Local English-language
papers have had two stories
of tourists joining the
Karen National Union.
It started with a Bangkok
Post about a 19-year-old
tourist from Sweden who
joined the KNU: Swedish tourist in KNU ranks
and the next day they
ran this: Scotsman
runs clinic for Karen.
The Scotsman was David
Fisher who claims in this
article in The Nation,
KNU
'soldier' says news report
was fabricated, that
the Post faked
the story and made up
his quotes. "I
felt sick when I read
the story." he said.
"I don't know where
they [the Thai newspaper]
got their information
from." He said he
had planned to use his
picture in uniform for
"English Week"
at his school, when teachers
were asked to pin their
photographs on an exhibition
board... Fisher said he
is now worried that the
false report would affect
his career as an English
teacher in a Bangkok school.
And the next day The
Nation struck again
with this
story saying the 19-year-old
Swedish tourist story
was made-up as well. "She
gets her picture taken
in the press like it's
a souvenir that she can
take home and hang on
her wall," said a
15-year veteran relief
worker in Thailand who
declined to give his name.
"The implications
of her actions are not
confined to Karen State,"
he said. The Burmese will
put pressure on the Thais
to inquire about how foreigners
"illegally"
exit Thai territory into
rebel-controlled parts
of Burma, he said.
Meanwhile (in this
article): Bangkok
Post reporter Supamart
Kasem stood by his story.
``I treated the information
he gave me as something
he wanted to tell the
public,'' he said. Also
present when Mr Supamart
interviewed Mr Fisher
were reporters from television
channels 3, 5, and 9 and
Mae Sot-based stringers
for international news
agencies.
The Nation debunks Post articles – Post stands by its story
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