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What U.S. is doing to help the Kare
- Subject: What U.S. is doing to help the Kare
- From: moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 09 Mar 1997 02:05:00
Subject: What U.S. is doing to help the Karen Refugees
U.S. congressmen bring new pressure on
Thailand over refugees
March 6, 1997
9.39 a.m. EST (1439 GMT)
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Thailand came under new pressure from the United
States today to open its borders to ethnic Karen refugees fleeing a Burmese
army offensive.
Thailand sent hundreds of Karen men, women and children back to Burma last
week, prompting criticism from the international community and human rights
groups.
The Thais insisted the refugees would be safe. But human rights groups said
they were being sent into the path of advancing Burmese troops trying to crush
the rebel Karen National Union. Burma's army is accused of rape, random
execution and burning villages.
Three Republican congressmen sent Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh a
letter today demanding respect for the refugees' "basic human rights'' and
calling the repatriations "against international law and internationally
accepted
humanitarian standards.''
It was signed by Benjamin Gilman of New York, chairman of the House
Committee on Foreign Relations; Christopher Smith of New Jersey, chairman
of the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights; and Dana
Rohrabacher of California.
Spokesmen for the prime minister's office and the Thai Foreign Ministry said
they had no knowledge of the letter.
The Thai army appeared to succumb to the international outcry over the
weekend, transferring some 2,300 refugees reportedly slated for deportation to
a safer location inside Thailand. Burmese troops raiding across the border had
twice tried to attack their camp.
A Thai army spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it had
always been Thailand's policy to help unarmed people.
The spokesman had been asked to clarify remarks attributed to Gen. Chetta
Thanajaro, the army commander, on Wednesday that Thailand would allow all
Karens to enter the country if they were unarmed.
The remarks appeared to be a reversal of Chetta's stance last week to bar
entry to all fighting-age males, saying he did not want Thailand turned into a
guerrilla rear base.
But statements from Thai officials have been inconsistent and confusing over
refugee policy and under what circumstances any repatriations took place.
A spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees had no immediate
comment on Chetta's remarks.
The Coordinating Committee of Human Rights Organizations in Thailand was
hopeful Chetta was indicating a new policy. But the committee's spokesman,
Pairoj Pholphit, said he was not confident it was official and would be
carried
out.
About 15,000 ethnic Karens have fled to Burma in the past three weeks.
Thailand historically has opened its borders to refugees from Burma and used
ethnic rebels as a buffer against Burma's military government.
The Karens now fear a change of heart due to warming Thai-Burmese
relations linked to cross-border infrastructure projects.