Daily News

Daily News-February 20 - 2001- Tuesday

Burma Chopper Crash Kills General

Helicopter crash kills Burmese ministers, army general

BURMA: GOVERNMENT LIST

Suu Kyi softens opposition to rights seminars

India is a model for IT development: Burma

Ivanhoe Mines announces high-grade gold discoveries in South Korea and Burma

Thaksin steps back, delays Rangoon visit

No peace unless border problems resolved

>Burma seeks successor after hardline general dies

Rescue workers fail to find missing crash victims in Burma

Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt says Burma Not 'Aggressive' Towards Thailand

Local level get green light to find peace with Burma

Burma Chopper Crash Kills General

By AYE AYE WIN, Associated Press Writer

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - One of the most powerful generals in Myanmar's military junta was killed Monday in a helicopter crash that left 14 others missing, the government said. A Cabinet minister and seven junta officials appeared to be among the missing.

The military helicopter carrying 22 officials and seven crew members crashed into the Salween river in southeastern Myanmar. Lt. Gen. Tin Oo, 67, and the rest of his party were going to Pa-an, about 100 miles southeast of the capital of Yangon, to inspect a bridge.

Myanmar Television, quoting a government statement, said the Russian-made MI-17 helicopter went down after going through ``a sudden patch of bad weather.'' It also said that 14 people were missing - nine government officials and five crew members. None were identified.

The broadcast statement said that, in addition to Tin Oo, an unidentified military officer was also killed, and that 13 others survived. It gave no other details.

Government officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that among those missing and presumed dead were Brig. Gen. Lun Maung, a minister in the premier's office, and Maj. Gen. Sit Maung, the commander of the southeastern forces.

Tin Oo, who had the title of Secretary 2, was the fourth most powerful man in the ruling State Peace and Development Council, a 21-member group of army officers who took power in a bloodless coup in September 1988.A veteran of campaigns against ethnic and communist insurgents, Tin Oo had often threatened in public to ``annihilate'' opponents of the regime. But he rarely spoke publicly of politics and was a popular commander with the troops.

Tin Oo's death is not likely to affect the junta's relations with the opposition, led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been campaigning for democracy in this Southeast Asian nation since 1988.Despite his high rank, Tin Oo was not intimately involved in policy making, which is largely controlled by junta leader Than Shwe.

Helicopter crash kills Burmese ministers, army general

source : The Age

By CRAIG SKEHAN
SOUTHEAST ASIA CORRESPONDENT
BANGKOK
Tuesday 20 February 2001

A senior figure in Burma's ruling military regime who was killed in a helicopter crash was a hardliner who opposed concessions to democracy activists, an official of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy said.

Lieutenant-General Tin Oo, Secretary Two of the ruling State Peace and Development Council and chief of staff of the army, was reported to have been in a military helicopter that crashed yesterday near the Thai border.The Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed Burmese official as saying that General Tin Oo, who was regarded as the fourth-most-powerful member of Burma's military government, had died along with several senior military commanders.

An official said two cabinet ministers were also killed Brigadier-General Lun Maung, Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, and Colonel Thein Nyunt, Minister for the Development of Border Areas. It was not clear how many people had died in the crash, officials said. The helicopter was carrying several high-ranking military officials, some of whom had survived. No further details were available.Sources said the crash was due to mechanical failure.

The NLD's justice spokesman, Thein Oo, noted that in 1997 General Tin Oo's eldest daughter was killed by a parcel bomb sent from Japan.The government blamed the attack on Myanmar dissidents based in Japan.However, opposition groups denied responsibility and said it was linked to a power struggle among Myanmar's ruling generals.There were later reports that the most likely motivation was a bitter business dispute involving the daughter.

"A lot of people believe it was an argument over business, but nobody was ever arrested," Mr Thein Oo said yesterday. "It is still very controversial and nobody knows for sure."

In another apparent attempt on General Tin Oo's life, two bombs exploded at a Buddhist Shrine in the capital, Rangoon, in December, 1996, after he visited.The blasts killed five people and wounded 17.

There were suggestions that internal military opponents were trying to kill or intimidate him, but no hard evidence emerged publicly to support the theory.

