BURMA ARMY SHELLING OF THAI VILLAGE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000100220003-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 4, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: March 28, 1977
• Content Type: CABLE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/21: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100220003-6
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TOR :283.330z MAR 77
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INF 0 RumJIA/ AMC oNSUL CHIANG MAI 39 59
RUMJRV /A MEMB ASSY RANGOON 6120
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LIMITED OFFICIAL USE BANGKOK 6673
EO 11652: N/A
TAGS: P FOR TH BM
SUBJECT: BURMA ARMY SHE LL ING OF THAI VI LLAGE
REF: ( A) BANGKOK 6551, ( B) BANGKOK 6091.
1. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SOURCE TOLD EMBOFF MAR 28 THAT
',REPRESENT AT IONSH-- AND HE STRESSED THAT THEY WERE NOT A PROTEST
NOTE --HAD BEEN MADE TO GUB RE SHELLING OF BAN WANG KHA (REF A)
SOURCE NOTED THAT REPORTS OF INCIDENT WERE STILL PRELIMINARY,
IT WAS NOT KNOWN, FOR INSTANCE, WHETHER OTHER SHELLS HIT THE
BURMESE SIDE OF THE BORDER AND JUST A FEW WE NT ASTRAY OR WHETHER
THE HOWITZERS WERE AIMED AT THAILAND. THAI HAD ALSO ASKED
THAT SHELLING OF THE AREA BE STOPPED BY THE GUB. MAR 28
BANGKOK WORLD CARRIED ARTICLE STATING THAT SHELLING OF BURMESE
SIDE OF BORDER HAD RESUMED, BUT MFA SOURCE WAS UNABLE TO CONFIRM
OR DENY STORY.
2. BURMESE EMBASSY OFFICIAL DURING MAR 28 CONVERSATION ON
SAME SUBJECT TOLD EMBOFF THAT THAI REPRESENTATIONS HAD BEEN
MADE IN RANGOON. HE SAID THAI HAD ASKED FOR COMPENSATION
FOR LIVES AND DAMAGES, AND HAD REQUESTED THAI SHELLING
CEASE, NOTING THAT THE VILLAGE ON THE BURMESE SIDE OF THE
BORDER WAS ALSO KNOWN AS WANG KHA, HE WONDERED HOW MANY OF
THOSE KILLED HAD BEEN THAI AND HOW MANY KAREN. HE THEN
SOMEWHAT INGENUOUSLY BUT APPARENTLY SINCERELY ASKED EMBOFF
WHETHER THE THAI WERE REALLY UPSET AB OUT THE INCIDENT.
EMBOFF REPLIED THAT THAI OFFICIALS HAD APPEARED THUS FAR TO
BE RESTRAINED IN THEIR REA T IONS, BUT UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES
IT WOULD BE HARD TO PRESUME THEY WOULDN'T BE SOMEWHAT
UPSET.
3, EMBOFF MENTIONED THAT VI SI T BY FOREIGN MINISTER UP PAD/ T
TO RANGOON IN JANUARY HAD APPARENTLY BEEN THAI ATTEMPT TO
IMPROVE RELATIONS. "YES, TO PATCH UP THINGS,"INTERJECTED
BURMESE EMBOFF. Em BO FF WENT ON TO ASK WHETHER BURMESE
CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/21: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100220003-6
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/21: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100220003-6
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EMB OFF THOUGHT ANT I-NARCOT ICS COOPERATION BETWEEN THAILAND AND
BURMA ',JOULE; BE POSSIBLE, AS WAS MENTIONED IN PRESS REPORTS
OF THE BURMESE AMBASSADOR'S MEET I NG WITH PR IME MINISTER
THANIN (REF B). BURMESE EMBOFF SAID THAT THANIN HAD
BROUGHT UP THE SUBJECT DURING N INFORMAL LUNCHEON ON QM 17
WITH THE BURMESE AMBASSADOR To THAILAND, BURMESE EMBOFF
STATED THAT NARCOTICS ERADICATION WAS MOST IMPORTANT TO THE
GUB, AND HE THOUGHT THAT SOME SORT OF COOPERATIVE EFFORTS
COULD,--3E WORKED OUT. PRO EL EM AS, OF COURSE, THAT MANY OF
THE AREAS WHERE OP IUM GROWING AND TRAFFICKING TOOK PLACE
W ER E "NOT VERY SA FE FOR BURMESE".
