NEWS - US pledges aid for asylum-se

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Subject: NEWS - US pledges aid for asylum-seekers

THE NATION - October 14, 1999

US pledges aid for asylum-seekers

US Assistant Secretary of State Julia V Taft yesterday reassured
Thailand of
Washington's continued assistance for Burmese asylum-seekers living in
the
Kingdom and vowed to help increase Burmese students' resettlement
opportunities, according to a US Embassy statement.

Taft, who heads the State Department Bureau for Population, Refugees and
Migration, met with a number of high-ranking officials in Bangkok
yesterday
to discuss the matter.

During her meetings, she praised Bangkok for its humanitarian asylum
policy
extending back over 25 years, according to the statement.

She also reaffirmed that Washington would continue its support for the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and
non-governmental
organisations to assist Burmese asylum-seekers in Thailand.

The pledge came against the backdrop of the Burmese Embassy
hostage-taking
by five heavily armed Burmese students calling themselves the ''Vigorous
Burmese Student Warriors.''

Thai authorities vowed to impose more stringent controls on the Burmese
asylum seekers living in the country and urged the international
community
to help in finding a third country for them.

However, a US Embassy official here said the offer was not linked to the
seizure of the Burmese Embassy on Oct 1.

''We have flexible numbers so if the United Nations High Commissioner
for
Refugees refers us more cases we will consider more cases, but it wasn't
in
response to what happened here,'' the official said.

The United States is a vocal critic of the Burmese junta's human rights
and
democracy record, but has condemned the hostage-takers for their use of
force.

The embassy siege severely strained bilateral ties between Thailand and
Burma and added fire to long-simmering historical suspicions.

Rangoon used official press mouthpieces to pound Bangkok with diatribes
alleging the latter of harbouring ''terrorists''.

Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said he plans to talk with the UNHCR in
Geneva later this month about resettling the students as quickly as
possible.