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Drug smuggling insurgents attack on Tatmadaw outpost at Myanmar-Thai border clarified at Press meet |
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Yangon, 25 April — A Press meet concerning the attack on a Tatmadaw outpost at Myanmar-Thai border by drug smuggling insurgent group was held at Tatmadaw Guest House on Inya Road at 3 pm today.
In meeting the Press, General Staff Officer (Grade-1) of Directorate of Defence Services Intelligence Lt-Col San Pwint said the Tatmadaw stationed its men at a military outpost at estimate T-905144 at Pachee near Pungpa-hkyem, Mongton Township, at the border in Shan State East for border defence and security. Pachee outpost located in Myanmar territory at the border is just a small military camp guarded by a strength of only about 20 soldiers.
A Thai military camp is located about 50 yards opposite to the Pachee outpost in Thai territory. As the two military camps are close to each other, the troops deployed at the bases had cordial relations between each other in the past.
At midnight on 21 April 2001, three truck-loads of a combined force of Thai army troops and members of Ywet Sit’s SURA opium smuggling insurgent group arrived at the Thai military camp which is opposite to the Pachee outpost. At 1.15 am the next day, heavy weapons and small arms began firing on the Pachee outpost from the Thai military camp. Then, about 200 attackers from the Thai camp approached the Pachee outpost. During the attack the searchlights from the Thai camp were projected on the Myanmar outpost; and the Thai camp also gave continuous supporting heavy weapons and small arms fire. Six soldiers of the Pachee outpost fell during the attack and the remaining troops had to withdraw as the situation of firepower and manpower was unequal. In addition to giving supporting fire, the Thai troops joined the SURA drug smuggling insurgents in attacking the Pachee outpost; Ywet Sit group is just in name as the majority of the attackers were Thai army troops.
Concerning the attack, the 23 April 2001 issue of The Bangkok Post daily of Thailand reported that when about 200 members of Ywet Sit group overran a Myanmar Tatmadaw outpost, they seized seven bodies of Myanmar soldiers and 170,000 stimulant tablets. Similarly, it is stated in The Nation Daily that seven bodies of Myanmar soldiers and 150,000 stimulant tablets were seized. The iTV, a Thai TV channel, quoted Ywet Sit as saying that seven Myanmar soldiers were killed and nearly 200,000 stimulant tablets were impounded when his troops attacked the outpost. It was also reported on the Internet news that seven bodies of Myanmar soldiers and stimulant tablets were seized during the attack. These news reports are just fabrications.
It was seen that Thai army troops are the majority, and Ywet Sit group is just in name in attacking the Pachee outpost. The Thais are making the slanderous scheme in order to hide the involvement of its troops and to put the blame on Myanmar concerning the narcotic drugs. It can be obviously seen that the scheme is a regular twists of Thailand. Similarly, the Ywet Sit group was placed in the forefront while Thai troops gave supporting fire and took part in launching attacks on O-7 hillock, Lwemasok camp and Lwetawhkam camp in Tachilek in February. Myanmar has filed protests for many times on the involvement of Thai troops.
It is known that the Thai troops are stationed together with members of Ywet Sit group at the Pachee outpost. The Tatmadaw is drawing strategies to reoccupy the outpost.
Head of Department of Office of Strategic Studies Col Thein Swe and Lt-Col San Pwint gave replies to queries raised by the journalists. The participants Managing Director of News and Periodicals Enterprise U Tin Kha, Director (News) U Hla Tun, chief editors of the dailies, Chief Editor of Myanma News Agency (Internal) U Win Tin, Patron of Myanmar Correspondent Club U Sein Win, President U Sao Kai Hpa and correspondents, correspondents of The Myanmar Times together with the officials of the Ministry of Defence viewed the maps showing the attack and maps showing the deployment of SURA drug smuggler insurgents in Thai territory at Myanmar-Thai border. ________________________________________________ |
