BANGKOK, May 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
has ordered Thai troops' withdrawal from a large-scale exercise
near the border with Myanmar to ease tensions there, the state-
owned radio here reported Friday.
   Thaksin said he hoped Myanmar will respond positively to the
move by reopening border checkpoints soon.
   Earlier this week, Myanmar closed all border crossings with
Thailand after thousands of Thai troops were deployed to border
areas on a mission which senior military officers described as "
routine exercise".
   Military of the two countries also accused each of firing
mortar shells into the other's soil.
   Thaksin said he believed the situation along the Thai-Myanmar
border will be back to normal after Thai troops' withdrawal.
   "Misunderstandings could easily happen between neighbors," he
said, noting that the situation on Thai-Myanmar border may be more
complicated because Myanmar's armed minority ethnic groups often
cross the border and cause conflicts.
   Meanwhile, Thai media reported that Myanmar Ambassador to
Thailand U Myo Myint has returned to Myanmar Thursday to report
after the Thai premier summoned him in Wednesday on the border
issue.
   Bilateral relations between Thailand and Myanmar have been
generally improved since Thaksin's visit to Myanmar in June last
year, but the military of the two countries are still occasionally
engaged in conflicts.  Enditem