Mr Thein Oo said yesterday that General Tin Oo was "very close" to hardline army chief and SPDC vice-chairman Maung Aye.

Some foreign diplomats have cited rumors of tensions between Maung Aye and intelligence chief Khin Nyunt, who has entered into a political dialogue with Ms Suu Kyi on scope to reestablish democratic rule.

The Maung Aye faction, to which General Tin Oo was linked, reportedly was concerned that there should not be too many concessions granted to the regime's critics.

Officials said the helicopter crashed near the town of Moulmein, 160 kilometres southeast of Rangoon, near the Salwin River.

Suu Kyi softens opposition to rights seminars

source : The Age

By CRAIG SKEHAN
SOUTHEAST ASIA CORRESPONDENT
BANGKOK
Tuesday 20 February 2001

Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has softened her opposition to Australia hosting human rights seminars for officials of Burma's military regime, according to former Australian human rights commissioner Chris Sidoti.

Mr Sidoti disclosed yesterday that he met Ms Suu Kyi for nearly twoandahalf hours last Thursday at the Rangoon home where she is under detention.

"The way I interpret it is that her views have developed and that relates to the changed circumstances in Burma at the moment," Mr Sidoti said, referring to the emerging dialogue between Ms Suu Kyi and the Rangoon regime.

Mr Sidoti's involvement in the Australiansponsored courses has come under fire from human rights groups and academics in Australia.

When the courses, backed by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, began last year, there were claims that summary killings and other rights abuses continued unabated while the regime used the seminars for propaganda.

"I asked her what I could say publicly and could I say she was not opposed but remained sceptical," Mr Sidoti said.

"She said: 'We can do better than that - you can say we discussed the courses in a very positive way'."

Although under house arrest since September, Ms Suu Kyi has for the past four months been involved in a dialogue with Burmese military leaders. The military refused to accept the result of 1990 elections, which Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won overwhelmingly. Harsh political repression has continued since.

Mr Sidoti this month collected a consultant's fee from Britain's Premier Oil to run additional humanrights seminars for Burmese officials separate from the Australianfinanced seminars.

The British Government last year called on Premier Oil to withdraw from a big natural gas project in Burma on the grounds that it was propping up the military rulers.The company has denied complicity in alleged torture, rape and forced labor by the military during construction of a gas pipeline.

Mr Sidoti, who finished as human rights commissioner last year, said Premier Oil hoped its sponsorship of the seminars would help it develop a more positive image. He declined to disclose the fees paid by Premier Oil.

At their meeting, Ms Suu Kyi said the seminars should not be used to avoid other moves to improve human rights, as human rights problems occurred "90 per cent from will and 10 per cent from ignorance". "I agreed and said we wanted to deal with the 10 per cent due to ignorance, but that the courses could also have an impact on the degree of will," Mr Sidoti said.

Australia plans to finance four more seminars this year.

Mr Sidoti said Ms Suu Kyi had thanked Australians who supported the democracy campaign in Burma.

India is a model for IT development: Burma

By Deepshikha Ghosh, India Abroad News Service

New Delhi, Feb 19 - Terming India a model for development of Information Technology (IT), the Myanmar Computer Federation Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and established a joint task force for bilateral cooperation in IT initiatives with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

"We are taking India as a model for IT development. If we can tap our potential for human resource development in IT, we have a good chance to copy India's tremendous success in this sector", Myanmar Computer Federation vice president U Thein Oo stated at a meeting between the Myanmar IT delegation and the CII, organized as part of the ongoing Indian Engineering Trade Fair here.

Myanmar is seeking Indian investments in developing its IT master plan. The country intends to set up a software development park with the help of Indian industry and has sought Indian expertise in establishing IT training institutions in Myanmar.

Through the MoU, both parties agreed to cooperate and collaborate on joint initiatives, promote institutional cooperation between government bodies, research institutes and the private sector, share information on developments in the new economy sectors and organize seminars and exhibitions in the field.

These activities will be reviewed by the joint task force set up by the Myanmar Computer Federation and the CII. Oo said the partnership could provide an opportunity for exponential growth in companies, markets, technologies and more importantly, economic linkages between India and Myanmar.