4. COMMENT: NUMBERS KILLED AND WOUNDED AT BAN WANG
KHA ARE STILL UNCERTAIN, MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AT FIRST
REPORTED BETWEEN 25 AND 50 KILLED. BUT FOREIGN MINISTER
UPPADI T STATED TO PRESS ON MAR 27 THAT 14 HAD DIED. MFA
SOURCE ( MENTIONED PARA 1) TOLD EMBOFF THAT IT WILL BE
S EV ERAL DAYS BEFORE WHOLE STORY IS KNOWN. MEANWHILE,
BANGKOK ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY NAT ION REVIEW REP@))RTED MAR 28
THAT PRESIDENT NE WIN HAD EXPRESSED ',GRAVE CONCERN,' OVER
THE INCIDENT ? ACTUAL COMPENSATION FORMALLY REQUESTED BY
THE THAI MAY, HOWEVER, MEET WITH SAME SOMEWHAT SCEPTICAL
ATTITUDE AS EXPRESSED BY BURMESE EMBOFF. WHITEHOUSE
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Co NFI DENTI AL
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/21: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100220003-6
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LIMITED OFFICIAL USE BANGKOK 6551
E,O. 11652: N/A
TAGS 0:94, TH, BM
SUBJECT: BURMA ARMY SHELLS HIT THAI VILLAGE
REF: A) FBIS BK181007Y MAR 77 B) FI S b-RT4Ti551Y MAR 77
1, BANGKOK PAPERS OF MAR 25 HEADLINED STORY FROM BAN WANG KHA
IN MAE SOT DISTRICT, TAK PROVINCE, REPORTING THAT MAR 23
FIGHTING BETWEEN BURMA ARMY AND KAREN DISSIDENTS HAD RESULTED
IN DEATHS OF BETWEEN 25 AND 50 THAI VILLAGERS WHEN BURMA
ARMY REPORTEDLY OVER-SHOT NEARBY KAREN STRONG-HOLD AND HIT
BAN WANG KHA. (BAN WANG KHA IS LOCATED ABOUT TEN KILOMETERS
NORTH OF MAE SOT TWON DIRECTLY ACROSS THE MOEI RIVER FROM
THE HEAD:,JARTEHS OF THE 101ST KAREN NATIONAL UNION (KNU) FORCE.
MINISTRY OF INTERIOR (MOR) SOURCE TOLD EMBOFF THAT PRESENT
ESTIMATES ARE THAT NOT LESS THAN 40 MILLION BAHT ($2 MILLION)
DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE To BAN WANG KHA, SOURCE ALSO SAID THAT
NUMBER OF VILLAGERS IILLED REMAINS UNCERTAIN BECAUSE FIRES
IN TOWN HAVE NOT YET BEEN EXTERMINATED. ABOUT 100 PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN INJURED, SOME SERIOUSLY, AND THE FIGHTING BE-
TWEEN THE KNU AND BURMA ARMY CONTINUES. BANGKOK RADIO
(REF 8) SAID THAT ON MAR 24 TAK PROVINCIAL AUTHORITIES HAD
SENT LETTER TO :,'URMESE REQUESTING THEY CHANGE DIRECTION
OF SHELLING IN ORDER TO AVOID HITTING THAILAND. AT TIME
OF RADIO BROADCASE, HOWEVER, SHt7J,ING AGAINST KNU CAMP WAS
REPORTEDLY CONTINJING.
2. MOI SOURCE SAID RTD wOJLD PROBABJ- SEND GUB A PROTEST
NOTE ASKING FOR COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGES. HE NOTED THAT
INCIDENT wHICH OCCURRED THREE YEARS ,GO IN SAME AREA
(WHEN IN mARCH, 1974' KNU FOUGHT GUB AT MYAWADDI, JUST ACROSS
FR)m MAE S:;1* TOWN, AND TWO THAI Vi,.RE K.JLED BY STRAY BULLETS)
HAD NEVER ne-EN CRENSATED FOR,THE BURMESE EXPLAINING THAT
IN A PERIOD OF amERGENCY. IT Is DIFFICULT TO PREVENT SUCH
INC :2,c,vTS S:%A.r:ON AS BEING DIFFERENT, HOWEVER,
Ck,NFIDENTIAL
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/21: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100220003-6
Eie-cla'Saed in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/21: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100220003-6
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IN THAT GUB HAD LOBBED 105 MM ROUNDS INTO THE THAI
VILLAGE AND DESTROYED VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE TOWN. MOI
SOURCE SAID THAT WOMEN AND CHILDREN FROM BURMA (BOTH KAREN
AND BURMESE) HAD BEEN ALLOWED To CROSS THE BORDER, BUT THAT
KNU TROOPS INVOLVED HAVE THUS FAR REMAINED IN BURMA. HE
NOTED THAT THAILAND WAS ATTEMPTING To IMPROVE RELATIONS
WITH BURMA, AND IT WAS THAILAND'S POLICY TO PREVENT BURMESE
DISSIDENTS r7ROm RETREATING INTo THAI SOIL.
LG
3, MOST RECENT SERIES OF CLASHES BETWEEN KNU AND GUB
TROOPS BEGAN MAR 10. ACCORDING TO AFP REPORT FROM HONG
KONG (REF A) THAT KAREN FORCES HAD FLED TO THAILAND
FOLLOWING A CLASH ON MAR 16, SOURCES AT THIALANDIS
INERNAL SECURITY OPERATIONS COMMAND (ISOC) ALSO STATED
THAT BECAUSE THAILAND DOES NOT WISH To SEE A DETERIORATION
IN RELATIONSHIP WITH BURMA, KAREN SOLDIERS WOULD BE DRIVERN
OUT AS SOON AS POssI8LE. ALTHOUGH EMBASSY Is UNABLE To
CONFIRM WHETHER oR NOT KNU TROOPS HAVE ACTUALLY FLED TO
THAILAND, WE FEEL THAT, GIVEN LIMIED NUMBER OF THAI
SECUT1TY FORCES ALONG BORDER, IT WOULD BE DIFFICUTL TO
ENFORCE THE ExLLS:ON OF KNU TROOPS, EVEN IF RTG SO
DESIRED. wHITEHousE
CONFIDENTIAL
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