Five dead in Laos border clash

The rebels launched a dawn raid on the border post

By South-East Asia Correspondent Simon Ingram

Troops in Laos have clashed with a group of anti-government rebels close to the border with Thailand.

Thai military sources said the incident began before dawn, when a group calling itself the Lao Resistance Movement seized control of customs and immigration offices near the southern town of Pakse.

Five rebels are reported to have been killed and others fled into Thailand where they were arrested by Thai police.

The incident was the most serious confirmed clash between Laotian troops and anti-government rebels in some years.

Thai sources said the rebels tore down the Lao government flag from the buildings and hoisted their own banner.

Within hours, government troops arrived and stormed the rebel positions.

Rebels captured

Captured rebels held under guard by Thai border police

Pictures on Thai television showed the bodies of several rebel fighters lying near a border checkpoint.

Some civilians fled into Thailand to escape the fighting, together with 26 fleeing rebels who were promptly detained by Thai police.

The men were carrying rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and other weapons.

The Thai Prime Minster, Chuan Leekpai, linked the incident to internal conflicts that surfaced in Laos in recent months.

He said the arrested fighters will be dealt with according to the law.

Turbulent times

These are turbulent times for Laos's secretive communist rulers.

In the north, ethnic Hmong guerrillas have recently stepped up their long-running insurgency and there have been numerous clashes reported with the army.

Meanwhile, there has been an unexplained series of bomb attacks, mainly in Vientiane, including one that injured several foreign tourists.

The authorities have blamed the unrest on terrorist elements backed by supporters in the United States.