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BURMA RELATED NEWS
- January 25, 2003.
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HEADLINES
-------------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Myanmar still on EU
blacklist: official
AP - ASEAN tourism ministers agree to
alternative travel advisory web
AP - Official: U.S. aid at risk if
Cambodia doesn't fight human
AFP - Southeast Asia's economic
fundamentals are positive: Singapore
FCO - UK POLICY ON BURMA MAY HAVE TO
TOUGHEN
Bkk Post - Minorities face
crackdown
The Nation - Thai, Karen villagers
flee fighting
Scotsman - Britain May Cut Burma Aid
Asian Tribune - Border visitors from
China, Thailand help boost tourism: Windfall as 500,000 people visited
Myanmar
Asian Tribune - Myanmar to attend
high-level talks in Europe despite sanctions
RI - Protecting Burmese
Refugees in Thailand
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Myanmar still on EU blacklist:
official
BRUSSELS, Jan 24 (AFP) - Myanmar's participation in an EU-Southeast Asia meeting next week does not imply any change to EU disapproval of the country's military regime, an official said Friday. Despite an EU visa ban against Myanmar leaders, Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win is to attend the Brussels gathering between the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday and Tuesday. His presence is allowed under an exception to the visa ban that permits Myanmar junta leaders to attend meetings in the European Union that discuss human rights and democracy, the EU official said. But she added: "We remain as concerned as ever about the situation in Burma. There is no improvement. "Our concerns about human rights and the need for a rapid return to democracy mean that many years ago, we imposed sanctions on Burma and we see no justification for reversing that." The EU had previously refused to hold high-level talks in Europe with ASEAN following military-run Myanmar's admittance to the Southeast Asian club in 1997. The EU, together with the United States, has imposed sanctions on Myanmar in a bid to press the junta to initiate reform. They include an arms embargo and a travel ban on members of the regime. But the EU does not want the Myanmar issue to distract from more pressing concerns it has with ASEAN, the official said on condition of anonymity. "There are a lot of things we could be doing together. We are not fully exploiting the potential of the relationship," she said. In 2001, the EU was ASEAN's second-largest export market and third-largest trading partner after the United States and Japan. ASEAN exports to the EU were estimated at 65.7 billion euros (70 billion dollars), while the region's imports from the EU were valued at 42.2 billion euros. The EU is also keen to discuss the fight against terrorism at the two-day meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ASEAN tourism ministers agree
to alternative travel advisory web
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) _ Southeast Asian tourism ministers said Friday they would set up their own web page providing security advice to tourists as an alternative to the travel advisories published by Western governments. They also agreed to eliminate the need for visas for nationals from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, traveling within the region by 2005. The ministers announced the two initiatives as they concluded the first day of conference aimed at finding ways to promote the region as a safe tourism destination. The conference ends Monday. Tourism in the region suffered after terrorist bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali killed nearly 200 people, mostly foreigners in October. Following the attacks, foreign governments, including the United States, Britain and Australia, issued travel advisories to the dismay of Southeast Asian nations, who rely heavily on tourism revenues. Cambodian Tourism Minister Veng Sereyvuth told a news conference that the safety and security web page will provide information for countries outside the region to analyze ``before giving negative advice (to their nationals), which is, of course, not good for tourism.'' The web page will be hosted by ASEAN's secretariat. Sereyvuth said lifting visa restrictions between ASEAN countries has become a priority after years of discussion but little progress. ``We have decided that we'll work harder to push for visa exemptions for ASEAN nationals by 2005,'' he said. ASEAN ministers also agreed with counterparts attending the conference from China, Japan and South Korea to establish a team dedicated to exchanging safety and security information. They also pledged to work with the three East Asian countries to promote tourism investment, marketing, promotion and manpower development, according to a joint statement. ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Official: U.S. aid at risk if
Cambodia doesn't fight human
