URGENT RESPONSE REQUIRED - Thai Pol

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Thai Police Hold 16 to End Myanmar Embassy Protest

            Reuters
            26-AUG-98

            BANGKOK, Aug 26 (Reuters)- Thai police detained 16 Myanmar
            dissidents on Wednesday to end a three-week protest outside
the
            Myanmar embassy in Bangkok, police said. 

            The detentions followed complaints from the embassy that the
            protesters, who were demonstrating against military rule in
Myanmar,
            were blocking access to the compound. 

            ``We have already cleared them out,'' a police spokesman
said. 

            In recent days many other protesters were either detained or
urged to
            leave the scene. 

            Police said the 16 protesters were being detained at
Bangkok's
            immigration jail for identification. The spokesman said
those
            considered persons of concern by the United Nations High
            Commissioner for Refugees would be sent back to a holding
centre
            south of Bangkok. 

            Those not recognised by the UNHCR could be charged with
illegal
            entry and deported, he said. 

            He said about 200 Myanmar students in exile recognised by
the
            UNHCR had been allowed to live in a holding centre in
Rachaburi
            province, south of Bangkok since 1995. 

            Fourteen Myanmar dissidents picked up from the protest site
on
            Monday had already returned to the centre, he said.