( 29-3-2002 )

The ambassadors of foreign missions met with SURA company commander Kum Kham, platoon commander Aik Maung and private Aik Pee at Tatmadaw Guest House on Inya Road at 10 am today. Kum Kham, Aik Maung and Aik Pee had recently exchanged arms for peace and given a first-hand account of the terrorist acts of SURA drug-trafficking insurgent Ywet Sit's group, its drug production and trafficking and how fabrications were made in connection with the attack on Tatmadaw Pachee outpost.

 Also present at the meeting were ambassadors led by Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Ambassador of Laos Mr Ly Bounkham, Director-General of the Protocol Department Thura U Aung Htet and officials of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials of the Ministry of Information. Director U Denzel Abel of the Political Department of MOFA explained the arrangements for the ambassadors to meet with a company commander, a platoon commander and a private from SURA group who had recently exchanged arms for peace. He also presented a brief account of the attack of drug-trafficking Ywet Sit's group on the Tatmadaw Pachee outpost. The attack made by the Ywet Sit's drug-trafficking group on the Tatmadaw Pachee outpost, the conveying of the narcotic drugs and stimulant tablets to the outpost and the fabrications made by the group were presented with audio-visual aids. In replying to questions raised by the ambassadors, company commander Kum Khan and platoon commander Aik Maung said that Ywet Sit's opium-trafficking group is based in Lwetainglyan in Thailand. The strength of the SURA is about 7,000.

The group captures youths of the national races and recruits them by force. The group threatens to kill the parents and relatives of the youths if they refuse to join it. Although the youths are reluctant to join the group they have been recruited under intimidation. In some cases, Thai police arrested those who came to Thailand without identification and sent them to the SURA. Thai police sent the arrested persons to the SURA at its requests. The SURA wants to raise its manpower. Thus, the manpower of the SURA has reached about 7,000 at present. Military instructors of a certain western nation give instructor training to Thai war veterans, who in turn give military training to the recruits.

That western nation provides financial assistance to Thailand to buy arms for the SURA. Thais bought arms for the SURA members, and equipped them. Ywet Sit has applied various means to obtain continuous assistance from a certain western nation and Thailand. Platoon commander Aik Maung happened to learn these facts as he was working closely with Ywet Sit as his batman. As a batman, Aik Maung had to cook and prepare meals for Ywet Sit and to wash his clothes. As he knew the ins and outs of the economic and military affairs of Ywet Sit, he was promoted to a platoon commander by Ywet Sit. Thai military instructors and westerners can always be seen at Lwetainglyan camp.

Ywet Sit orders the villages of the areas on the Myanmar side of the border which are beyond the reach of the Tatmadaw to grow poppy. When the poppy fields are thriving, Ywet Sit takes the westerners to the villages, shows them the poppy fields and says that they are grown by Myanmars. He asks the correspondents and TV crews to shoot photo and TV documentaries. He tries to distribute the news to western nations through the Thai news agencies. He gets assistance from the western nation by doing so. One of Ywet SitÕs malicious acts done in 1999 was that he ordered his men to find and arrest some persons who had consumed stimulant drugs (Yama) in a village at the border on Myanmar side.

The villagers were found together with a small number of Yama stimulant tablets. Ywet Sit added more stimulant tablets numbering from 100,000 to 200,000 to those found together with the villagers. He then asked Thai correspondents and TV crews to take documentary on the seizure. He sent the TV and photo documentaries to western nations through the Thai media in an attempt to discredit Myanmar. This is one of the slanderous acts of Ywet Sit. A western nation gave three dollars per seized tablet to the group for making the slander. The SURA attacked the Pachee outpost with similar ill intention. A western nation which is indirectly supporting SURA views the group as the one which is actively eradicating drugs.

The group attacked the outpost to mislead the world into viewing the Myanmar Tatmadaw as a drug producer and discrediting Myanmar. Kum Kham and Aik Maung are able to reveal the truth as they had participated in the attack to launch fabrications against Myanmar. About 250 members were divided into three columns to attack the Pachee outpost. The two are included in the columns. Fifteen 6-wheel trucks of Thai army carrying about 60 Thai troops and arms and ammunition were also included in the columns. They found two Thai correspondents in the Thai military trucks. They said prayers at Paneik camp before the attack. The purpose of the attack was explained before they headed for Pachee outpost.

 Thai military vehicles were left at Pennate outpost and they marched on foot. As instructed by Ywet Sit personally, company commander Kum Kham carried three packages of stimulant tablets, and platoon commander Aik Maung, eight packages of stimulant tablets. The company commander and the platoon commander themselves had to carry them. It was because they were the trusted persons of Ywet Sit that he himself bade them carry the packages. When SURA launched the attack on Myanma Pachee outpost at about 1 am, Thais who came along with the SURA columns, projected searchlights on Myanma Pachee outpost and gave a supporting fire of heavy weapons. The searchlights shown in the video are those carried by Thai military vehicles. After Pachee outpost was taken at about 5 am, as instructed by Ywet Sit, platoon commander Aik Maung himself put the packages of stimulant tablets at the place in Pachee outpost where rations were kept, and cut open the packages with a knife.

Then, Thai reporters videotaped the stimulant tablets. The purpose of cutting the packages open was to get stimulant tablets easily seen on TV. Later, about 15 Thai reporters arrived at Pachee outpost, and took photos and video films. When they did so, the stimulant tablets and arms and ammunition seized from Pachee outpost were displayed. The one who was putting these things in display in the video is company commander Kum Kham. He had to display the stimulant tablets carried by himself according to the instruction of Ywet Sit as if they were seized from Myanma Pachee outpost. The stimulant tablets were displayed in such a way that they were easily seen on TV. Moreover, in displaying the seized arms and ammunition, they also used their arms and ammunition together with the seized arms and ammunition.

Notwithstanding that drug-trafficking terrorist insurgent Ywet Sit and the SURA leadership are shouting that they are fighting for the liberation of Shan State and eradication of narcotic drugs, they are in practice producing heroin and stimulant tablets. Opium refineries are near Lwetainglyan Camp. Although Thais and westerners have frequented the camp and known and seen that Ywet Sit have established the opium refineries and produced stimulant tablets, they have said nothing about it. Nor have they prohibited it. The purpose of their exchanging arms for peace is that they do not like the act of SURA drug-trafficking Ywet Sit and his group. They had to join SURA not out of their volition. It was because he was arrested and forced to enter SURA. The subordinates have to live lives of animals. The leadership like Ywet Sit are rolling in wealth. They bide the subordinates work without any consideration.

They were not satisfied with the facts that they had to attack Myanmar national races and that SURA, while under the name of MTA, killed their relatives. They did not like the act of making fabrications for self-interest, either. Because of these above-mentioned facts, they ran away from there. There are a lot of SURA members who wish to flee like them. When those who attempted to run away were arrested, they were shot dead. A lot of land mines have been planted around the camp. It is difficult to avoid the land mines in attempting to escape. As they themselves planted the land mines and knew the places where the land mines were planted, they managed to escape.

 When they attempted to flee, they were in SURA uniform. As they were in luck, they managed to escape. The video on the attack on Pachee was taken by Thai reporters. Then, the ceremony came to a stop at 11.20 am. Later, the ambassadors viewed the photos and personal data of company commander Kum Kham, platoon commander Aik Maung and private Aik Pee, a map showing Lwetainglyan, SURA headquarters, and SURA opium refineries, a map showing outposts of SURA, photos showing facts about SURA insurgent group, a map showing the attack launched by SURA on Tatmadaw Pachee outpost and photos showing explosion of Mongshu gems land by SURA terrorist insurgents.

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