Myanmar's deputy minister for science and technology Hlaing Win said, "With a population of 50 million and a similar educational structure as India, Myanmar has a good potential of developing an IT-enabled workforce".

The Myanmar Computer Federation was established in 1998 to develop computer science and promote IT education, Win said. The country continues to face the problem of poor tele-density, low Internet connectivity and limited bandwidth, which it hopes to remedy with the establishment of a software technology park and the laying of optical fiber cables for greater bandwidth.

Vijai Kapur, chairman of CII's communications committee, said India could assist Myanmar in building an IT infrastructure and developing IT education. "This is a two-tier measure which can be implemented and thereafter new areas could be explored for further enhancement of IT in Myanmar," he remarked.

The 15-member Myanmar delegation, comprising representatives from the government and private sector, is scheduled to visit Hyderabad Tuesday to inspect the software technology parks and e-governance initiatives taken up in Andhra Pradesh.

The visit follows the path-breaking visit to Myanmar by External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh during which the two countries discussed cooperation in economic and infrastructural fields, including IT.

Ivanhoe Mines announces high-grade gold discoveries in South Korea and Burma

Monday February 19, Press Release
SOURCE: Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.

SINGAPORE, Feb. 18 /CNW/ - Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.'s Chairman, Robert Friedland, and President, Daniel Kunz, are pleased to announce that the company's exploration team has discovered two new mineralized systems containing high-grade gold intercepts, one in South Korea and the other in Myanmar.

Recent work by Ivanhoe's exploration team has discovered a promising new gold-bearing vein system in a concession located in central Myanmar, approximately 100 kilometres north of the capital city of Yangon. The project is accessible by road and is 10 kilometres from a major highway. For competitive reasons, the exact location is not being disclosed at this time. To date, exploration has focused on driving adits, trenching and channel sampling on a number of quartz veins in the prospect area. Throughout the prospect area, measuring three kilometres by two kilometres, visible gold occurs in persistent quartz veins, which outcrop over a 400-metre vertical interval.

Surface rock-chip samples collected across the width of the vein system are strongly mineralized, with a maximum gold value of 3,475 grams per tonne (112 ounces per tonne) over 1.3 metres. DGSE Laboratories in Myanmar assayed all the samples. Two internationally accredited laboratories, MAS Laboratories, of Bangkok, Thailand, and Analabs, of Perth, Australia, conducted check assays on the preliminary surface samples and pulps, and have verified the initial high-grade gold results.

Ten adits are currently being driven at depths of up to 30 metres below the surface to access the veins and the near-surface oxide mineralization. This work will help to ascertain the strike lengths, widths and grades of the veins and potential near-surface gold mineralization. It is unknown at this time whether future exploration will confirm the existence of an economic mineral resource on the project.

Ivanhoe's wholly-owned subsidiary, Ivanhoe Myanmar Holdings, has an 83% interest in a joint venture to explore and develop the concession. Ivanhoe's joint-venture partner is the Myanmar Department of Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration.

Douglas Kirwin, Ivanhoe Mines' Senior Vice President, Exploration, oversees the company's exploration programs. Ivanhoe will release additional information on both of these exploration projects as results become available. Ivanhoe is also conducting exploration on a large copper and gold project in Mongolia. Preliminary exploration results from the Mongolia project were announced on February 12, 2001.

Ivanhoe Mines is an international mining company producing LME Grade A copper from its Monywa joint venture in Myanmar and high-quality iron ore products from ABM Mining's Savage River mine and Port Latta pellet plant in Australia. Ivanhoe Mines acquired ABM Mining on December 31, 2000. Ivanhoe Mines and ABM had combined revenues of approximately US$84.8 million (CDN$127.2 million) in 2000 on net sales of approximately 13,350 tonnes of copper, 2.19 million tonnes of iron ore pellets and 19,400 tonnes of iron ore concentrate.

Ivanhoe is a public company whose shares are traded on the Toronto and Australian stock exchanges under the symbol IVN.

Thaksin steps back, delays Rangoon visit

source : The Nation

PRIME Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday took a step backward in his erratic approach on Burma by agreeing that the present border conflict with Burma could be tackled with existing policies in solving border conflicts.

