army planned to protest to Rangoon about the building of a pagoda in the disputed area of Koo Teng Na Yong.