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Both sides in a recent conflict between Thai and Burmese forces appear to be testing the limits of their strained relationship. The recent fighting between Burmese and Thai forces at the Mae Sai-Tachilek border point should not have come as a surprise, as a war of words between the two sides had been going on for months, along with a quiet beefing up of border forces. Anti-Burmese sentiment among Thais was also running high, due in no small part to the popular success of the Thai film Ban Rajan—which portrays the stoic resistance of 18th century Thai villagers against a superior invading Burmese force. As a result, news of the Royal Thai Army’s (RTA) quick response to an intrusion by Burmese troops was met with approval by many Thais. Underlying much of the tension between the two sides is a strip of territory along the northern Thai frontier that has become a haven for the production and trafficking of amphetamines in recent years. The trigger for the eruption of the border conflict, however, seems to have been a decision by Burma’s government to test the newly installed government of Thaksin Shinawatra. Since November last year, Burmese troops, with the help of Wa soldiers, have moved into the area controlled by a Shan rebel group known as the Shan State Army (SSA). In early February, the Burmese planned to occupy a strategic hill near Ban Pang Noon in Thailand so they could position their artillery to support a further attack on an SSA unit. Part of the plan involved crossing into Thai territory to secure positions behind the rebels. Thai rangers manning the border, however, refused to allow the Burmese troops access. Reports are unclear, but it seems that the Burmese took a contingent of Thai rangers hostage. After their release, fighting broke out. The Thais started shelling and the melee spread to the Mae Sai-Tachilek border towns, about forty km east of Ban Pang Noon. Thailand accused the Burmese of violating its territorial sovereignty. The Burmese claimed that they were trying to stamp out the drugs trade, and blamed the SSA for producing drugs. But, be that as it may, the massive troop build-ups along the border over the last a few months strongly suggest that both sides were inviting trouble. In January, Gen Maung Aye, the Burmese army commander in chief, came to Tachilek and Kengtung in southern Shan State and met with regional commanders for almost a week. Soon after that, troops began mobilizing. But the Thais were well prepared. Since last year, a series of drills and evacuation exercises have been held in northern villages close to the border. Border troops have been on alert with small skirmishes breaking out every now and then. While reinforcing their volatile front line, the Thais also put their PR machinery to work in order to gain domestic and international support. Local and foreign journalists were brought to the Thai-Burmese border to inspect Bangkok’s efforts to counter drug production activities in Mong Yawn, a Wa settlement located near the Thai border. Since the United Wa State Army (UWSA) reached a cease-fire agreement with the Rangoon regime in 1989, the junta has essentially ignored their narco-related business activities. But for the Thai military, the UWSA and its drug export economy are a growing menace. Some high-ranking Thai generals have warned the UWSA that they could face direct military action if they continue to pump drugs across the border. However, these threats have fallen on deaf ears and UWSA leaders have continued a mass relocation campaign transferring people from their area on the Chinese border to the area north of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Clearly, the Thais’ patience is wearing very thin. Before the border flare-up, the Thai Third Army Region, led by Lt-Gen Wattanachai Chaimuenwong, became embroiled in a war of words with his Burmese counterparts. The sharp criticism of the ruling junta was unusual, as Thailand’s military leaders have maintained close ties with the Burmese top brass in recent years. "Everyone knows who’s involved in Burma’s burgeoning narcotics industry. We don’t have hard evidence [that Burmese regional commanders are involved in the drug business], but [we believe] they are," said Wattanachai. Informed Shan sources said that SSA leader Col Yord Serk is now favored by some Thai generals. A senior Third Army general went so far as to tell a local TV station that without their Shan "brothers," Thailand would be flooded with speed pills and Burmese aggressors. The concern over drugs may hearken a return to Thailand’s buffer policy utilizing ethnic groups to fight the drug trade.