Thread: 8 Thais captured by Burmese troops near Tak

...and what exactly would the Burmese military officials be looking for in return? Symbolic act?

Is this a real mistake or another protest gone wrong? If it's a real mistake, they should be released if there is no other evidence of wrong doing, but if they went there looking for trouble.....well you know the rest. The borders away from towns are not always very clearly marked and it would be quite easy to wander over innocently.

Originally Posted by BobR

Is this a real mistake or another protest gone wrong? If it's a real mistake, they should be released if there is no other evidence of wrong doing, but if they went there looking for trouble.....well you know the rest. The borders away from towns are not always very clearly marked and it would be quite easy to wander over innocently.

....they'd have to cross a river beforehand, as Tak is bordered by one from Burma.

I wonder if we'll get a massive outpouring of nationalistic fervour over this....hundreds of pointless, crappy news items on all the English news websites, rallies, protests, government meetings and statements....

Yeah, I know the answer....

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

I wonder if we'll get a massive outpouring of nationalistic fervour over this....hundreds of pointless, crappy news items on all the English news websites, rallies, protests, government meetings and statements....

Yeah, I know the answer....

Where you might absorb such rhetorical "nationalistic zeal" would be Thai-language newsprint and television, as they perform daily.

Originally Posted by BobR

The borders away from towns are not always very clearly marked and it would be quite easy to wander over innocently.

Correct.
I drove into Burma from Doi AngKhang.
I had no idea I had crossed a border until I stopped in a village and everyone was bare footed and didn't speak thai.
I high tailed it back to Thailand but if I had been caught then gawd knows what would have happened.

Undercover Thai Agents Disguised As Fisherfolk Infiltrate Burma Border

Eight Thai villagers detained by Myanmar army
วันพุธ ที่ 19 ม.ค. 2554

BANGKOK, Jan 19 -- Eight Thai villagers from the northern province of Tak have been arrested by the Myanmar military, while they were fishing in the neighbouring country's territory, but Thai local authorities and village leaders are actively coordinating to secure their release.

All eight were from Tak's Phob Phra district bordering Myanmar. They were arrested at Ban Huay Pho Moo Bor in Myanmar territory while they were fishing, and were taken to be held at a nearby Myanmar army unit base.

Local authorities and village leaders have contacted the Myanmar army seeking to negotiate the release of the detainees.

Border clashes between a dissident Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) faction and Myanmar government forces erupted along the border shortly after the country's general election Nov 7 last year.

Several thousand local Myanmar ethnic Karenni residents crossed the border into Thailand to seek shelter during the fighting. They later were sent back home after the fighting ended.

mcot.net

Eight Thais released by Burmese troops

Thai authorities on Wednesday managed to negotiate with Burmese military to release the eight Thai villagers from Tak's Phob Phra district who were in the early morning arrested for fishing in Burmese territory.

The eight villagers were arrested at as they crossed to the area opposite Mae Ok Hu Village in Tambon Valley while they were fishing, and were arrested and detained at a nearby Burmese army unit base, located 20 kilometers from the Thai Burmese border.

But Thai local authorities and village leaders were actively coordinating to secure their release.

nationmultimedia.com

Myanmar frees eight Thai villagers


Myanmar frees eight Thai villagers


วันพุธ ที่ 19 ม.ค. 2554

• • 
  
  

TAK, Jan 19 -- Eight Thai villagers detained for illegally fishing in Myanmar waters have been released by the Myanmar military Wednesday morning following a successful negotiation between local authorities of the two neighbours, a local Thai offial said on Wednesday.

Phob Phra district chief Poj Ruvaranan said all eight villagers were released at 11.40am following discussions between civil and military authorities as well as the Thai-Myanmar border coordination centre.

The eight were briefly detained at Ban Huay Pho Moo Bor in Myanmar territory while they were fishing in the neighbour's territory early Wednesday. They then were taken to be held at a nearby Myanmar army base.

Mr Poj said the villagers are now expected to cross border from the Myanmar army camp, 20km from the Thai border, to their village in Phob Phra district in the evening.

Meanwhile, Samart Loifa, Tak governor, praised the Myanmar authorities for their cooperation in releasing the Thais. He also warned Thai residents living along the Thai-Myanmar border, in particular the fighting areas, not to go fishing nor collecting forest produce in the neighbour's territory to avoid being arrested and danger from landmines scattered in the area.

Border clashes between a dissident Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) faction and Myanmar government forces erupted along the border shortly after the country's general election Nov 7 last year.

Several thousand local Myanmar ethnic Karenni residents crossed the border into Thailand to seek shelter during the fighting. They later were sent back home after the fighting ended. (MCOT online news)

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

They later were sent back home after the fighting ended.

forced repatriations and the fighting continues to this day

Originally Posted by Thetyim

Originally Posted by BobR

The borders away from towns are not always very clearly marked and it would be quite easy to wander over innocently.

Correct.
I drove into Burma from Doi AngKhang.
I had no idea I had crossed a border until I stopped in a village and everyone was bare footed and didn't speak thai.
I high tailed it back to Thailand but if I had been caught then gawd knows what would have happened.

I did the same thing on the Cambodia side near Palin about 3 years ago. Ended up in a poppy field at the end of a dead end road and there were guys walking around with machine guns and wearing military type clothing. I guess it just wasn't my time to die.

Originally Posted by Johnny Longprong

Undercover Thai Agents Disguised As Fisherfolk Infiltrate Burma Border

yes 8 guys goin fishing does seem a lil odd.
couldn't have been too smart, if this was the case.

Myanmar authorities free six Thais earlier detained for illegally fishing
วันพฤหัสบดี ที่ 20 ม.ค. 2554



TAK, Jan 20 - Myanmar authorities on Thursday released six Thai villagers arrested yesterday while they fished in the neighbour's territory after deciding that the detainees were not spies of an armed ethnic Karenni group.

Tak Governor Samart Loifa said the six Thai nationals were freed Thursday morning.

Eight Thai villagers were detained Wednesday morning at Ban Huay Pho Moo Bor in Myanmar territory for illegally fishing in Myanmar waters, the Myanmar side of the Moei River border.

One detainee told the Thai troops who accompanied them on their return to the kingdom that, during the arrest, all of them were forced to carry artillery shells and were also interrogated to determine whether they were spies of an armed Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) faction.

Two of the eight, he said, escaped detention and crossed the border into Thai territory Wednesday afternoon.

Border clashes between DKBA faction and Myanmar government forces erupted along the border shortly after the country's general election Nov 7 last year, forcing several thousand local Myanmar ethnic Karenni residents crossed the border into Thailand's Tak and Kanchanaburi provinces to seek shelter during the fighting. But they later returned to their homeland when the clashes ended.

Following the case of eight Thais, the Tak governor warned residents living along the Thai-Myanmar border not to go fishing nor collect forest produce in the neighbour's territory to avoid being arrested. He warned also of the danger from landmines scattered in the area.

mcot.net

Thais Released After Brief Detention in Burma
Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011

Eight Thai citizens from Phop Phra District in Thailand's western Tak Province were arrested and briefly detained by Burmese troops after crossing the border on Wednesday.

According to a report by China's Xinhua news agency that quoted Burmese official sources, five of the Thais were captured in Huay Pomubo while harvesting corn they had planted there, while the other three were fishing.

They were briefly detained by the Burmese regime's Third Strategy-Implementation Division, then released following negotiations between local Thai authorities and the Burmese soldiers.

irrawaddy.org