Indian security forces under attack by Manipuri militants camping in Myanmar; EU extends its sanctions on Burma for another year; In Thailand, UDD threatens to adopt new strategies, including violence, to topple the present government
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  • Reports noted that Indian security forces in Manipur have been attacked by militants camping in Indo-Myanmar border areas. The inaction of the Myanmarese army against these militants was cited as the primary reason behind the insurgents’ success in attacking Indian army positions1.

    Meanwhile, sanctions on Myanmar were extended for another year by the EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxemburg. Citing its human rights record, the EU since 1996 has restricted visits to Burma by its high-level officials, imposed economic sanctions, an arms embargo, and has enforced a visa ban on Burmese military officials and their families as well2.

    In Bangkok, representatives of the Thai government, opposition and the senate agreed to set up a committee to look into the recent crackdown on anti-government demonstrators of the UDD group by troops and police on April 13. The joint agreement also has provisions for setting up of another committee to evaluate the possibility of political reforms and changes to the 2007 constitution3. Despite these agreements however, the UDD has threatened to adopt new strategies, including violence, if necessary, to topple the government led by PM Abhisit Vejjajiva4.

    In other developments, violence hit five districts of Narathiwat province on April 27 as southern separatist groups indulged in various acts of terror5. Gunmen also killed nine people and injured two others in five separate attacks in the southern part of the country on April 28, a day which commemorates the anniversary of the security forces operations against rebels who had occupied the Krue Sae mosque in 2004. Thirty two separatists lost their lives in confrontation with the security forces in that operation6.

    Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was on a two-day visit to Brunei, starting from April 297. Najib expressed optimism over the possibility of finalizing the land and maritime border demarcation agreements between the two states, although no definite time frame was mentioned8.

    The Chinese government meanwhile protested the appointment of a governor to the disputed Xisha (Paracel) islands by Vietman, as “illegal and invalid.” Beijing reiterated its claims over the islands in the South China Sea and asserted that it had “indisputable sovereignty over the Xisha islands and their adjacent waters9.” In a related development, despite China’s strong protest against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s recent signing of the baseline bill claiming Philippines sovereignty over some disputed islands in the South China Sea, Manila has not expressed much concern over those issues and hoped that China “will observe the agreed Code of Conduct on the South China Sea10.”

    In other developments, the US and Philippine sailors conducted a joint search and seizure operations as part of the annual Balikatan training exercises11.

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