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BKK Post, April 9, 1998. Chuan to c
- Subject: BKK Post, April 9, 1998. Chuan to c
- From: burma@xxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 08 Apr 1998 23:19:00
April 9, 1998. Chuan to chair UN talks on Burma border refugees
Achara Ashayagachat
Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai will today chair high-level discussions on
the role that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees should
play with regard to refugees at the Thai-Burmese border.
The meeting at the National Security Council follows consultations
between UNHCR representatives and officials of the ministries of Foreign
Affairs and Interior, the Supreme Command Headquarters and the Royal
Thai Army, a senior Foreign Ministry official said.
The cabinet on March 24 agreed in principle to let the UNHCR assist
refugees on the border in what was a policy shift as the UN agency
previously had limited access to the area. Authorities subsequently
agreed to move camps further inland before the end of the rainy season
but other steps have not emerged.
According to the official, Thailand wants the UNHCR to play a limited
role in protecting the refugees and managing the camps, which it feels
should be largely left to the Interior Ministry.
But Thailand would like the UNHCR to play a "monitoring" role, with
regard to refugee movements on the border, as well as the reintegration
of any Burmese who are repatriated, the official added. For the latter,
it would be up to the UNHCR to negotiate with Burmese authorities, he
said.
The policy framework being discussed today is intended to foster
transparency along the border in general, and should help prevent
illegal practices such as logging and drug trafficking, he added.
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