Thailand considering anti-drug fence along Thai-Myanmar border

Producer: Felix Tan
First broadcast: 1 June 04, Radio Singapore International

The Thai government is considering building a high-security fence along its border with Myanmar to stop drug traffickers coming into Thailand.

The proposal will be raised during an official visit to Bangkok by Myanmar’s Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt this Friday.

However, a Thai government spokesman has said that although the fence could be built on the Thai side of the border, there is still the issue of who will fund the project.

But how serious is the problem of drug trafficking, especially given last year’s high profile anti-drug drive in Thailand?

Felix Tan put this question to Professor Chaya Choke (CC), of the Department of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok:

CC: “Well, after the campaign by the government, the fear is still there, but I think there is a kind of wait and see tactic by the drug traffickers. What I mean is this - a lot of those who are not caught are still around. They try to wait if the government is weakened or the government is not interested - the government might have other issues, so they can open the lid and come out again. Therefore, I think the feeling of the drug problem is still around.”

Who could be the biggest perpetrators of this drug smuggling ring, so to speak?

CC: “Well, you know, in terms of production and large amount would be coming from some of the minorities tribes in Burma. Of course we also have to admit that on the Thai side, we also have producers or manufacturers of drug as well, but the amount would not be as many as what has been produced in Burma.”

What kind of impact would this have on both countries, especially in terms of the lives of the Thais and the Burmese people?

CC: “Before answering the people as a whole, I think one has to see this - if Thailand and Burma has good relations, then the help from each other side, in terms of eradication of the drug trafficking would be to a high level, that means the drug traffickers would be hard pressed by the Thai government as well as the Burmese government. But as soon as we have problems with the Burmese and the Burmese have problems with the Thais, this sort of drug problems will be overlooked in one way or another. That is the problem. That is why Thai government tries to find many ways as possible to eradicate here and there. But if you talk about the people as a whole, actually, some the Burmese and the Burmese minorities, some of them have turned to become drug addicts as well. Therefore, it also hurt the Burmese who got into this sort of problems. But anyway, in terms of producers, according to my knowledge, the drug making is not that easy and it cannot be produced as much in a short time. It takes a long time to make or to produce some kinds of a drug. Therefore, if we slowly eradicate this sort of thing, it can help.”

I also understand that the Thai government has said that they intend to build a high-security fence along its border with Myanmar to stop these smugglers. Now, how would a fence help to address this problem of drug trafficking then?

CC: “Well, if you build a fence the border with your neighbours, first of all, you have to inform and have to be quite transparent in doing the thing - at least the Burmese government has to be informed and understood why it has to be built. But to me, if you ask whether it will be effective or not, or how it will go into stopping or producing drug trafficking, I do not quite believe that the fence will do any good. Why? Well, we have, along the land border, the Thais and Burmese have a common border for over 2,000 kilometres. Though it might include a little bit of short waterways and rivers and all that, but most of them are land. And over 2,000 kilometres like this, how could you build fences along the border. But again, in building a fence, you cannot station the soldiers at all spot and the drug traffickers can easily come in at night, come up to the fence and come through. So, I do not think that that will be effective except that we might try to slow down them approaching into Thai territory - that is all.”

What other options are being tried out at this moment?

CC: “Well, good relations between the two countries, first of all. And then we might have common patrol, at the same time; the Burmese government thinks that if they can see our sincerity in terms of eradication of the drugs, then they might try to help us by reducing the output within the border. We have to understand each other too, that the Burmese, they also have their problems too look after, therefore we cannot really ask them to go into drug eradication at all costs.”

Myanmar’s Prime Minister Gernal Khin Nyunt will be coming down to meet Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra on Friday. Now, will this issue of the anti-drug fence or even this issue of drug trafficking figure prominently in their meeting?

CC: “I think that this thing will be one of the major issue during the talks, but I think that General Khin Nyunt probably wants to make some kind of rewards and explain the situation in Burma in terms of its constitution, forum and reforms. I think that might be more important issue from the Burmese side.”