Speaking to reporters after chairing his first national security meeting, Thaksin said the present Thai-Burmese border tension could be resolved at the local and regional committee levels. The meeting instructed the Third Region Army to supervise the matter, Thaksin said.

The outbreak of border fighting with Burma last weekend was given priority over economic matters by the new government, which officially assumed office yesterday. The conflict, which saw casualties on both sides, has generated much debate on how Thailand should deal with the matter.

Thaksin chaired the one-hour meeting, which was attended by the relevant Cabinet members, including Defence Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, as well as representatives from the armed forces and security agencies.

Thaksin earlier backtracked on his announced plans for an early trip to Burma to discuss the eruption of fighting between the two armies, following strong opposition from several security agencies and his predecessor.

Chavalit and Surakiart said there was no urgent need for the premier to meet with the Burmese military regime at this stage.

"We could talk, but the local authorities will handle it. There is no need to go to Burma or do anything," the PM told reporters.

Thaksin said the meeting agreed that overall bilateral ties needed to be improved but that this would come at a later stage. He said the country needed a long-term strategy and a proactive policy to deal with its neighbours. "We get bogged down on day-to-day operations," he added.

Thaksin said the persisting problems with Burma - be they boundary disputes or Rangoon's suspicion over Thai policy toward armed ethnic minorities in Burma - could be resolved in not too distant future.

"We will come to the stage where we can talk these things through later," Thaksin said.He stressed that the key was to restore mutual trust. "It is a matter of who blinks first, or that it takes two to tango in ceasing behaviour that creates suspicion," he said.

While the two armies have observed the ceasefire they struck after clashes over a week ago, the situation on the northern border remains tense. A meeting of a Township Border Committee on Wednesday failed to find measures to reduce tension as both sides demanded compensation for damages caused by the shellfire.Rangoon denies being responsible for the artillery attack on Mae Sai and has accused the rebel Shan State Army (SSA) of shelling the town and the Thai army of assisting Shan rebels in attacking Burmese troops.The official media in Rangoon has lashed out at the Thai army's role in the affair, accusing it of trying to annex part of Laos and Burma.

Surakiart, however, said he believed that current border conflicts would not flare up if conflict-resolving mechanisms functioned well.Surakiart said the Foreign Ministry would also use its diplomatic channels to try to reach an understanding between the two governments. "We will take a broad policy framework that stresses fair play for both sides, while talks continue at the local levels under the supervision of Defence Ministry to restore peace along the border," he said.

Meanwhile, the reinforcement of Burmese troops and its United Wa State Army (UWSA) ally continued unabated opposite Mae Sai in Chiang Mai province yesterday. In response the army's 2nd Calvary Regiment mobilised forces to areas on opposite sides of the border to guard against possible encroachment.

Three Wa villagers were arrested by patrol police on the Thai side yesterday for suspected espionage.

Burmese troops and the UWSA have deployed forces to guard the 150km Tachilek-Keng Tung road. The road is currently being upgraded but it continues to be used for the transport of troops and weapons to Keng Tung.

About ten Thai labourers who worked for a Thai construction company, Lampun Dam, based along the Keng Tung-Tachilek route, fled into Mae Sai yesterday because of fears they would be forcibly recruited as porters. They said some of their friends had already been forced to work as porters and that over 100 others had escaped and were still in hiding.

No peace unless border problems resolved

MAE SAI, Feb 19 (The Nation) -- The border conflicts between Thailand and Burma would continue to simmer unless key problems, including unfinished border demarcation, drug trafficking and armed struggle by Burma's ethnic minorities, were resolved, a senior Thai army officer said.

Maj Gen Somboonkiat Sitthidej, commander of Third Army Region's Pah Muang Force, said while inspecting Thailand's northern border with Burma on Monday that despite the current lull in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, opposite Burma's Tachilek, a flareup in border tension still could not be ruled out.

He said the meeting of Thai-Burmese Township Border Committee last week had succeeded in reducing tension significantly although both sides continued buildup of forces along the borderline.

