DPA: EYE OF THE NEEDLE' AT THREE PAGODA PASS
June 29, 2000

THAILAND AND BURMA

BERND KUBISCH
Sangbhla Buri, dpa

-Visitors to the occasionally troubled border will find a friendly
reception from local Mon and Karen people-

Even in first gear, the ancient mini-bus could hardly chug its way up
the last few kilometers of the steep and winding mountain road to
Sangkhla Buri, near the border with Burma.

Sangkhla Buri is four hours by bus from Kanchanaburi, the River Kwai
Bridge and mass tourism. But the remote town is just 23 kilometres
from the Three Pagoda Pass, which has gone down in history as trading
route and smuggling route, as a scene of war and liberation
struggles.
The three or four few hostels and restaurants on a hill in Sangkhla
Buri offer views down to the Khao Laem Lake and the longest wooden
bridge in Thailand, 400 metres long, which leads to a Mon village.

The Mon and Karen people have for decades fought in vain against the
regime in Burma for their independence. Today they live in dire
poverty, on both sides of the Thai and Burmese border.
The colourful Wat Wang Wiwekaren and the small market in this village
are well worth a visit. The best times to walk over the bridge are at
sunrise or at dusk, when the light makes it particularly attractive
and you can avoid the harshest heat of the day.

At the Burmese Inn in Sangkhla Buri, landlady Meo Hermann serves a
three course meal of sweet and sour fish, Burmese curry with
potatoes. and a nut salad with beans and mint, for just 150 baht. You
can hire a small, simple bungalow for the night here for 200
baht. "We would like to attract more tourists. We have plenty to
offer. But we are rather at the end of the world here," said Ms
Hermann, a 36-year-old Thai married to an Austrian.

The trip to the Three Pagoda Pass by moped taxi or minibus, takes you
through a few more Mon and Karen villages. You often hear rumours of
shotgun fire being heard in this region. But Walter Skrobanek of the
human rights organisation Terre des Hommes ;in Bangkok, who knows the
region well, said: "The area is very safe at the moment. The Mon are
pleased about visitors and international contacts." The Karen are
also a friendly people, despite their years of oppression and
harassment.

The pass is just 300 metres above sea level and can even be conquered
on an old moped. You pass by a few small pagodas, or temples, along
this road, and directly on the border to Burma are the three pagodas
after which the pass was named.

There are many stories and legends about their origin. One of these,
dating from the 18th century, says that, following a war with Burma,
the king of Siam had three large stones erected here to mark out the
border. The outer stones symbolised the two countries, the middle
stone stood for peace. Villagers later built the three pagodas over
the stones.

Pedestrians, moped drivers and trucks cross the small border control
here, but tourists are seldom. If you want to pass through, you must
first inform the police in Sangkhla Buri of your intentions. Then at
the checkpoint you have to pay $18 to the Burmese border guards. The

Mon and Karen have sought in vain over the years to win control of
the pass and collect these fees.
The permit to visit the border village of Payathonzu is valid for one
day until 6 pm. This leaves enough time to make the trip by foot, but
a moped taxi will also take you to the two attractive Buddhist
temples over the dusty roads outside the village in just 10 minutes.
The best way to communicate with the monks is with gestures and
smiles.

Burma's holy shrines, art treasures and its history, make it one of
the most interesting countries in Asia. Experts believe tourism would
boom if the dictatorship were to be replaced by a democratic system.



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