16/7/97: LETTER TO HON.JESSE HELMS,

[uneoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: 16/7/97: LETTER TO HON.JESSE HELMS, THE CHAIRMAN

/* Written 18 Jul 6:00am 1997 by drunoo@xxxxxxxxxxxx in igc:reg.burma */
/* --------------" Letter to Hon.Jesse Helms "----------------- */

LETTER TO HON.JESSE HELMS, U.S.CONGRESS
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Dr U Ne Oo
48/2 Ayliffes Road
St Marys SA 5042
Australia

July 16, 1997.

Hon. Senator Jesse Helms
The Chairman
U.S.Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Washington DC 20510-6255
United States of America

Dear Sir,

Firstly, I should like to thank you and fellow Congressmen for your letter
to the Secretary of State on 30th-April-1997, expressing concerns about
forcible repatriation of our refugees from Thailand.

I am writing to the Chairman to inform continuing volatile situation of
Burma's refugees in Thailand. Reports have been surfaced recently that the
Thai authorities, at the local level,  are continuing to harass and
intimadate student activists and exiled-politician refugees. It was
reported that the Thai police in last April had arrested and detained
nearly 2-dozen Burmese students on the charge of illegally entering
Thailand. Those students who were released recently from detention have
been re-arrested by the Thai army at the refugee camp at the border. In
another incident, some members of Burma's exiled parliamentarians were
arrested, and then released only after paying bribes to Thai police - it
was reported. As Thailand currently accommodate estimated 600,000 Burmese
illegal immigrants in addition to 90,000 refugees, such disturbing
treatment by local Thai authorities to displaced Burmese are of frequent
occurrence.

Such incidents of abuses upon the students and political exiles occur
because of a lack of legal and formal protection to Burmese refugees in
Thailand. The Thai authorities, at the national level, are refusing to
grant refugee status to the Karens and all others living in the camps,
leaving the refugees more vulnerable. Because of the lack of such legal
recognition of Burma's refugees, the UNHCR was unable to protect those
refugees. The United Nations, consequently, has not been able to promote
appropriate solution for these refugees in Thailand. I therefore request
the U.S.Congress and Government of United States urge the Thai authorities
to give a formal and U.N.recognized protection to the refugees from Burma.

We also received reports that Thailand will be purchasing approximately
US$400 million worth of natural gas from Burma after 1990. The development
of a gas pipeline to Thailand, the project to which America's Unocal has
28.6 percent stake, is reported to be underway. I like to inform the
U.S.Congress and business community in America about our intention to
seize monies from such sale of natural gas to Thailand (preferably through
United Nations system) and then use those funds in our refugee programs. In
this connection, I enclosed my letter to U.N.Secretary-General Kofi Annan
and Assistant Mr de Soto. I appeal the U.S.Congress to help us in this
endeavour.

Finally, I like to express my sincere thanks to U.S.Congress and the
Department of State for your continuing supports to our refugees and
democracy movement.

Yours respectfully,
Sd. U Ne Oo.

/* Endreport */
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THE ABSDF PRESS RELEASE
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Date: 13 Jul 1997 02:31:17
Subject: ABSDF (Press Release)
To: Recipients of <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date July 12,1997
Thai Arrest 10 Burmese Students at TAMHIM Refugee Camp

On July 9,1997 Thailand's 9th Army Division arrested 10 ABSDF students
at TAMHIM Refugee Camp in Thailand's Ratchburi district.

10 students were among a group of 22 who had been arrested by the Thai
authorities on April 12, 1997 for entering Thailand illegally.At the
time of arrest,they were on their way to Bo Wi refugee camp on the
Thai-Burma border in order to escape the Slorc offensive against the KNU's
4th Brigade.

On July9,1997 the 10 students were released from the Ratchburi Police
jail after serving their sentence. They were set free near TAMHIM refugee
camp.Afew hour later the army arrested  within the camp.

The 22 students who were arrested on April 12 were beaten at by the army
and their belnogings confiscated.Five of them were released on July 4,and
another hatch of 15 students were released a day later.Ten of them went
back to the refugee camp where they were subsequently arrested.

The students are refugees fleeing the fighting and they were returning to
the refugee camp because they had nowhere else to go.

TAMHIM is a large camp with a population of over 7,500. The Thai
authorities have restricted the movement of the refugee since the beginning
of last month.

All Burma Students' Democratic Front(ABSDF)
For more information please contact - 01-654-4984, 01-923-1687