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More News about Burma



South China Morning Post
Saturday  June 14  1997
Burma 
Exodus of Karen to northern Thailand 
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Bangkok 
A further 3,000 ethnic Karen villagers have fled into northern Thailand 
from their homes in Burma over the past two months to escape abuses by 
the forces of Rangoon's military junta, sources said yesterday.

Junta troops have forced whole villages from the Papun district in the 
north of Karen state to relocate as part of a drive to cut off support 
for rebel ethnic forces still battling Rangoon, the sources at the 
border said.

A senior Burmese military official confirmed columns of government 
troops were "flushing out the small mobile forces of the KNU [Karen 
National Union]" from the area.

"Some of the family members of the KNU who have set up clandestine camps 
in the jungles have fled across the border due to troop activities," the 
official said.

Border sources said about 3,000 refugees had poured into northern 
Thailand's Mae Hong Son province since early April. Some had walked for 
more than two weeks. Thousands more refugees are believed to be hiding 
in the forest around their homes in Burma, hoping to return to their 
villages in time for the approaching rice-growing season.

Thousands of Karen have fled to Thailand, joining 80,000 already there, 
since Rangoon began a massive sweep through KNU territories in February. 
The KNU is maintaining a small-scale guerilla resistance campaign in its 
former border enclaves.

Sources said the newly arrived refugees had been reluctant to move to 
designated resettlement areas in Burma, fearing the army may have 
recruited them as porters.

Meanwhile, in Bangkok, international aid workers met Thai Interior 
Ministry officials to discuss living conditions for Burmese refugees in 
Thailand.


"THERE WILL BE NO REAL DEMOCRACY IF WE CAN'T GURANTEE THE RIGHTS OF THE 
MINORITY ETHNIC PEOPLE.  ONLY UNDERSTANDING THEIR SUFFERING AND HELPING 
THEM TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHTS WILL ASSIST PREVENTING FROM THE 
DISINTEGRATION AND THE SESESSION."  "WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THEIR 
STRENGTH, WE CAN'T TOPPLE THE SLORC AND BURMA WILL NEVER BE IN PEACE."



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