EBO “
News Summary:
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1. Dissidents to be forced out ahead of
2. EU-ASEAN Meeting Urged to Tackle
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Dissidents to be forced out ahead
of
The Nation,
Supalak Ganjanakhundee
At least seven Burmese dissidents will be
deported from
to clear the western border areas of
anti-Rangoon groups before a visit to
by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra next month, police said yesterday.
A court in Kanchanaburi
province's Thong Pha Phum district yesterday ruled on
the deportation of the seven dissidents who
were arrested on Monday for illegal
entry and overstay in the Kingdom.
The dissidents are said to belong to Sangkhla Buri-based opposition
groups
the Democratic Party for a New Society
(DPNS), National League for
Democracy-Liberated Area (NLD-LA), All
Dawei Women's
Police confiscated around Bt349,000 from the DPNS, two computers from the ABSDF
and documents from the other groups. The
money and equipment will be returned
to them promptly if the authorities find
nothing illegal, police said.
A member of NLD-LA, Ma Nan Nechi Oo, who is said to own a house in Sangkhla
Buri, was sentenced to 48 days in prison on
the of charge of sheltering illegal
immigrants, who were fined Bt4,000 each. Sangkhla Buri district police said local
police, together with Division 9 of the Royal Thai
Army, would continue the crackdown
on illegal immigrants from Burma.Dissident groups in the district claim the crackdown
is aimed at appeasing
on February 9-10.
Thaksin wants to clear the western border
in order to pave the way for joint
investment projects on infrastructure with the
junta, such as a proposed road
from Kanchanaburi to
The western border is home to more than
100,000 refugees and dissidents
who fled the conflict at home more than a
decade ago.
The National Security Council announced
recently that
welcome any displaced persons from neighbouring
countries and would force
them back home as soon as authorities found
them.
Meanwhile
of
where more than 35,000 refugees, mostly ethnic
Karen, have taken shelter.
A source at the border said the two were
on a mission to gather information
on how Burmese citizens were suffering in
refugee camps.
The source quoted
concerned about forced repatriation by Thai authorities.
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National Coalition Government of the
Press Release
EU-ASEAN Meeting Urged to Tackle
The National Coalition Government of the
Union of Burma (NCGUB) expects the
upcoming EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in
addressing issues concerning
violations, such as forced labor,
political repression, and mass rape as a
political weapon, the exodus of refugees, the
influx of drugs into
neighboring countries, the growth of HIV/AIDS, and
other socioeconomic
problems in
also for the international community, including
the European Union and other
ASEAN members.
The statement issued by the National
League for Democracy earlier this month
summed up the lack of progress in the talks with
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and
the political restrictions in place,
including the continuing detention of
political prisoners. Under the circumstances and despite the much
appreciated efforts of the UN Special Envoy Sri
Razali Ismail to achieve
national reconciliation and restore democracy in
danger of the talks breaking down.
The NCGUB is confident the European Union
will be raising these issues with
the SPDC and initiating appropriate action as
stated in its Common Position
in October 2002 that "The Council is
prepared to continue to react
proportionately to developments in Burma/Myanmar, either
positive or
negative."
NCGUB also hopes that ASEAN members will be actively persuading
SPDC to hold serious talks with Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi to resolve national
issues since problems in
ASEAN and the main issue that obstruct the
development of EU-ASEAN
relations.
The EU-ASEAN ministerial meeting is an
opportune occasion and the NCGUB is
confident that member states in the two regional
blocs will be exploring
ways to end the injustices and resolve
problems in
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