Somboonkiat insisted that the Thai army had reinforced its positions along the border to prevent possible spillover of fighting between Burmese troops and Shan ethnic rebels in Tachilek area into Thai territory.

Burma seeks successor after hardline general dies

source : Reuters

YANGON, Feb. 20 � Myanmar's military government was on Tuesday considering who would take over as its fourth most senior leader after hardline Lieutenant-General Tin Oo was killed in a helicopter crash.

Diplomats in Yangon said Monday's death of 67-year-old Tin Oo would weaken a hawkish faction led by General Maung Aye, vice-chairman of the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

Diplomats say there is a split in Myanmar between allies of Maung Aye, who are against any weakening in the military's iron grip on power, and a faction led by SPDC Secretary One Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, which favours making modest reforms in the hope of improving Myanmar's economy. Maung Aye and Khin Nyunt are the second and third most senior members of the SPDC. Maung Aye is also army commander while Khin Nyunt is military intelligence chief.

Analysts say they are jostling for position to take over the reins of power given the ailing health of SPDC Chairman Than Shwe.

Tin Oo was considered an ally of Maung Aye. They said the choice of a successor could indicate whether hardliners or reformists had the upper hand in the government. It was not known when a replacement would be announced.

Last month Khin Nyunt denied the military was split. He said there were no disagreements over a decision to initiate secret talks with the pro-democracy opposition led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Rumours had circulated that more hawkish generals were unhappy about the secret talks. But Khin Nyunt told the Myanmar Times in an interview that rumours of a split within the ranks in the military had been spread by foreign media and some diplomats.

LITTLE HOPE OF MORE SURVIVORS

Officials said on Tuesday there was little hope of finding survivors among 14 people still missing after the helicopter crashed in bad weather into the Salwin River in Kayin state, southeast of the capital Yangon.

State media said that of 29 passengers and crew aboard the helicopter, 13 had been rescued and two people, including Tin Oo, were confirmed dead.

Officials said two cabinet ministers -- Brigadier-General Lun Maung, minister at the prime minister's office, and Colonel Thein Nyunt, minister for the development of border areas -- were also believed to have been killed in the crash.

Rescue workers fail to find missing crash victims in Burma

ASSOCIATED PRESS

YANGON, Myanmar, Feb. 19 � Rescue workers failed on Tuesday to find 14 people missing after a helicopter crashed in a river in Myanmar, killing the No. 4 general in the country's military junta and at least one other officer.

Thirteen other people aboard the government helicopter survived the accident Monday, but authorities did not reveal their identities or whether they were injured.

The search effort is difficult because the river is flowing so rapidly, a government official said on condition of anonymity.

The crash killed army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Tin Oo and is the worst tragedy to befall the ruling military junta in its 12 years in power. Maj. Aung Phone Naing was also confirmed dead.

Official newspapers reported that the Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter crashed into the Salween River in bad weather Monday near Pa-an, Karen State, 100 miles southeast of Yangon, the capital. The helicopter was carrying seven crew members and 22 passengers, including Tin Oo as he went to inspect a new bridge.

Tin Oo, 67, was an opponent of rebel groups fighting for independence in Myanmar and had survived an assassination attempt four years ago. There was no indication that the helicopter that crashed had been attacked or sabotaged.

Tin Oo's obituary in official newspapers said he had ''suddenly died while serving the country.'' He was the fourth most powerful man on the ruling council, a 21-member group of army officers who took power in Myanmar in 1988 after crushing a democracy uprising.

Official media said that of the 14 missing people, nine were government officials, two were pilots and the rest were crew members.

Government officials said the missing included one other member of the dominant ruling military council, Maj. Gen. Sit Maung, who is the commander of the southeastern forces, and Brig. Gen. Lun Maung, a minister in the prime minister's office.

Ba Thin, president of the Karen National Union rebels, told The Associated Press that it believed the accident did not involve sabotage.

Tin Oo was a veteran of campaigns against ethnic and communist insurgents and had often threatened in public to ''annihilate'' opponents of the regime. Tin Oo rarely spoke about politics and was not regarded as a key government policy maker.

