Shan State Army (SSA) leader Col Yawd Serk has given firm assurance to Thai authorities that Prime Minister Thein Sein, who is on a 3-day visit to the kingdom starting today, has nothing to worry when he comes up to northern Thailand that shares a border with his domain, Burma’s Shan State.“I was requested to cooperate in (PM) Thein Sein’s security,” said the 51-year old leader of the strongest anti-junta armed movement, in reply to SHAN’s query. “I said Thein Sein is an enemy of the people. But we know he is coming as a guest of honor of the kingdom. They may therefore rest assured that we will do nothing to damage the kingdom’s reputation.”
Col Yawd Serk
A Thai security official remarked to S.H.A.N. later, “We are certainly not worried about Yawd Serk. The request as just a matter of form. He knows where he stands with us. What’s more, he also knows PM Thein Sein is not the junta key man.”
This is Lt-Gen Thein Sein’s first state visit to Thailand since he was appointed as prime minister on 24 October 2007 to succeed Soe Win who died on 12 October 2007.
Thein Sein is programmed to wind up his visit to Thailand with a tour to Chiangrai, where the late Princess Mother had set up the Doi Tung Development Foundation to assist the ex-poppy farmers.
The foundation was first visited by Senior Gen Than Shwe and Gen Khin Nyunt in March 2000, out of which came the Yawngkha drug free project for the Wa. It was shelved in 2005 following the ouster of Gen Khin Nyunt a year earlier. For details of the project, please visit Finding Neverland: The story of Yawngkha (April 2005) at www.shanland.org.
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