refugee men returned back by Thai

[caroline@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Press Release
Date: February 26, 1997	

THAI AUTHORITIES FORCIBLY RETURN 200 REFUGEES TO BURMA


	Thai authorities have forcibly returned 200 men to Burma after they had
crossed into Thailand along with 5,000 refugees fleeing the ongoing
offensive by Slorc troops.

	The men were returned to Htee Kee in southern Burma where there is ongoing
fighting between the Karen National Union (KNU), the ABSDF and Slorc's army.

	Slorc troops have been attempting to proceed to Htee Kee - the KNU
headquarters of the Mergui-Tavoy District - and have forced 5,000 refugees
to Hway Nam Lum, an old mine near the Thai border in Kanchanaburi province.
	
	On February 25, about 25 Thai soldiers led by the Commander of 9th Division
arrived at Hway Nam Lun and forcibly returned the 200 men back to Htee Kee.
Only the disabled men, women and children were allowed to take refuge on the
border, but the able-bodied men were warned they would be arrested and
deported back to Three Pagodas Pass if they did not return to Htee Kee. 

	Without any alternative, the men were forced to leave their families on the
border and return to Burma, leaving the women and children in a vulnerable
state. The women and children were also told by the same Thai Commander that
they would be moved to Maw Hta in Ratchaburi province, Thailand within three
days.
	
	Slorc have been launching their offensive against the KNU and the ABSDF
using a three-pronged military attack from two positions since February 10,
1997. A series of heavy clashes between the Karen National Liberation Army
(KNLA), the ABSDF and Slorc troops near the Thai border has forced a another
5,000 refugees to take refuge in Bon Ti village, near Sai Yoke National Park
in Kanchanaburi.

	The entire area has been sealed off by the Thai military, border police and
militias, and no NGOs have been allowed to provide assistance to the refugees.