BKK Post / 19 August 1998  

Boost in Thai-Lao war against drugs  

   Nong Khai - Thailand and Laos yesterday agreed to step 
up cooperation on drug suppression.
   Leading the Thai delegation was Phayon Phansri, 
secretary-general of the Narcotics Suppression Board, while 
the Lao side was headed by Subanh Salithirat, chief of the 
Lao Narcotics Suppression and Control Committee.
   

BKK Post / 19 August 1998  

Egat agrees to pricing change for Houay Ho hydro project  

   The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) 
has agreed to adjust the price structure of its power 
purchase from the Houay Ho hydro project in Laos.
   The accord will help cushion the development group from 
the risks arising from the weakening baht. The group is a 
joint venture between Loxley Plc, Daewoo of South Korea and 
the Laotian government.
   Under the original agreement, involving the supply of 
126 megawatts from September 1999, half of the price would 
have been paid in US dollars and the other half in baht.
   Following the depreciation in the baht, the development 
group requested that the power purchase be paid entirely in 
US dollars.
   However, Egat has only agreed to increase the ratio of 
US dollar in the price by 5% to 55%.
   The Houay Ho consortium which has been adversely 
affected by the weakening baht is seeking new partners to 
help inject funds into the project.
   

The Nation / 19 August 1998  

Politics
Chettha hints Hmongs may stay put  

   ARMY Commander in Chief Gen Chettha Thanajaro has hinted 
that Thailand may have to continue sheltering the Hmong 
people from Laos on humanitarian grounds if all other doors 
are closed to them.
   Speaking after meeting his Laotian counterpart Gen 
Duangjai Phijit, Chettha said Laos and a third country have 
the right to deny them entry and they [the Hmongs] also 
have a right to resist going back to Laos.
   "In that scenario, the Thai government needs to provide 
a budget to take care of them and United Nations High 
Commissioner for Refugees may have to lend a helping hand," 
he said.
   According to Chettha, Laos has indicated that the issue 
of Hmongs linked to Tham Krabok monastery should be tackled 
by the existing Thai-Laotian military sub-committee on 
border cooperation since the body was well-informed about 
the issue.
   Gen Duangjai was in Bangkok on a private visit.
   Earlier this month, the National Security Council 
resolved to clear the monastery off the Hmongs, some of 
whom are remnants of the anti-Vientiane movement. It 
indicated that all Hmong people will be sent back to their 
hometowns by the end of this year but was still unclear on 
how to deal with Hmongs from Laos, especially the rebels.
   The move was aimed at dispelling Laos' doubts over 
Thailand's support for the rebel movement and to check 
mounting social problems incurred from allowing the Hmongs 
to stay at the drug treatment centre.
   The Thai government plans to address the repatriation of 
Hmongs who originate from Laos at the upcoming meeting of 
the Thai-Laotian cooperative committee for peace and order 
along the border.
   Vientiane has repeatedly refused to take back the Hmongs 
and has asked the Thai government to nationalise them 
instead.
   The UNHCR's mandate so far does not cover Hmongs at Tham 
Krabok, most of whom do not have refugee status and who are 
either born in Thailand or fled Laos some years ago.
   The UN refugee organisation is sponsoring resettlement 
programmes in Laos for Laotian refugees, who voluntarily 
returned home after they were denied a chance to settle in 
a third country.
   An Interior Ministry survey last November found about 
13,000 Hmongs at the monastery, including some 200 remnants 
of the resistance movement.
   The ministry Tuesday dispatched a team of officials to 
Tham Krabok to conduct a new survey to determine how many 
have left since the last survey.