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) _ The U.S. government will slap aid restrictions on Cambodia if it does not step up efforts to combat human trafficking, a U.S. State Department official said Friday. Phillip Linderman, a senior official in the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, said Cambodia has failed to pursue and convict people responsible for trafficking men, women, boys and girls in and out of Cambodia, primarily to and from Vietnam and Thailand. He also told a human trafficking seminar that Cambodia has failed to protect victims of trafficking, noting that authorities tried and convicted a group of Vietnamese teenage girls trafficked into Cambodia to be sex workers. The United States will release annual country-by-country assessments of efforts to combat human trafficking for the third time in June or July, officials said. Linderman is on a four-day fact-finding mission in Cambodia. He also visited Thailand and Myanmar as part of a stepped-up campaign by the U.S. government to urge countries worldwide to be aware of the trafficking menace. In 2002, Cambodia was ranked by U.S. officials alongside 15 countries deemed to be doing the least to fight human trafficking. A similar ranking this year for Cambodia would lead to a ban on financial assistance from Washington to Cambodia in all areas except humanitarian and trade-related aid, Linderman said. ``If it's determined that the government is not making significant efforts in combatting this growing problem, then aid restrictions would go into affect,'' said Linderman, who returns to the United States on Saturday. The cash-strapped Cambodian government relies heavily on international aid for its expenses. The United States' contribution to programs in Cambodia in 2002 was US$36.5 million. Cambodian Secretary of State for the Interior Ministry Prum Sokha maintained Friday that the government is taking steps to thwart human trafficking gangs. According to U.S. government figures, at least 700,000 people are trafficked annually, including 50,000 into the United States. Linderman said that unregulated crossing of international borders is a global security threat and that terrorists are suspected of operating lucrative businesses that help people move illegally around the world. ``We've determined it's very likely that trafficking is a way for (terrorists) to fund activities,'' Linderman told a human trafficking seminar. In Cambodia, poor youth are regularly exploited by strangers, friends and even family, being sold or rented to sex industry networks or labor rings which often smuggle them outside the country through Cambodia's porous borders. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Southeast Asia's economic
fundamentals are positive: Singapore
SINGAPORE, Jan 25 (AFP) - Southeast Asia's economic fundamentals remain positive compared to other emerging markets, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said as he urged global investors to look at the region. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday, Lee said the rise of heavyweights China and India has brought fiercer competition to the region, which still has yet to fully recover from the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis and is grappling with the threat of terrorism. But he said "the economic fundamentals of Southeast Asia remain positive, especially compared to other emerging economies." "It has a sizeable market of 500 million people, a skilful and educated workforce, and good infrastructure. For investors who want to spread their bets, Southeast Asia is a clear diversification play," said Lee, who is tipped to succeed Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. Copies of his speech were released here Saturday. Southeast Asia, comprised of 10 nations ranging from more prosperous states like Singapore and Malaysia to backwaters Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, need to resolve political and security problems and "take decisive actions" to bring back the region to full economic recovery, Lee said. "Its future lies in maintaining open, outward-looking economic policies and staying plugged into the global economy despite the risks that this entails," he said. The region must also strengthen its links with major trading partners by pursuing free trade agreements, said Lee, whose country has signed such accords with Australia, New Zealand and Japan and has wrapped up talks for a pact with the United States. While expanding its external trade wings, Southeast Asia must also integrate its diverse economies by expanding a free trade zone which eliminates tariffs on manufactured products and components to include liberalisation in the services sector and investment, he said. China, the giant neighbour which has been attracting foreign investments at the expense of Southeast Asia, presents a challenge in the short term. But in the long term, the opening up of the world's most populous nation is an opportunity, in terms of being an export market and a major source of tourists, he said. "More and more affluent Chinese will demand services like healthcare and education, some of which will be provided overseas," he added. India's opening up will also augur well for Southeast Asia. "For Southeast Asia, a dynamic India would counterbalance the pull of the Chinese economy, and offer a more diversified basis for prosperity," Lee said. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Foreign and Commonwealth
Office
