The Northeast and the Kanchanaburi border are current sieves in the frontier. Two actions are mandatory if Thailand is to be saved from further damage and corruption. We must mobilise a national fight against the amphetamine invasion. First and foremost, our children must be educated and directly involved in this national salvation effort. Just as importantly, we must insist that Burma end its role in the pill-smuggling.
Denials are unbelievable, and lack of action is unacceptable.
Chuan strayed away from engaging in a war of words with the Burmese government and suggested that the Rangoon statement may have been based on a misunderstanding. He urged Rangoon not to be overly concerned with Thailand's position regarding the dissidents, saying they had been charged for their crimes and that the Thai police were pursuing them, On Thursday, the Associated Press ran a story with pictures showing two of the five dissidents at a camp in Burma's Karen State opposite Thailand's Ratchaburi province. The five had stormed the embassy on Oct 1, taking scores of hostages at gunpoint as they called on the military government of Rangoon to release all political prisoners in Burma. Rangoon was infuriated with the Thai authority's handling of the hostage crisis, and responded by closing its border and cancelled all fishing concession with Thai trawlers. The border was reopened at the end of last month but Rangoon insisted that fishing concessions must be renegotiated.