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House Subcommittee Hears Refugee Pr
- Subject: House Subcommittee Hears Refugee Pr
- From: maung@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 08:25:00
Subject: House Subcommittee Hears Refugee Problem
Organization: NCGUB
Reply-to: ncgub@xxxxxxxxxxx
HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE HEARS SITUATION OF BURMESE REFUGEES
The Subcommittee on International Operations and Human
Rights chaired by Congressmand Christopher Smith held a
hearing on the situation of the "Burmese Refugees in
Thailand" at the Rayburn House Office Building on April 16,
1997.
Testifying before the subcommittee, which is under the House
Committee on International Relations, were Mr. Gary Lane,
senior correspondent of the Christian Broadcasting Network;
Mr. Stephen Dun (Saw Thay Ler), a Karen refugee studying in
the United States; Soe Pyne, director of the Prime
Minister's Office, the National Coalition Government of the
Union of Burma; and Rev. Richard Ryscavage, S.J. National
Director, Jesuit Refugee Service.
The witnesses explained the precarious situation of the
Karen and other refugees at the Thai-Burma border; the food,
shelter and health problems and the threat of repatriation
faced by the refugees; the assistance that NGOs and the
UNHCR can provide; Thai policy toward refugees from Burma;
and the role the United States and the international
community can play to alleviate and resolve the refugee
problem.
The testimony provided by Soe Pyne on behalf of the National
Coalition Government of the Union of Burma follows:
///Begin text///
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Subcommittee on International
Operations and Human Rights:
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify on the
situation of Burmese Refugees in Thailand. I am Soe Pyne,
director of the Prime Minister's Office, the National
Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB). The
NCGUB is a cabinet made up of elected representatives from
the National League for Democracy and other democratic
parties that won the elections in 1990. The NCGUB has a
keen interest in the affairs of the Karen and other ethnic
nationalities because it is a firm believer in Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi's call for a tripartite dialogue between the leaders
of the democracy movement, the ethnic nationalities and the
military to achieve peace and national reconciliation in
Burma.
A major offensive was launched by the Burmese military junta
against the Karen people in early February. Even though the
exact figure of refugees fleeing the fighting is difficult
to know, different sources visiting the sites along the
border, including Thai and international journalists, have
put the number of refugees at tens of thousands.
The situation should be of utmost concern to all of us not
just because a large number of people have lost their
relatives, their homes and property and become refugees but
also because of the brutality of the goal behind the
assault.
The Karen National Union, which has been fighting for
equality and self- determination, has had four rounds of
cease-fire talks with the ruling military junta, also known
as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). The
talks have failed because the SLORC only wants the KNU to
surrender on its terms. The KNU refused to give in to the
demands, but it was expecting another round of talks to take
place. SLORC, however, unilaterally broke off the talks and
launched a brutal assault without warning.
It was obvious from the very start that the objective of the
latest offensive is not just the KNU. It was the Karen
people, whom SLORC accuses of being the support base for the
KNU. This is reflected in the January 28 attacks on the
three Karen refugee camps at Huai Kalok Wangkha, Huai Bok
(Don Pakiang) and Mae La. Altogether the camps housed 36,000
refugees inside the Thai territory. Left undefended by the
Thai security forces, thousands of Karen refugees were left
homeless and destitute as SLORC and its puppet forces
torched the camps.
Also, during the latest offensive, there have been reports
of extra-judicial killings, rape, looting and plunder at
many Karen villages inside Burma and along the way to the
Thai-Burma border. Many villages were also burned and
destroyed by the SLORC troops. The offensive is intended to
be a warning to the other ethnic nationalities, who have
entered into cease-fire arrangements with the SLORC but are
expressing their dissatisfaction with the outcome of these
arrangements.
In other words, the growth in the number of Karen refugees
at the Thai-Burma border is not accidental. It is the result
of a brutal but well thought out plan of destruction by the
SLORC.
Another problem that the Karen refugees are facing is the
Thai authorities. The Thai authorities are refusing to
acknowledge the refugee status of the Karens or to let the
UNHCR to help them.
Depending on the Army commander in charge of the region
concerned, there were reports about Karen refugees,
particularly males of fighting age, being forced back into
war zones inside Burma. The refugees were also prevented
from building any shelter out of wood or bamboo which are
considered by the Thai authorities to be permanent
structures. There have been instances of NGOs and other
official teams being denied access to the sites where the
refugees are staying.
The Thai government has denied that refugees were turned
back. Earlier in March, however, many sources, including
press reports, on different occasions confirmed that the
Karen refugees were indeed pushed back into Burma.
Thailand is well known for its humanitarian policy. It has
always sheltered refugees, from Indochina to Burma. The
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma urges
the United States to request Thailand to continue that
humane policy toward the Karen refugees and allow NGOs and
the UNHCR to assist these refugees.
The refugee issue in Burma is the result of political
problems. Without the will to resolve the existing political
issues, there can never be a long-term solution to the
refugee problem. The KNU and the Burmese democracy movement
have on many occasions offered to hold talks with the SLORC
for national reconciliation. The solution to achieve peace
and harmony is already there.
The United States and the international community must step
up their efforts aimed at pressuring the SLORC to enter into
dialogue with the democracy movement and the ethnic
nationalities. That process will resolve the refugee problem
and ensure peace and harmony in Burma and the region.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing and for
showing an interest in Burma's affairs.
/// end text ///