UK POLICY ON BURMA MAY HAVE TO TOUGHEN (23/01/03) Fri Jan 24 23:42:00 Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien today telephoned Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democracy leader. This was their third regular telephone conversation since November 2002. This latest conversation was however much shorter than previous ones due to constant interference and the cutting out of the telephone line. It is not clear what caused these problems to the line. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told Mr O'Brien that the National League for Democracy wanted to work with the people and the authorities for the sake of the country. Urgent progress was needed. The NLD did not want confrontation. But continued harassment on the part of the authorities would only invite confrontation. Mr O'Brien told Daw Aung San Suu Kyi that the UK was very concerned about the increasing restrictions being placed on her freedom to travel and operate freely and that the disruptions of her recent meetings in Rakhine State were 'symptomatic of the attitude of the Burmese regime'. Before the telephone link broke down, Mr O'Brien said that if the limited political progress achieved to date in Burma was further eroded, the UK would be forced to consider whether a tightening of policy toward the regime was now required. NOTES FOR EDITORS There have been recent reports of deliberate interference with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's telephone line. The EU Common Position on Burma contains an arms embargo, a ban on high-level visits, a ban on defence links, a ban on the sale of items that could be used for torture or repression, and a visa ban and asset freeze on senior regime and military members. In addition the EC suspended Burma's Generalised System of Preferences trading privileges in response to the use of forced labour in Burma. The UK also does not encourage trade, investment or tourism with Burma. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bangkok Post -
Saturday 25 January 2003
Minorities face crackdown Wassana Nanuam Army chief Gen Somdhat Attanand has ordered a nationwide crackdown on Burmese minority people and anti-Rangoon groups in Thailand ahead of his Jan 31-Feb 1 visit to Burma. Gen Somdhat said the army had a policy to suppress illegal immigrants and anti-Rangoon minority groups along the Thai-Burmese border, especially in Kanchanaburi's border areas overseen by the Surasi task force. ``We will not allow anyone to use Thailand in their moves against neighbouring countries. What the Surasi task force is doing is right,'' he said. He said he had instructed other army task forces along the border to take action against any illegal immigrants. The Burmese military's allegation that Thailand supported the Shan State Army to ambush Burmese troops opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Fa Luang district on Jan 17 was caused by misunderstandings. ``No one supported them, I insist. We will not allow anybody, Shan people or any other groups, to use Thai territory as a base for moving against our neighbours,'' Gen Somdhat said. He will visit Burma on Jan 31 and Feb 1 for meetings with Burmese Prime Minister Gen Than Shwe, State Peace and Development Council first secretary Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt and army chief Gen Maung Aye. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Nation
BURMESE BORDER: Thai, Karen villagers flee fighting Published on Jan 25, 2003 Burmese troops seized two base camps from the rebel Karen National Union near the Thai border following two days of heavy fighting that resulted in the death of at least 15 soldiers and displaced about 700 Burmese and 600 Thai villagers. Thai Army sources on the border said the KNU was unable to withstand the heavy shelling on its positions, which lasted for at least 24 hours until yesterday morning, and decided to retreat. The 700 villagers, almost all ethnic Karen, are in a make-shift camp in Tak's Phop Phra district near the border and it remained unclear when they would be returned to the Burmese side, officials said. Thai officers said at least 10 Burmese and five Karen rebels died in the fighting. Scores have been hospitalised in the district. Seven Burmese mortar shells launched during the battle on Thursday landed on two Thai villages but no residents were injured. Some 600 Thais had to evacuate their villages and are housed in government buildings. Thai troops guarding the border were ordered to act with utmost restraint for fear that any retaliation against the Burmese could provoke another diplomatic row. There have been no reports of Thai troops returning live rounds in response to the stray Burmese shells. The attack marks the start of the annual dry-season offensive by the military government of Burma against ethnic minority rebels along the border with Thailand. In a separate development, Army chief General Somdhat Attanand yesterday defended the decision to crack down on Burmese dissidents along the border, saying Thailand cannot be used as a staging ground for attacks against neighbouring countries. He also said that many of the so-called dissidents were illegal migrants. Thailand has been criticised for ongoing raids against Burmese dissidents, many of whom function as the "eyes and ears" of Thai security agencies. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Scotsman
