Deployment of Wa troops along Thai-Myanmar border protested

Thailand lodged a protest on Wednesday against the reported deployment of heavily-armed Wa troops along the Thai-Myanmar border.

Col Yongyuth Laokhetkarn, commander of a task force unit attached to the Thai Third Cavalry Regiment, held a local border committee meeting with Col Saw Nai Oo, commander of a Myanmar strategic force based in Tachileik border township, in Chiang Rai province during which the Thai side protested against the deployment of the Myanmar-controled United Wa State Army (UWSA) troops at outposts straddling border areas in several Thai northern districts in Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces, a Thai army source said.

The purposes of the UWSA troops deployment remained unknown to the Thai authorities who said it could possibly generate a precarious, unfriendly atmosphere along the shared border and suggested that the Myanmar government promptly manage to pull them out, according to the source who only spoke on condition of anonymity.

However, the Myanmar side did not comment whether or when the Wa troops might be pulled out of the border areas in the wake of the latest protest from the Thai side.

There are several military outposts where the Wa troops are currently deployed along the Thai-Myanmar border areas in Viang Haeng, Chiang Dao and Mae Aye districts of Chiang Mai and in Pai district in Mae Hong Son, the source said.

Though the UWSA troops were known to carry out missions under guidance of Myanmar forces, they denied Myanmar's push for them to operate as so-called Border Guards.

The UWSA had reached ceasefire agreements with Myanmar twice since 1989.

In addition, Col Yongyuth called on the Myanmar authorities to reopen the Ban Pong border checkpoint from across Tachileik township to promote trade and tourism on both sides of the border and to jointly combat drug trafficking rackets.

Large quantities of amphetamines, heroin and other drugs were known to have been produced in the so-called Golden Triangle straddling border areas of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand and to have been trafficked to underground world markets via Thailand.

The Thai army and police seized large volumes of the drugs smuggled into Thai territory in Chiang Rai province and arrested the suspected traffickers.

In a single haul, the quantity of amphetamine might probably amount up to one million pills or more.

Meanwhile, Col Oo protested against the alleged trespassing of a Thai cavalry unit into Myanmar territory in Tachileik earlier this year with intent to destroy a plantation of opium which might be used to produce drugs.

He also called on the Thai side to stop local villagers in Mae Sai district from dredging up for sand in the international Mekong River for fears that it might possibly cause the banks to cave in.