Island dispute worries Ranong

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Published: 5 Jan 2013 at 17.17
Online news: Local News

Businesses in Ranong want the government to rapidly resolve the problem of overlapping claims on islands in the Kraburi River between Thailand and Myanmar.

Without urgent action, the problem could escalate into a serious conflict, similar to what has happened on the Thai-Cambodia border, said Nit Aui-tengkeng, the chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries in Ranong.

He said businesses in the southern province had submitted a letter to Surapong Chainam, an adviser to the foreign minister, calling for the government to urgently settle the problem, but had seen no progress.

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geoffo
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Discussion 4 : 06 Jan 2013 at 09.574
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D3 , interesting point , please explain about the borders being the source of the conflict.

I thought the origins of todays conflict lie in the spillover from 1950-1960's's Communist insurgency. The communist fled to Thailand and the fight continues to this day. Causes have changed ( from Communism to Islam) but at its core it is still the same insurgency. There is a reason why the South is called "restive".

There are 50,000 ex communists living in Issan. You could ask them. Given their projected age they should not be alive but when compensation money is involved anything is possible.
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onlyasking
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Discussion 3 : 06 Jan 2013 at 09.073
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The problem started when colonial powers drew maps that didn't take history and facts on the ground in account. The conflict in the south is a great example of this.
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blob123
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Discussion 2 : 05 Jan 2013 at 23.142
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I think this reflects one of the biggest problems in the country, Bangkok never is capable to solve any problems, they let them drag on and on and on in the hope the problem will somehow disappear. One reason is pure laziness and the other is a lack of intellectual capability.
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jacksprat
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Discussion 1 : 05 Jan 2013 at 22.491
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The entire border situation is a mess. Maps were made and borders drawn long before modern technology and thus lead to conflicting claims. This is what happened when Thailand and Laos fought a needless war in the late 1980s, when Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, then commanding the army, sent troops to occupy several disputed villages. The borders need to be properly marked using today's technology.
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Island dispute worries Ranong | Bangkok Post: news