Fri 24 Jan 2003 Britain May Cut Burma Aid By Jane Merrick, Political Correspondent, PA News Britain may cut humanitarian aid to Burma if the military regime continues to hamper political progress in the country, it emerged today. Burmaâ??s military junta, the State Peace and Development Council, has been restricting opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyiâ??s freedom to travel and has disrupted meetings of her National League for Democracy. In a telephone conversation with Foreign Office minister Mike Oâ??Brien today, which was cut short due to apparently deliberate interference on the line, Aung San Suu Kyi said continued harassment by the authorities would lead to confrontation. The disruption of recent NLD meetings in Burmaâ??s Rakhine State was â??symptomatic of the attitude of the Burmese regimeâ??, Aung San Suu Kyi told the minister. Before the telephone link was cut, Mr Oâ??Brien said if the limited political progress achieved so far in Burma was further eroded, the UK would be forced to consider whether a tightening of policy toward the regime was now required, the Foreign Office said. This could mean further economic sanctions or even cutting back on humanitarian assistance to the country, it is understood. Burma is already the subject of a range of European Union sanctions, including an arms embargo and a travel ban to the EU on high-level visits, a ban on defence links, a visa ban and asset freeze on senior regime and military members. There is also a ban on non-humanitarian aid. In addition Britain does not encourage trade, investment and tourism links with Burma. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is to put pressure on deputy foreign minister Khin Maung Win at a EU-ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) meeting in Brussels next Monday. The EU has exempted the Burmese minister from the travel ban so he can attend the talks. Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest in May 2002 amid signs of a relaxing of the military regime. However talks between the junta and opposition parties have since stalled. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Asian Tribune
Date :
2003-01-25
Border visitors from China, Thailand help boost tourism: Windfall as 500,000 people visited Myanmar Myanmar is poised to realize a long-held ambition for its tourism industry with news last week that almost half a million people visited the country in 2002 generating US$100 million in foreign revenue. Achieving one million tourists a year is now within striking distance, predicted the Mandalay Mayor, Brig-Gen Yan Thein. "Entry requirements are being eased," said Brig-Gen Yan Thein. "The government has plans to increase the numbers of tourists to Myanmar up to one million during this year, and all the concerned ministries are trying their best," he said, adding that forecasting precise figures was difficult. By far the biggest contributor to arrivals was through border tourism, where the Directorate of Hotels and Tourism says more than 270,000 people made one day journeys or longer. Almost 90,000 came through the Shan Stateç?´ China gateway while a whopping 28 per cent of all tourism trade, or 142,000 people, came streaming in from Thailand through Myanmarç?´ South Eastern corridor. According to statistics just released by the Directorate tourists flying in from Asia contributed most to overall arrivals of 217,212 with Taiwan, Japan and China leading the way. Surprisingly, give the US Governmentç?´ harsh stance on Myanmar; it was American tourists who visited most frequently from the western nations. More than 14,447 made the trip, with 14,108 from France and almost 13,000 from Germany. Tourism stakeholders said to Myanmar Times that the five per cent rise in foreign visitors (excluding border tourism) reflected both the countryç?´ reputation as a safe haven from terrorism and an increase in direct international flights. Figures released last week by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism peg the visitor arrival figure through Yangon at 206,263 for the first eleven months of 2002. Meanwhile, in Mandalay arrivals during the last couple of months had doubled compared to figures from six months ago, said the Mayor, Brig-Gen Yan Thein in an interview with the Myanmar Times last week. "More than 6000 visitors from around the world came here last November, which is double the number for April or May arrivals," he said. He attributed the increased arrivals to visitor safety, direct flights to Kunming and Bangkok, and higher hotel standards. "One reason for the increase in arrivals is the public safety here compared to some other tourist destinations following the bomb attacks," he said, referring to bombings in October of 2002 in Bali. Another reason for the increase in tourists across Myanmar is a rise in the number and frequency of international flights, said industry experts last week. Yunnan Airç?´ direct flight between Mandalay and Kunming, which runs four times a week, was introduced last year, as were weekly flights from Milan and Vienna by Lauda Air (Italy) and Lauda Air (Austria) respectively. More recently, Phuket Air began thrice-weekly flights between Mandalay and Bangkok last month. Mr Franz Fischer, country manager at Diethelm travel company, said that although the Phuket Air operations had started too late last year to have a major impact on tourist arrivals. "I have heard that there is a significant growth in passengers for Lauda Air," he said, adding that the international flights have had been "quite successful". Surprisingly, the five month closing of the Myanmar-Thailand border resulted in a limited decline in the number of overland regional travellers, said a tourism industry insider, adding that he believed Myanmar-Thailand travel will almost certainly pick up this year. - Myanmar Times Jan. 20 ã?»26 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Asian Tribune
