Junta, NLD 'to form govt'
source : The Nation
07.07.01
Defence Minister Chavalit optimistic about peaceful settlement between military leaders and opposition
The Burmese junta and its opposition are poised to set up a national government, wrapping up months of secret negotiations, according to Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.
Chavalit, who broke the international political embargo against Burma in 1988 by visiting the military leadership as the Thai army commander-in-chief, said that it was always Thailand's wish to see all the political parties and ethnic minorities in its troubled neighbour patch up their differences with dignity.
"Once all the groups are engaged in forming a national government and get to work, confidence among the former rivals will soon be established. After a while, a new election should be called," the retired general told The Nation in an interview.
Chavalit did not say what led him to believe that there had been encouraging developments inside Burma but the minister, who boasts of a having a personal rapport with Burma's leaders, said it was a step in the right direction. The minister said that after the Burmese national government is in place, all the Burmese illegal immigrants and refugees in Thailand would be repatriated and settled in communities where they could find enough work to earn a decent living. He referred to various projects Thailand has proposed to Burma including the construction of a road from Kanchanaburi to Tavoy and the diversion of the Salween River.
Chavalit's optimism was in stark contrast to the growing frustration among Western nations and Burmese overseas dissidents as well as observers over the apparent lack of progress in talks between First Secretary Lt-General Khint Nyunt and National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The outsiders have expressed concern the dialogue might be in jeopardy following months of silence on both sides.
The only positive sign has been Rangoon's continuing release of political prisoners. Since January, 129 NLD members including nine NLD MPs have been freed. Seven were released yesterday. The observers also contended the two-way dialogue would not represent genuine national reconciliation without the participation of pro- and anti-Rangoon ethnic minorities. Two armed insurgency groups - the Karen National Union and the Shan State Army - still refuse to enter into a cease-fire with Rangoon.
Thailand has pledged not to support the rebels' anti-Rangoon activities so that an environment could be created conducive to national reconciliation, Chavalit said. Chavalit is due to visit Burma sometime this month after receiving clearance from Rangoon on convenient dates. The visit appears to signify a normalisation between the two neighbours' armies following a build-up of tension over the flow of illegal drugs into Thailand, which has erupted into sporadic border clashes since February. Chavalit said he would take along senior military officers responsible for policing the border with Burma, including outspoken Third Army Commander General Wattanachai Chaimuenwong, to acquaint them with their Burmese counterparts.
"It will be just a casual trip to get together since everything was already agreed upon during Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's official visit to Rangoon last month. I'll just go there to meet with senior Burmese military leaders whom I've not seen for a long time and play some golf," he said.But his aides said Chavalit will tie up some remaining loose ends including how joint patrols along the border could conduct drug suppression operations with due regard to the sovereignty and domestic security sensitivities of both sides.
The minister was confident that cooperation could be firmed up enough that a joint patrol along the rugged border could efficiently stem the flow of drugs. Both Thailand and Burma see the need to engage the United Wa State Army (UWSA) so that it can ease its dependence on drug money for sustenance. The Wa have signed a cease-fire agreement with Rangoon to keep their own autonomous region in return for helping Rangoon wage a proxy war against the Shan separatists.
Chavalit said China was more than willing to help defuse the internal strife since its drug problems are much more serious than Thailand's, especially the influx of Burmese drugs into Yunnan, bordering Burma's Shan state where the Wa are based. The drug meeting with Thailand, Burma and Laos that China will be hosted in Kunming this year would be a crucial step in tackling the drugs trade, the defence minister said.