Army commander Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin has agreed to help bring peace between the Burmese junta and armed ethnic groups in Burma. Gen Sonthi said that during his two-day visit to Burma he accepted a request from the Burmese military to help the junta reconcile with ethnic groups such as the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Shan State Army (SSA).

He had promised to do everything he could to encourage the rebel groups to come to the table and talk with the Burmese government.

”We have helped create harmony in Burma quietly and we do that with sincerity. We would like to see peace between them so that our country can be peaceful as well,” said Gen Sonthi, also the chairman of the Council for National Security.

Residents near the border are frequently troubled by incursions from Burma.

The army chief declined to elaborate on how he would help. He said only that he would not act as a mediator in the peace progress, otherwise the Thai army could be viewed as getting involved with ethnic minorities. ”We will let them do the talking because they are people of the same country,” Gen Sonthi said.

An army source said the army chief had ordered troops along the Thai-Burmese border to prevent Burmese minorities from launching anti-government campaigns on Thai soil. If they do not comply the military will not let them move freely along the border.

The military is also urging minorities to cooperate with the Burmese government and share benefits from the exploitation of Burma’s rich natural resources.

Gen Sonthi had also instructed battalion commanders to befriend the Burmese soldiers so that border problems will be easier to solve, the source said.

Gen Sonthi’s visit was his third to Burma as army chief. He met Snr Gen Than Shwe, chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), and Gen Maung Aye, deputy SPDC chairman and the Burmese army chief.

Gen Sonthi said they discussed the border situation as well as Burmese and Thai political issues.

Gen Than Shwe and Gen Maung Aye were very satisfied with Thailand’s handling of policies towards Burma during his two years as army chief, he said.

The policies include the decision not to support Burmese minorities. This was why there had been no border problems in the past two years, said Gen Sonthi, who will retire at the end of next month.

He assured Burma that his successor would follow the same policy.