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14/3/98 THE AUSTRALIAN:RANGOON FORC



15 March 1998 THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN
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RANGOON FORCES TARGET REFUGEES
By Ron Corben in Bangkok an agencies

TENS of thousands of Burmese refugees are living in fear of attack from
pro-Rangoon junta forces after the near total destruction this week of their
camp inside the Thai border. 

As Thai authorities and refugees workers met in the northern Mae Sot district
yesterday to discuss moving 10,000 Karen refugees after the murderous attack
on their camp on Tuesday, aid sources told The Australian tension was high
among thousands in other camps as well. 

The Karen are living in makeshift tents, schools and temples around the
Wangka (Or HUay Kolok) camp, which was almost totally burnt to the ground
late on Tuesday, leaving tow dead and about 40 injured. 

Mae Sot district chief Thawatchai Fakangkul said yesterdaay: "Everyone agrees
that the old site of the camp is not safe, and should be moved." But not all
the refugees wnated to leave the camp, despite the state of panic, he said. 

The next terget of the pro-junta Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) is
expected to be the Mae La refugee camp, about 70km norht of the Wnangka camp,
480km from Bangkok. 

"IN the Mae La camp, there are some 30,000 refugees -- making it the biggest
camp along the border," an aid source said. 

Refugee organizations at Mae La were already evacuating the camp hospital
after days of the sound of mortar fire from inside Burma. 

"Thai authorities had said the mortar fire was just manoeuvres by the Burmese
forces," the sources said. But after the attack on Tuesday, Thailand was
readying to beef up its border security. Both the Thai Foreign Ministry and
Thai army have condemned the attack. 

Army generals warned that Thai forces would adopt a policy of hot pursuit
into Burma if the DKBA guerillas --believed to be backed by Burmese army
troops -- again intrude into Thailand. 

The US and UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Amelia Bonifacio, condemned the
action. 

Ms Bonifacio said the UNHCR was "deeply distressed" by the attack. 

A senior official from the Burmese junta, the State Peace and Development
Council, rejected claims its troops were involved in the attack.