Thailand protests over Myanmar 'violations'

By John Raedler
Bangkok Bureau Chief

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Thailand says militia units controlled by neighboring Myanmar twice violated Thai sovereignty earlier this month.

The Thai Foreign Ministry called in the Myanmar Ambassador to Thailand on Tuesday to lodge a strongly worded formal protest.

The Foreign Ministry says the first incident happened on May 1, when about 30 members of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army attacked a Thai military unit and civilian property in the Thai border village of Ban Muean Rue Chai.

Thailand says three civilians were killed in the attack.

The Foreign Ministry says the second incident happened two days later and further north along the border, when members of the United Wa State Army occupied a hill known as Hua Lon.

"The hill is, without the slightest doubt to all parties, clearly located in Thai territory," the Foreign Ministry told the Myanmar Ambassador.

"Such stationing of (Myanmar)-controlled militia units in Thai territory constituted a blatant violation of Thailand's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the protest document continued.

The Foreign Ministry said Thailand had to "resort to the use of military means to dislodge the occupying forces from Thai territory."

"The Royal Thai Government hereby strongly protests the above-mentioned series of violations of Thailand's sovereignty," the Thai complaint said.

The Foreign Ministry also expressed disappointment that the Myanmar military government had claimed it could not control the militias.

There was no public comment from Myanmar Ambassador Myo Myint after the meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Bangkok.

Nor was there any immediate reaction from the military government in Yangon.

There have been skirmishes along the Thai-Myanmar border for much of this year -- incidents often complicated by disputed territory and the involvement of various ethnic militias linked to both sides.

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