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Sanan Kachornprasart
Minister of Interior
Royal Thai Government

Date: : 21st December, 1999.


His Excellency the Interior Minister,

We, Burmese students granted temporary stay in this Kingdom of Thailand 
under the Cabinet Decision of September, 1991, would first of all like to 
express our profound and heartfelt gratitude to the Great King, the 
Government and the people of Thailand for their enthusiastic sympathy with 
our cause for democracy.

Under the Cabinet Decision we have the rights to enjoy Ministry of Interior 
Regulation* concerning the Treatment of Burmese student in the Burmese 
Students Center 1992 established by the Ministry of Interior as stipulated 
in Article 17 of the Immigration Act (1979). In the 1994, the Governor of 
Ratchaburi Province exercised the power to impose the Ratchaburi Provincial 
Regulation concerning the treatment toward Burmese students in the Burmese 
Students Center under the Article 13 of the Ministry of Interior Regulation. 
In 1995, the Ratchaburi Provincial Regulation* was amended. In the 
regulation Royal Thai Government has shown its respect for human-rights by 
including the Article that permit us travelling with permission within 
Thailand and free movement in and out of the center within the limited 
period.

However, the center authorities have stopped issuing travelling permission* 
to and restricted the center residents to only 50 meter travelling out of 
the center from the month of November without making written announcement to 
the residents. Until last October any restriction by the authorities was 
made known to the residents in writing. As a result of negligence of the 
authorities a number of the residents who went out over 50 meter were 
unfairly arrested by security guards and police patrolling around the center 
and sent to prison.

On December two residents Thar Cho being the main eyewitness in the 
indiscriminate shooting case of November 16 and Kyaw Moe Oo, were whisked 
off to Patho Police Station when going fishing not far away from the Center. 
The two were later sentenced to two months in Ratchaburi Prison for 
violating the travelling restriction about which they knew nothing. On 
December 5, two another residents, Pyi Oak and  Zaw Linn were apprehended 
going for a walk down the street in front of the Center. So far there have 
been 15 residents who were being put under detention in similar cases. The 
arrests and detentions have proven that the Center authorities have no 
ability to make instruction or order in right way.

Contrary to the MOI(Ministry of Interior) regulations, the restrictions on 
travelling* have seriously affected the Thai Government's recently publized 
announcement of a new policy on promotion resettlement program for Burmese 
Student exiles in third countries and the law based on democratic government 
system and the emphasis of human rights.

Moreover there are more of the unjust events around this time in which 8 of 
those who were relocated in two masses by UNHCR from Bangkok to the Center 
and waiting for court procedure to become legal residents in the Center were 
arrested and deported back to the Thai-Burma border. At the time of their 
arrests all of them did not know or were not notified of the new measure on 
travelling restriction. This is an indicator slow juridical processes and 
could possibly stigmatize the Thai government's reputation in the eye of the 
international community. It is also deniable that the center residents are 
under too much of an imposition, totally different from the MOI regulations 
toward them and infringing the existing regulations.

Law is created to protect the interest of human being but can go wrong where 
the wielders of it ignore fairness and justice. In this connection we 
Burmese Students' Association, would like to request Mr. Interior Minister 
to look into and scrutinize the unlawful travel ban and other impositions 
related to it that could be said to be a flagrant breach of basic human 
freedom. Or else the volatile situation in our troubled Center that has just 
only returned to calm could back track.


Burmese Students' Association
Burmese Students' Center


Quotation

Ministry of Interior Regulation: Containing 13 Articles signed by Pol. Gen. 
Sarasin, Minister of Interior in 1992.
Ratchaburi Provincial Regulation: Containing 7 Articles signed by Mr. 
Gamloonthep Devakul, the Governor of Ratchaburi Province in 1994.
Ratchaburi Provincial Regulation: Renamed Ratchaburi Provincial Rule and 
amended by Mr. Gamloonthep Devakul, Governor of Ratchaburi Province and 
containing 72 Articles.

Travelling permission: Article 5 of Ratchaburi Provincial Rule,
5.1-	travelling within the provincial boundary-- the commander will grant a 
maximum of 2 days permission at each time. If it Governor or assigned person 
will have to authorize. If it is for more than two days, the Governor or 
assigned person will have to authorize. If however it is for more than 7 
days, the request shall be sent to the MOI.
 .5.2- travelling out side the provincial boundary- the Governor or assigned 
person will grant the authorization. If it is for more than 7 days, the 
request should be forwarded to the MOI. Entering and leaving the Center 
shall be in accordance with the Ministry of Interior regulation concerning 
the treatment of Burmese Student Center.



The restriction on travelling:

Article 8 of 1992 regulation
Burmese Students shall travel in and out of Center between 08.30 and 
16.30-hour everyday except for urgent matter.
Chapter 2, Article 7 of 1994 regulation, Burmese Students are strictly 
prohibited to be out side the Center during 09.00 PM to 06 .00 AM
Article 55 of 1995 regulation,
Any Burmese Students who without reason or authorization stay outside the 
BSC between 0900 PM and 06.00 AM shall be punished with a suspension of the 
leave not exceeding one month.

Note:	At present the Center authorities are giving verbal orders not 
relating to any regulation imposed on Burmese Students but said that the MOI 
has a plan to set up a new regulation that hasn't come out as official law 
until now. The verbal orders have sent the Center residents into more 
trouble.




























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