A row between Burma and Thailand has been on the verge of erupting for several months. There has been heavy fighting along the border since May, with hundreds of casualties and thousands of civilians fleeing into Thailand for safety.
On the surface, the Burmese capital Rangoon is awash with nationalist sentiment. Cars, taxis and bicycles all have the Burmese flag prominently displayed. Newspapers are full of anti-Thai rhetoric.
But the reality is that most people in fact do not share the military government's renewed nationalist fervour. "We only fly the flag because the military tell us we must," says an elderly man in one of Rangoon's satellite towns. This is the view of many of Burma's citizens. They do not trust the government's motives.
This latest border tension started as a result of heavy clashes between two ethnic rebel armies, the Wa and the Shan, in the country's notorious Golden Triangle, where most of the world's illicit heroin comes from. The United Wa State Army (UWSA) has a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government and has been allowed virtual autonomy in the areas of Shan State they control. Their opponents, the Shan United Revolutionary Army (SURA), are a break- away group from the former drug baron Khun Sa and his Shan State Army who surrendered to Rangoon in 1995. Both groups have been heavily involved in the illegal narcotics trade.
Relations between the two countries have been fragile for years, but border tensions erupted into fierce fighting in February 2001. Since then the Thai Government of Thaksin Shinawatra has been keen to improve relations with its neighbour.
Over the last year there have been frequent senior level meetings. Prime Minister Thaksin visited Rangoon in the middle of last year and relations seemed to be on the mend.
Drug disputes
Since then there have been frequent bilateral meetings between the Thai Foreign Minister Dr Surakiart Sathirathai and his Burmese counterpart, U Win Aung. And in April this year, Burma's second most powerful leader, General Maung Aye, visited Bangkok. These bilateral meetings seemed to have improved relations between the two countries. Despite the improved rapport between the two governments, there has been a growing tension between the two armies along their common border.
The Burmese Government feels it is not to blame for the problems along the border. It has been angered by what it sees as Thai duplicity, as the Thai army continuously blamed the Wa for the flow of amphetamines into Thailand.
The Burmese army believes the Shan rebels are just as heavily involved in the trade and receive active support and sanctuary from the Thai military. "We know the SURA are involved in drugs," says Brigadier General Kyaw Thein, the chief military intelligence officer behind Burma's battle against drugs.
In recent days the fighting has subsided, partly because the Burmese army and their Wa allies have been able to recapture most of the bases they lost in the initial fighting two months ago. But the generals' nationalist pride has been stung.
The number of casualties has shocked the army's leaders. More than 700 Burmese troops, Wa soldiers and civilians have died since the fighting erupted in mid-May, according to military experts in Rangoon, with twice as many injured. Officially, the Burmese military says only 50 Burmese soldiers and militia have been killed and another 30 wounded.
Parents' fears
Burma's authorities have been press ganging many young men into service, particularly among the poor in the satellite townships of Rangoon. There is an informal curfew in place throughout the city. Most parents are preventing their sons from going out after 2200 at night for fear they will be abducted and taken to the front as porters.
While the actual fighting may have subsided, the war of words seems to have intensified, with the official Burmese press making allegations about the Thai monarchy.
In particular, the Burmese media has suggested that the Thai king who liberated Thailand from colonial rule more than 230 years ago was not the hero that Thai history has made him. So important is the King's position in Thailand that any government is duty bound to defend it and any criticism is regarded as unacceptable.
Burma's generals are self-styled republicans and recognise that this type of propaganda will sting the Thais more than anything else. Despite these problems, there are now hints that the Burmese Government may be prepared to accept Thailand's offer to discuss the border problems.
Burma's Foreign Minister U Win Aung told the BBC that the two sides understood each other well and would talk soon. The two foreign ministers will meet at the regional Asean foreign ministers summit in Brunei in late July. According to the Burmese foreign minister, that meeting should help both countries to resolve the tensions along their common border and restore relations to normal.