Date : 2003-01-25
Myanmar to attend high-level talks in Europe despite sanctions Manila, (AFP) Jan. 25: Myanmar will for the first time be allowed to participate in an Asean-EU foreign ministers meeting in Europe next week despite sanctions imposed on the military-ruled state, Asean and Myanmar officials said yesterday. "This is a big breakthrough," an official said ahead of the two-day meeting from Monday between the 10 foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the 15-member European Union (EU). The EU has refused to hold high-level talks in Europe with Asean ever since Myanmar was admitted into Asean in 1997 due to that country's human rights record. The EU, together with the United States, has imposed sanctions on Myanmar in a bid to press the junta to initiate reform. They include an arms embargo and a travel ban on members of the Myanmar junta. A Western diplomat said the travel ban and other sanctions were still in place but an "exception" would be made for Myanmar's Foreign Minister Win Aung to travel to the Belgian capital for the talks. "In preparatory talks, I was informed the minister will be given a visa but there is no question of sanctions being withdrawn," he said. Yangon issued a brief statement to AFP confirming Myanmar's participation, but the junta said a deputy foreign minister would head Myanmar's delegation. "Myanmar looks forward to having a fruitful meeting between Asean and EU," spokesman Colonel Hla Min of the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. "The Myanmar delegation will be led by the Deputy Foreign Minister U Khin Maung Win," he added. No further explanation about the delegation was provided. This is the first time Myanmar will take part in such a high-level meeting in Europe since its admission into Asean, officials said, adding that it could mark a "new era" of ties between the two regions. "Having Myanmar together with the Asean ministers at the AEMM (Asean-EU Ministerial Meeting) in Brussels offers a good opportunity for Myanmar and EU to better understand each other's concerns," Asean Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong said. "I hope that this opportunity will not be missed," said Ong, who took over the helm at the Jakarta-based Asean secretariat on January 1. "The important thing is that we do not talk over each of our heads, but engage each other purposefully, sensitively and also specifically," he explained. Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's release in May from 19 months of house arrest as well as the subsequent release of more than 300 political prisoners had raised hopes of political reforms in the military-ruled state. But EU officials had said recently that the release of political prisoners alone was not enough to lift the sanctions. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won an overwhelming election victory in 1990 but the junta has never recognised the result. - The Peninsula Online - -------------------------------------------------------------------- Refugees
International
Protecting Burmese Refugees in Thailand Advocate Veronika Martin and human rights lawyer Betsy Apple conducted an assessment mission to the Thai-Burmese border in September 2002. 01/24/2003 Each month an estimated two to three thousand Burmese enter Thailand, adding to the approximately two million already living there. While many of them are seeking economic opportunity in the Thai economy, many are fleeing gross human rights abuses, including rape, torture, extrajudicial execution, forced labor, and forced relocations, committed by the army of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Burmese seeking refuge in Thailand, primarily ethnic minority peoples from eastern Burma, have had limited or no access to a status determination process for the past year, and thus no legal access to refugee status or protection. The Royal Thai Government classifies all Burmese newly entering Thailand as "illegal migrants," leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and forced relocation back to Burma. According to the Royal Thai Government's official statistics, slightly over 110,000 refugees reside in Thai camps. These refugees qualify under the narrow Thai definition of "fleeing fighting" and are predominantly members of the Karen and the Karenni, the only two of Burma's many ethnic groups officially allowed into camps. The total number of refugees who have arrived in camps since 1996 is 40,000, despite the fact that the Burmese military launched a major offensive in 1997 against hundreds of thousands of ethnic minorities living in the border regions. The military's counterinsurgency strategy led to the forced relocation of more than 2,500 villages in Shan, Karen, and Karenni states and the Tenasserim division. While many affected villagers have moved to relocation sites or live in the jungle as internally displaced persons, many others have sought refuge in neighboring Thailand. Although some of these have entered camps, most have slipped into Thailand and have been characterized --- or mischaracterized, in many cases --- as illegal migrants. Some Karen and Karenni asylum seekers, estimated to number 