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Bkk Post, more Karen camps gutted



Bangkok Post Feb 17, 1997 - Arson suspected after camps gutted in border
districts

500 Karen refugees forced from homes

Arson suspected after camps gutted in border districts

500 Karen refugees forced from homes 

Supamart Kasem

Two refugee camps in Tha Song Yang and Phop Phra districts in Tak province
caught fire over the weekend causing over 500 Karen refugees to live without
shelter.
The first fire broke out at the Sho Klo camp in Tha Song Yang at 3.30pm on
Saturday, gutting 125 shelters and forcing over 500 refugees there to live
in a nearby forest.
Another blaze occurred at the Mawkier camp in Phop Phra at 4pm yesterday,
destroying 20 shelters before being extinguished by refugees. Officials
initially assumed that the blazes were accidents caused by cooking at the
camps. However, they have not yet ruled out the possibility of arson by
agents of the renegade Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) troops, who are
backed .

Sources in the rival Karen National Union (KNU) said the fire incidents took
place a day after Thai soldiers and border patrol police had searched for
weapons at the camps.
A new refugee camp will be built in Umphang district, Tak, to serve 6,500
Karen refugees who had just fled several KNU bases overrun by Burmese
government troops earlier this month.

Tak governor Pongpayom Vasputi said the establishment of the new refugee
camp was a conclusion reached in his meeting with some 30 representatives
from non-governmental organisations in Umphang yesterday.

The meeting was also attended by John Croley who is deputy refugee
coordinator from the American embassy in Thailand.

The new refugee camp will be located on a 400-rai plot of land at Ban Nupho
village in Tambon Mae Chan, Umphang. It is 13 kilometres from the
Thai-Burmese border and easy for Thai authorities to secure, Mr Pongpayom said.

The camp will be completely fenced. Administrative officials and volunteers
will maintain order inside the camp while soldiers and border patrol police
will take care of surrounding areas.

The location is in a deteriorated forest area which will not affect any
forest reserves and the presence of Karen refugees at the camp should not
annoy Thai villagers either because there is enough water sources to
supplythe camp, he said.

Diarrhoea outbreaks were reported at makeshift camps along Umphang-Perng
Khlerng highway and at Ban Klor Thor village.

Public Health officials said that the refugees were sick after consuming
dirty water beside the highway. Officials transported clean water for the
refugees yesterday.

In another development, livestock officials worked hard over the weekend
detaining hundreds of cattle brought in by new Karen refugees. The
officials' action came in the wake of an outbreak of anthrax disease in
Thailand.

Tak governor Pongpayom ordered the officials to separate the cattle from the
refugees and examine and vaccinate them.

Also, Umphang district chief Charoen Singhayakul quoted a report from border
officials that a Burmese helicopter had intruded six kilometres into Thai
territory at Ban Nong Luang village opposite KNU headquarters.

The intruding flight was spotted at about 3pm on Saturday.

The report has been forwarded to the Interior Ministry so that it can
coordinate with the Foreign Ministry to file a complaint with the Burmese
government.

Over 100 border patrol police have been sent to Ban Perng Khlerng village to
secure the bordering area as battles between Burmese government soldiers and
KNU troops still continue on opposite sides and keep approaching the border
line.



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