The Battle for the Border

By a correspondent Umphang, Thailand

A battle for control of the northern Thai-Burma border that has stretched through the past two weeks has taken an ominous turn in the past two days.

There is no foreseeable end in sight.

The Thai Army on Thursday morning began shelling positions of Burma’s State Peace and Development Council.

The highway from Mae Sot to the tourist region of Umphang forms the border between the two countries in this mountainous region and the Thais are on high ground on one side and the Burmese the other.

In the middle are soldiers of the Karen National Liberation Army.

The Burmese are trying to annihilate the guerilla groups of the rebel KNLA, who are roaming jungle areas right alongside the Thai border on the Burmese side.

But the Burmese are missing their targets and shells are landing on the Thai side.

And the Thais have had enough.

Last week hostile forces raided a significant Thai village, stealing corn and looting stores. A Thai Army Captain was killed in an ensuing firefight.

Now misdirected SPDC shells are raining down on Thai territory.

The guerillas choose to occupy positions close to the border to avoid Burmese air strikes, because for the Burmese Air Force to engage in hostilities so close to the border would inevitably spark Thai retaliation, both diplomatic and military.

But a concerted push to wrest control of the area from KNLA troops by SPDC units reluctant to engage guerilla groups in close combat in difficult terrain means light artillery has entered this theatre of war.

The KNLA is deterring fighting at close quarters with heavy landmine use.

They cut lengths of PVC pipe, fill them with explosives and use tiny triggers to detonate the weapons on jungle paths.

Directional Claymore mines are also being used.

Injuries from the homemade landmines are rarely fatal, but the KNLA cares little for that anyway, preferring to slow their enemy down.

Yesterday morning (FRIDAY Oct31) SPDC and allied forces had amassed 17 wounded since Wednesday.

In the morning there had been no KNLA casualties.

But they can ill afford to lose men.

This particular theatre has about 100 KNLA pitched against 300 SPDC troops.

The SPDC wants control of the area mainly for economic reasons.

There are thousands of hectares of corn ready for harvest in the region, tended by both Karen and Thai farmers on both sides of the border.

The KNLA has been modestly taxing the harvest to fund its guerilla war that began in 1949, but SPDC militia forces have been taxing farmers at 20 times the rate, effectively eliminating any slim profit margin that might have been earned.

But now no one is harvesting the corn, because these poor, simple farmers who eke out a living consider even an incomprehensible tax-free harvest not worth dying for.