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Shan chief seeks shelter for refuge
- Subject: Shan chief seeks shelter for refuge
- From: m.win@xxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999 12:33:00
Subject: Shan chief seeks shelter for refugees
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THE NATION - December 11, 1999=20
Headlines=20
Shan chief seeks shelter for refugees
LOI TAILANG, Burma -- The military leader of ethnic Shan rebels in Burma =
has urged Thailand and the international community to set up refugee =
camps along the Thai-Burma border to shelter tens of thousands of Shan =
refugees who have been displaced by a Burmese military offensive.=20
Col Yawd Serk told of the plight of the refugees to a group of Thai and =
foreign journalists on Wednesday, the first day of the Shan new year.=20
Yawd Serk, leader of the Shan State Army (SSA), said he had pleaded with =
the Thai authorities on several occasions to set up camps for the ethnic =
Shan people who have been forced out of their villages and are currently =
living in desperate conditions along the border.=20
The Thai government and the United Nations High Commissioner for =
Refugees (UNHCR), however, have been tightlipped over the matter.=20
But official sources said the issue is being discussed quietly among the =
relevant government agencies and the UN.=20
International human rights organisations said several hundreds of =
thousands of Shan people have been displaced from their villages within =
Shan state under a campaign launched by the State Peace and Development =
Council, the Burmese military government's highest decision-making body, =
to place them in areas under their control.=20
SSA secretary-general Turn Zang said the programme is aimed at depriving =
the SSA and other armed rebel groups the support they usually receive =
from the villagers.=20
He said ethnic Shan people are living along the Thai-Burmese border, =
while others are taking refuge in the SSA camps, also along the border =
area.=20
''They are a burden to our troops but we cannot turn our backs on =
them,'' said Turn Zang, pointing to scores of Shan people who arrived at =
this camp just a few days ago.=20
''Some have come from as far as the Salaween River,'' Turn Zang said.=20
Yawd Serk accused the Rangoon government of trying to ''Burmanise'' all =
ethnic groups by systematically breaking up their homes and families.=20
Once the Thai government officially recognises the presence of the Shan =
refugees along the border, it is hoped that the refugees can have access =
to relief aid as well as education, Turn Zang said.=20
Unlike the Shans, over 100,000 ethnic Karens and Karennis refugees are =
currently living along the border camps assisted by foreign aid workers. =
Aung Mart, chairman of the newly-created Restoration Council of Shan =
State, of which SSA is a part, said more diplomatic offensive was needed =
in order to obtain the much needed foreign aid for the displaced Shan =
people.=20
Aung Mart had recently abandoned his executive post at the Shan National =
League for Democracy in Rangoon and fled to the jungle to join the SSA, =
believing that he could contribute to the cause of the Shan people.=20
The SSA was once a faction within the now defunct Mong Tai Army, which =
was headed by opium warlord Khun Sa.=20
In January 1996, Khun Sa surrendered to the Burmese government in return =
for amnesty but Yawd Serk and his men continued the fight for complete =
independence from Burmese rule.=20
Although Yawd Serk has declared war on drugs, and launched a campaign to =
make the area under his control drug-free, the stigma of the old days =
still remains.=20
BY DON PATHAN=20
The Nation
=20
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<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
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<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2314.1000" name=3DGENERATOR>
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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff><FONT face=3DArial size=3D3>
<DIV align=3Djustify><FONT color=3D#0000ff size=3D4><STRONG>THE =
NATION - December=20
11, 1999 </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify><STRONG><FONT color=3D#800000 size=3D4>Headlines=20
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify><BR><FONT color=3D#800000 size=3D4><STRONG>Shan =
chief seeks=20
shelter for refugees</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>LOI TAILANG, Burma -- The military leader of ethnic =
Shan=20
rebels in Burma has urged Thailand and the international community to =
set up=20
refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border to shelter tens of thousands =
of Shan=20
refugees who have been displaced by a Burmese military offensive. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>Col Yawd Serk told of the plight of the refugees to =
a group=20
of Thai and foreign journalists on Wednesday, the first day of the Shan =
new=20
year. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>Yawd Serk, leader of the Shan State Army (SSA), =
said he had=20
pleaded with the Thai authorities on several occasions to set up camps =
for the=20
ethnic Shan people who have been forced out of their villages and are =
currently=20
living in desperate conditions along the border. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>The Thai government and the United Nations High =
Commissioner=20
for Refugees (UNHCR), however, have been tightlipped over the matter. =
</DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>But official sources said the issue is being =
discussed=20
quietly among the relevant government agencies and the UN. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>International human rights organisations said =
several=20
hundreds of thousands of Shan people have been displaced from their =
villages=20
within Shan state under a campaign launched by the State Peace and =
Development=20
Council, the Burmese military government's highest decision-making body, =
to=20
place them in areas under their control. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>SSA secretary-general Turn Zang said the programme =
is aimed=20
at depriving the SSA and other armed rebel groups the support they =
usually=20
receive from the villagers. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>He said ethnic Shan people are living along the =
Thai-Burmese=20
border, while others are taking refuge in the SSA camps, also along the =
border=20
area. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>''They are a burden to our troops but we cannot =
turn our=20
backs on them,'' said Turn Zang, pointing to scores of Shan people who =
arrived=20
at this camp just a few days ago. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>''Some have come from as far as the Salaween =
River,'' Turn=20
Zang said. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>Yawd Serk accused the Rangoon government of trying =
to=20
''Burmanise'' all ethnic groups by systematically breaking up their =
homes and=20
families. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>Once the Thai government officially recognises the =
presence=20
of the Shan refugees along the border, it is hoped that the refugees can =
have=20
access to relief aid as well as education, Turn Zang said. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>Unlike the Shans, over 100,000 ethnic Karens and =
Karennis=20
refugees are currently living along the border camps assisted by foreign =
aid=20
workers. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>Aung Mart, chairman of the newly-created =
Restoration Council=20
of Shan State, of which SSA is a part, said more diplomatic offensive =
was needed=20
in order to obtain the much needed foreign aid for the displaced Shan =
people.=20
</DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>Aung Mart had recently abandoned his executive post =
at the=20
Shan National League for Democracy in Rangoon and fled to the jungle to =
join the=20
SSA, believing that he could contribute to the cause of the Shan people. =
</DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>The SSA was once a faction within the now defunct =
Mong Tai=20
Army, which was headed by opium warlord Khun Sa. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>In January 1996, Khun Sa surrendered to the Burmese =
government in return for amnesty but Yawd Serk and his men continued the =
fight=20
for complete independence from Burmese rule. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>Although Yawd Serk has declared war on drugs, and =
launched a=20
campaign to make the area under his control drug-free, the stigma of the =
old=20
days still remains. </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>BY DON PATHAN </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify>The Nation<BR> <BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>
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