Update Mae Ye Hta

[kyaw@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

An open letter to the Thai Government and to the International Community
Date : march 14, 1998

The people of Mae Ye Hta refugee camp in Mae Hong Son province, northern
Thailand, have been refusing as ordered on February 12, 1998.

This order was given by the Thai army together with Non Governmental
Organizations including Burma Border Consortium and MHD.

One hundred families from Klo Pa refugee camp were forcibly relocated to the
new location, Mae Ramu camp, on March 2nd. The majority of the former
residents of Klo Pa refused to move and now living in the forest around the
camp or are in hiding in Burma side of nearly the borderline.

The refusal of Mae Ye Hta and Klo Pa camps to move is based on fears for
their safety at the new camp. Mae Ramu is closed to the SPDC army and
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army based in Manerplaw. Mae Ramu was attacked by
the DKBA in 1995, so is clearly under threat, especially after the DKBA's
attack on Huay Kaloke camp on March 11, 1998, which has heightened the
security fear o refugees n the Thai-Burma border. Some residents of Mae Ramu
have left the camp due to fear of attack. The residents are trying to move
back to Mae Ye Hta camp which has never been attacked. There are also
concerns about overcrowding lack f building materials at the new camp.

The residents of Mae Ye Hta are now facing hunger and illness due to the
blocking of road access by the Thai army troops are refusing to allow any
food or medical supplies to be brought to the camp. No prior warning of this
halt to supplies was given by the army or by the NGOs responsible for
sending supplies.

The public and the other NGOs do not seem to be aware of this blockade.

We ask the Thai Government and the international community to do the following:

(1) Stop the false accusations against refugees concerning illegal teak
logging and drug smuggling;
(2) Halt the moving of refugees to areas which are not secure from DKBA/SPDC
attack.
(3) Give official refugee status to the people from Burma, who have had no
choice but to flee their homeland, rather than considering them "displaced
persons";
(4) Respect the human rights of these people, who are not enemies of
Thailand by restoring access to food and medicine;
(5)  Help the people of Mae Ye Hta to live in harmony with the Thai people;
(6) We ask the Thai Government to allow international organizations to
investigate the situation here.

Most urgently, we ask for help to restore the supply of food and medicine,
without that, we cannot survive.

Yours sincerely,

The people of Mae Ye Hta
(Note: original English version)
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Update from Mae Ye Hta

Soldiers from Thai army are not stationing at  Klo Pa and Ouda refugee camps
and no refugee is allowed to stay in the camps after the deadline for forced
relocation. On March 2, about 100 refugee coerced to move to Mae Ramu. Due
to the high pressure by the Thai military, these refugees decided to move.
The rest of 1,400 are stilling hiding in the jungle around the camps or
along the border inside Burma.

Under the pressure, BBC and MHD has cut off the food and medicine supplies
to the refugees from all four camps in the region.  Refugees are now facing
hunger and starvation in the jungle. Many children and elderly are seriously
ill. On March 14, Naw Bebu, 38-year-old Karen woman gave birth in jungle
without any proper medical care. She is the third woman who has given birth
in the jungle with this situation.

Two Buddhist monks from Klo Pa temper had been threatened with arrest by the
Thai soldiers so both of them are also staying with other refugees in the
jungle.

On March 15, 1998, Saw San Maung and Saw Lu Aye from Ouda camp tried to
sneak in their camp in order to take their belongings they left behind. They
met Thai soldiers on their way to the camp. Thai soldiers pointed with their
guns to them and beat them up. Soldiers beat them with the guns' butt and
kicked all over their bodies.

The road to Mae Ye has been blocked by the Thai soldiers and no truck or
food are allowed to pass through. The soldiers at the check-point forcibly
made the trucks with food for refugees donated by other donors returned back.

Some refugees from Klopa moved to Mae Ye hoping that it is safer than Me Ye
Hta. Among them, there are eleven households who have moved to Mae Ramu, new
place but returned back to Klopa. They claimed that the new place was not
safe enough especially after an attack to Hway Kaloke camp by the DKBA
recently. They also claimed that they had to sleep on the ground when they
got there because no sufficient materials for building were available.

While refugees are hiding in jungle due to the fear of relocation, new
arrivals from Kyaukkyi township, Pegu Division are arriving to refugee
camps. On March 17, nine  households from Kyaukkyi arrived to Mae Ye Hta.
They allegedly reported the human rights violations such as forced porter,
forced labor, forced relocation and high taxation by the SPDC's LIB 315, 60,
26, 48 in the region. Many civilians were arrested and tortured by the
troops with allegedly accusation of supporters to the KNU. While many people
are fleeing to Thai-Burma border, many are remaining as internally displaced
persons.

According to Saw Aye Tha, 50-year-old Karen villager from Taipin village,
Kyaukkyi township, SPDC LIB 60 demanded to 2500 Kyats for porter fees from
his village. When they failed to pay, villagers had to go for porter and
faced torture during their service. Naw Phaw Wah, 38-year-old mother of
six-year-child, said SPDC troops killed Saw Wah Nay Mu, 16-year-old villager
from Nwa Hta village, Kyaukkyi township. She also said Pho Thaukkyar,
27-year-old was stabbed to death on January 27 and another villager was
arrested.

Now these refugees are facing hunger and lack of medical assistance.