Mon Refugees

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MON REFUGEES ORDERED BACK INTO HALOCKANI
The Nation (Bangkok)
August 9, 1994

Victims of Burmese attack ordered back to Mon refugee site

Thousansds of Mon refugees who fled into Thailand following an attack on
their camp at Halockhani by Burmese soldiers have been ordered by police to
return to Halockani by tomorrow.

The roughly 4,000 refugees are currently housed in makeshift shelters at a
Thai-Burma border checkpoint in Kanchanaburi.  But at a meeting with the
camp's leaers, Border Patrol Polic officers ordered them all to return to
Halockani by Aug. 10.

The refugees, however, replied that they could not go back now because they
feared for their safetwy.  The Bpp then reportedly threatened to "block of
the camp" if they didn't return.

Although the refugees are said to have plenty of food, drinking water is in
short supply and has to be trucked in regularly from Sangkla buri town.

Both the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the foreign embassies which
monitor refugee activities have so far refuged to speak out publicly on
behalf of the Mon refugees, although UNHCR officila visited the site
recently.

Halockhani is in a disputed area along the border beyond the BPP checkpoint. 
Most of the refugees had moved there only this year from another camp in
Thailand on the orders of Thai authorities, who had promised they would be
safe from attacks by Burmese soldiers stationed at nearby Three Pagodas Pass.

But on July 21, soldiers from Burma's 62 Light Infantry Battalion, previously
stationed at Three Pagodas Pass, entered Palai Thumpai Village at the western
edge of the camp, arrested 16 leaders and burned down many of hte houses. 
They were prevented from moving on to the rest of Halockhani by Mon soldiers.

Four of the 16 men taken away by the Burmese soldiers have been returned, and
the others are expected back "soon," a well-placed source said.  One of the
men reportedly claimed to have been beater, burned with cigarettes and nearly
drowned before being released.

It is believed that the leaders were taken away in reprisal for an earlier
clash between the 62d Battalion and the villagers of Palai Thumpai which left
at least one Burmese soldiers dead.

END NATION ARTICLE
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In other Bangkok news, some 30 Thai-Mons protested at the UN building and
students from ONSOB protested at the Burmese embassy to mark the 6th
anniversay of the 8 8 88 uprising.  There have also been a series of letters
to the editor bashing the UNHCR for its response to Halockhani.