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Karen refugees flee fighting





Bangkok Post, Jan 31, 1995

REFUGEES FLEE IN NORTH AND SOUTH AS BURMA BLASTS LAST KNU BASES

'Picture showing Karen on elephants'

Karen villagers, who fled from the advancing Burmese on the back of an 
elephant, arrive at Mae Sot district, Tak yesterday.  Thousands have 
crossed into Thailand seeking temporary refuge as Rangoon increases the 
pressure on Karen guerrillas.

Burmese forces launched attacks yesterday against the last major Karen 
base in the northern sector of their once potent insurgency and moved 
against guerrilla bases to the south, Thai military and aid sources said. 

	Some of the leaders of the thnic rebel movement along with 
thousands of followers have already fled to Thailand, and movre refugees 
are expected.
	Foreign Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has said the refugeess will 
be granted temporary asylum.
	The headquarters of the Karen National Union (KNU) at Manerplaw, 
about 240 km east of Rangoon, fell to government troops Thursday night 
after six days of fighting.
	Thai Border Patrol Police officers, who spoke on condition of 
anonymity, said the Karen had also lost six other bases along the border 
in areas north and south of Manerplaw.
	The officers said Burmese were pressing hard against the 
stronghold of Kawmoora and had also opened up another front against the 
Karen further south opposite the Thai provice of Kanchanaburi.
	Nearly 1,000 refugees were reported alrady inside Kanchanaburi 
and more Karen villagers were being evacuated in face of the Burmese advance.
	The KNU's Brig Gen R\Taw Hla vowed to defend the union's last 
stronghold of Kawmoora mountain camp to the last man.
	The commander of the 101st KNU battalion which still occupies 
Kawmoora said his troops would not retreat from the area which remains as 
the KNU's final stronghold after last week's fall of the KNU headquarters 
in Manerplaw opposite Mae Sod District, Tak Province.
	Following the fall, KNU troops withdrew from Manerplaw to 
Kawmoora and the Burmese Government was said to have used about 1,000 
defecting Buddhist Karen troops, who earlier took part in overrunning 
Manerplaw, to attack the camp a second time.
	The Buddhist Karen troops are said to be taking about seven days 
from Manerplaw to Kawmoora.
	According to Thai military sources, the KNU's last stronghold 
lies in a strategic location, making it difficult for the KnU to reclaim 
the area if Rangoon is successful in its assault.
	Thai military sources said the KNU would increase its bargaining 
power with Rangoon if it is able to hold Kawmoora.
	An official of the Democratic Alliance of Burma, and opposition 
alliance including the Karen, said yesterday morale remained "pretty high".
	"Ihave to admit this is quite a setback for the revolutionary 
forces, but it is not the end of the world,' said Tin Maung Win, 2nd vice 
chairmand of the DAB.
	He said the Thai military was allowing private relief agencies to 
deliver aid to refugees from the fighting.
	Another opposition group, the National Coalition Government of 
the Union of Burma, said Sunday as many as 15,000 refugees from Burma may 
have crossed into Thailand, and they are now without shelter, medicince 
or food.
	A statement from the group, a self-declared government-in-exile, 
said villagers in the area of the attacks had to take refuge in Thai 
territory because of heavy shelling by Burmese government forces.
	'These people have no shelter, no medicince and no food,' said 
the statement.  'Urgent and immeidiate assistance is requested.'
	Other estimates of the number of regurgees range from 6,000 
upwards.  ABout 5,000 whoc crossed from the Manerplaw area are being 
cared for by a number of international relief agencies, said a worker at 
the Burma Relief Centre on the Thai side of he border.
	But about 5,000 others who crossed further north are not 
receiving any aid because they have to be supplied via the Salween River, 
and there is reluctance to risk attack by Burmese troops on the west 
bank, said the relief worker, who asked not to be identified.
	The Thai military have thrown a cordon around Kway Baw Lu village 
just inside Thailand to hwere Karen leader Gen Bo Mya and others of his 
command have fled.
	The Karen leader told AP Television Sunday the Burmese 
Governmentwanted to clearthe area his guerrilllas controlled in order to 
build dams across the Salween River.
	Thailand and Burma have been discussing the construction of such 
dams which would provide hydroelectric power for energy-hungry Thailand.
	He also admitted that one reaon for the Burmese success was the 
recent defection of a Buddhist faction from the ranks of the 
Christian-led KNU.
	In a statement  issued by the Burmese embassy in Jakarta, 
Rangkoon denied its troops had overrun  Manerplaw headquarters of Karen 
guerrillas, saying it had merely provided logistical support for an 
attack by the Democratci Karen Buddhist Organization (DKBO) faction.
	"It is obvious that only those within that defence perimeter 
would be able to launch such a rapid and successful attack.
	"No government troops were involved in the attack. only 
logistical support was given to the DKBO," it said.
	Burma said reports its forces were involved directly in the 
battle were a "distortion of facts and reflects a continuing campaign to 
discredit the Myanmar government".
	It said the DKBO, which it said comprised 3,000 armed men, 
launched the attack after hearing of plans by the KNU to exterminate them.
	Prime Minister Chuan Liikpai said yesterday Thailand maintained 
its policy of extending humanitarian assistance to reffugees from 
neighboring countries forced to flee internal wars and other hardship.