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International organizations condemn SLORC
offensive against Karen Refugees
The undersigned organizations are gravely concerned over the
attacks on Karen refugees
by the Burmese military regime, the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC),
and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA). On January 29,
refugee camps along
the Thai-Burma border housing a population that included women,
children and elderly,
were burnt to the ground forcing more than 10,000 people to flee
further into Thailand.
Nearly a month later, these refugees remain unprotected and
without adequate shelter.
A major offensive against the headquarters of the Karen National
Union (KNU) beginning
in early February has resulted in the exodus of an additional
15,000 refugees in the
Umphang area. As SLORC has continued to mobilize against all
remaining KNU
positions, over 3,000 refugees have attempted to enter Thailand
over the past three days
near Kanchanaburi. Eyewitnesses have reported that since February
24, the Thai army
Ninth Division has refused entry to all males among the refugees,
sending them back into
a war zone. Since then, nearly 2,000 women and children have been
taken by truck further
south. It is feared that they will be forcibly returned to Burma.
As organizations committed to protecting and assisting refugees
and the displaced:
We condemn the actions of the SLORC and call on them to
immediately
cease violations of international humanitarian law,
especially attacks on
defenseless civilians.
We welcome the decision of the Royal Thai Government to
grant temporary
asylum to most of those fleeing the military offensive and
urge that this be
extended ALL refugees, including those in the Kanchanaburi
area. The
refoulement of any non- combatants, be they men, women or
children, is a
violation of customary international law and must cease
immediately.
We ask that priority be given to ensuring the security of
the refugees
displaced by the January attacks on Wangka, Don Pa Kiang and
Maela
camps. This population should immediately be moved to an
area where they
can be housed and protected.
We commend the fact that the Royal Thai Government has
identified a
possible relocation site for the 15,000 refugees In the
Umphang area and
will allow International aid agencies to provide sanitation
and shelter at the
site. We urge that all refugees in the area be moved to the
site as soon as
possible.
We call for an on-going presence by the United Nations High
Commissioner
for Refugees in the camps along the Thai-Burma border.
Signed,
Amnesty International/USA
Asia-Pacific Center for Justice and Peace
Federation Internationale des Liques des Droits de
I'Homme (FIDH)
France-Libertes-Fondation Danielle Mitterrand
Human Rights Watch/Asia
Institute for Asian Democracy
International Rescue Committee
Non-Violence International
Open Society Institute
Refugees International
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
U.S. Committee for Refugees
February 26, 1997