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BKK Post, April 1, 1998. THAI-BURME
- Subject: BKK Post, April 1, 1998. THAI-BURME
- From: burma@xxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 06:06:00
April 1, 1998. THAI-BURMESE BORDER / REFUGEES
Greater UN role welcomed in taking care of Karens
But must be seen as displaced persons
Wassana Nanuam
The army welcomes a greater role for the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees in taking care of Karen civilians sheltered in
camps along the Thai-Burmese border provided they are classified as
displaced persons, according to Col Chongsak Panichkul, deputy chief of
the army's Directorate of Civil Affairs.
With their status of displaced persons, the Karens are subject to
repatriation once the situation in Burma returns to normal.
Except Cambodian and Laotian refugees, Thailand has never allowed the
UNHCR direct handling of those fleeing from Burma who have been
sheltered in border camps in Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces though the
agency has occasionally visited the camps.
Giving the UNHCR a greater role in caring for refugees from Burma is
seen as Thailand's shift of policy.
Col Chongsak said Amilia Bonafacio, a UNHCR representative in Thailand,
yesterday met with the army chief, Gen Chettha Thanajaro. The UNHCR
agreed to Gen Chettha's proposal that the Karen camps be moved 10
kilometres deeper inside Thailand to keep them away from attacks by
heavy weapons and other forms of harassment.
Mrs Bonafacio expressed sympathy for the Thai government and the army
which had to take care of the Karens, saying they were prone to
criticism that they cared more for the refugees than their own people.
Col Chongsak said the UNHCR was ready to fund the building of refugee
camps and public utilities.
The Karens now housed at the 19 camps will be resettled at eight new
camps. Authorities are looking for suitable sites to ensure the new
camps won't pose a threat to the environment.
Col Chongsak said able-bodied Karen males would not be pushed out of the
camps. They would be allowed to make their own decisions, he said, but
if they decided to stay, they would have to follow camp regulations
strictly.
The officer stressed all able-bodied Karen men who decided to stay on
would be kept under a close watch, and they could not leave the camps to
engage in battle.
"Those who want to fight must leave Thai soil. We will not let anyone
use Thailand as a base or place for assembling of forces to attack
others,' he said.
"The army and the UNHCR will jointly handle new arrivals. We will accept
all, including able-bodied men. But they must be disarmed and must not
return to join fighting in Burma again. The army will wipe out all
weapon caches on Thai soil. Those who do not strictly comply with the
regulations will be punished and repatriated,' he said.
Col Chongsak said Gen Chettha also told the UNHCR representative to make
sure the refugees would not be allowed to stay too long in Thailand.
They must be sent back home though their repatriation would depend on
the situation in Burma.
"The army has tried its best, but it may not satisfy all Thais. But, as
a member of the world community, we can't afford to stay alone,' Col
Chongsak added.
Gen Chettha, meanwhile, stressed the need to relocate Karen camps deeper
into Thai territory so as to put an end to repeated cross-border
harassment of those loyal to the mainstream Karen National Union by
guerrillas of the pro-Rangoon Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA).
He said the Interior Ministry would be responsible for managing the new
camps, while the military would handle security.
The camps must not be used as a sanctuary for any armed men, Gen Chettha
stressed.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kobsak Chutikul yesterday said
Rangoon had guaranteed a safe release of Nick Cheesman, an Australian,
and his companion, Ngamsuk Rattanasathien, who were abducted by DKBA
forces near the Moei river last weekend.
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