20,000 over the past year, are able to stay unofficially in the camps. Although some can receive assistance, others share meager living quarters and even smaller rations with relatives and friends. But other Burmese with legitimate asylum claims are forced to live in limbo on the margins of Thai society either along the border or in urban centers. The Shan people, an ethnic minority group closely related to the Thais, are especially victimized. Since 1996, the Burmese army has forcibly relocated over 300,000 villagers in Shan State, resulting in a mass exodus to Thailand. Furthermore, the Burmese army's use of forced relocation, forced labor and its accompanying human rights abuses have resulted in over 1,200 new Shan arrivals per month to only one district in Thailand; additional entry points into Thailand may host several hundred more entrants per month. Credible estimates place the number of Shan refuge seekers in Thailand at well over 150,000. The Royal Thai Government, however, has not organized refugee camps for the Shan. A fraction are gathered together in informal encampments close to the border, while most are scattered in orchards and farms through the northern provinces or work in factories and on construction sites. The Shan people are typically classified as illegal migrants, even though many of them fled human rights abuses. Because there is no admissions process for them to undergo and no camps to house them, they have no choice but to live as illegal migrants. In order to pay for life's most rudimentary necessities, the Shan are forced to obtain work --- typically, the jobs that no one in Thailand wants because they are underpaid, dangerous, and the conditions are poor. In some cases entire families live on construction sites or on fruit orchards along with children and sick or elderly family members. No schools are available for the children and health care is difficult to obtain. Shan women, many of whom have suffered from rape and other gender-based abuses, are particularly at risk of further exploitation. As one Shan refugee stated, "It is worse for the woman because she has no protection, and this is especially true if she has mental or physical problems; generally, there is more problem for her survival." This confusion about who actually qualifies to be called a refugee is compounded by the refuge-seekers themselves. Rather than describe themselves by their starting point --- i.e. the reason they fled Burma --- many people look to their present situation, i.e. their status as illegal workers. Having internalized this idea that those living outside of refugee camps are not entitled to refugee protection, one man who had fled persecution in Mon State said (immediately after cataloguing the human rights abuses perpetrated by the battalions stationed in Mon area), "Normally, people from Mon area come for economic reasons: the constant use of forced labor and the land and crop confiscation forces them to leave." Forced labor and forced relocation are human rights abuses, they are not "economic reasons," and those people fleeing such violations are escaping first and foremost from persecution. The fundamental problem for Burmese seeking refuge in Thailand is a lack of a legitimate process for status determination. The thousands that cross into Thailand each month include a mix of economic migrants and people with legitimate claims to refugee status. The lack of a status determination process, however, condemns virtually all Burmese in Thailand to the status of illegal migrants, subject to regular harassment, arrest, and even deportation; in Tak province alone last year, the Thai police rounded up 60,000 people and took them to the border. Although many of these people have been able to avoid being handed over to the SPDC, a fraction of them have been forced to cross the border. Interviews conducted by human rights groups with individuals who were forced back to Burma and subsequently escaped detention indicates that persecution, which can be life threatening, is especially common for those seen as siding with resistance groups or having engaged in labor union activities in factories in Thailand. Because legitimate refugees in Thailand have experienced abuse of fundamentals rights in Burma, and are entitled to certain basic protections, it is critical that the distinction be appropriately made between those fleeing human rights violations and those looking for economic opportunity in Thailand. Refugees International therefore recommends that: The Royal Thai Government (RTG) should establish a legitimate status determination process for Burmese migrants and grant refugee status to Burmese fleeing human rights abuses. Burmese identified as fleeing a fear of persecution would be protected by international human rights principles and international customary law. The RTG should follow internationally accepted principles of non-refoulement, and should examine an individual's claim to asylum before deporting her back to Burma. The RTG should grant protection to the Shan people living in Thailand, and allow agencies to provide humanitarian assistance to Shan not residing in refugee camps. The UNHCR should work with the RTG to put in place a procedure to assess the eligibility of potential deportees for refugee status prior to their deportation. -------------------------------------------------------------------- |