His death was not expected to affect the regime's improving relations with Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The junta refuses to recognize the 1990 elections in which Suu Kyi's party won a landslide, but has recently started reconciliation talks with her even though she lives under virtual house arrest.

Tin Oo, who was survived by a wife and four grown children, will be buried Friday with military honors.

Bangkok Post--A Thai military source said Lt-Gen Tin Oo died on arrival at a local hospital.

The Burmese junta's third secretary, Lt-Gen Win Myint, was among those who survived the crash. He was believed to have been injured.

The Burmese embassy in Bangkok had no information on the incident.

Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt says Burma Not 'Aggressive' Towards Thailand

Rangoon (AP)--Burma's military regime is not "aggressive" in its foreign relations and wants to resolve its current border dispute with Thailand peacefully, a top Burmese general was quoted as saying Tuesday.

"The current Myanmar-Thai border problem should be solved with (an) optimistic approach based on mutual understanding, respect and magnanimity as true good neighbors," Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, fourth highest official in the state hierarchy, was quoted as saying by all three official newspapers Tuesday.

Earlier this month, Burma and Thai troops clashed when fighting between Burma and ethnic Shan rebels spilled into Thailand. At least five civilians were killed either side of the border, driving bilateral relations to their lowest in several years. Border checkpoints in the region have since been closed.

Thailand launched a heavy artillery attack to drive out Burma's forces which it said had intruded into Thailand to attack the rebels. Burma accused Thailand of helping the rebels.

Khin Nyunt said the rebels and "a misunderstanding by some Thai authorities who had relied on false information from the lower level Thai officials" was to blame for the border dispute.

"Although our government is a military government, we have no aggressive attitude. We promote friendly relations with every country and abide by international rules and regulations," Khin Nyunt said at a ceremony to mark the end of teachers' training course on Monday at Phaunggyi, 60 kilometers north of Rangoon.

But in an apparent aside at Thailand for allegedly supporting the Shan rebels, Khin Nyunt said Burma had never allowed another group to endanger other countries from its territory or used such groups for its own ends.

Local level get green light to find peace with Burma

Source : Bangkok Post

Thailand expressed confidence the country's border conflict with Burma can be resolved through talks between local-level authorities.

A joint meeting of agencies responsible for national security agreed efforts to settle the conflict should be handled by an existing border committee made up of representatives from the two countries.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said once the conflict is resolved, bilateral relations between the two countries could be improved through another round of high-level talks at a later stage.

"We need to undertake a policy that will not attract suspicion from each other," said Mr Thaksin after chairing a crisis meeting attended by senior members of the foreign and interior ministries, the armed forces, the National Security Council and the National Intelligence Agency.

Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said yesterday he also remained optimistic the border dispute with Burma could be tackled through negotiations at the local level.

Mr Surakiart acknowledged the complexity of the ongoing row at the Burmese border would be difficult to settle in a single round of talks and said continued discussions under the local mechanism would be necessary.

"I still firmly believe that the problem can be settled either through the township or regional border committees", he told reporters after paying his respects at the statue of Prince Devavong Varopraharn, the father of Thai diplomacy, on his first day in office.

The first round of border committee talks which took place back-to-back on Thursday in Tachilek, on the Burmese side, and Mae Sai, in Chiang Rai, ended in deadlock after each side accused the other of border intrusion.

He said there was no need to visit Burma soon and a trip to Rangoon and other member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations would be arranged only when better conditions permit.

While maintaining a policy of non-interference in domestic issues, he said Thailand and Burma could also forge co-operation in several areas such as tourism, culture and energy.

Peace, better living standards and stronger ties along the border with neighbouring countries were what the government was trying to achieve, he said.

Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh also expressed confidence the border tension would be contained.

Concerned authorities have taken every step to ensure the standoff would not degenerate into violence, Gen Chavalit said after emerging from yesterday's top-level meeting.

He said the situation in Chiang Rai has been left to the local authorities to handle and ruled out any immediate high-level negotiations. Any such dialogue would be supervised by the Third Region Army and the Chiang Rai provincial governor.

If the tambon-level border committee was unable to handle the problem, the regional joint Thai-Burmese border panel would step in to assist in the talks.