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UPDATE:"LEGAL" STUDENTS STILL IN DE



Saturday, January 24 1997

AMAZING THAILAND'S IMMIGRATION & POLICE HARRASSMENT:
"LEGAL" STUDENTS STILL IN DETENTION

Bangkok: Updated information on the 9 Burmese students arrested at
Ramkhamhaeng University on Thursday has revealed the following: 

· Two Burmese students who were supposedly "released" by a court
remain in detention by police at Hua Mark Police Station. The police
officers concerned are detaining these student until their safe area
passes expire, so that they can charge the students as illegal
migrants. The students hold a pass for January 20-25, which supposedly
gives them legal right to be away from the safe area. They have the
right to return to the safe area before this time but the police are
detaining them without charge to ensure that they can?t.
 
· One of the students who possesed a Thai work permit custody being
detained in the Immigration Detention Centre for no apparent reason
 
· Their remianing 6 colleagues will have to serve a 3-month prison
sentence at Pratum Thani prison, after which they will be detained
further at the IDC before deportation to a labour camp. In addition 5
of them possess NI Numbers, indicating they are being processed for
resettlement to a 3rd country.

Updated information on the students detained:

The names of those arrested are as follows:*

1. Aung Gyi, (NI Number 1371) former ONSOB chair. Detained at Hua Mark
police station lock-up, pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison

2. Naing Oo, (NI Number 2285) has pass from safe area transit camp -
but being detained by police until pass expires

3. Khin Khin (F, aka Khay Mar Soe, NI Number 9474) case for protection
under consideration by UNHCR. Detained at Hua Mark police station
lock-up, pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison

4. Nyein Myo, (husband of Khin Khin, NI Number 9474)  case for
protection under consideration by UNHCR. Detained at Hua Mark police
station lock-up, pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison

5. Ko Thet (NI Number 9422), chairman ABBESU. Detained at Hua Mark
police station lock-up, pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison

6. U Myan, ONSOB member. Detained at Hua Mark police station lock-up,
pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison

7. Than Zin Htun (NI5522). Detained at Hua Mark police station
lock-up, pending transfer to Pratum Thani prison

8. Aye Chein, has work permit - detained at IDC

9. Gyi Oo (NI Number 2346) has pass from safe area transit camp,  but
being detained by police until pass expires

*Some of those not indicated may be also UNHCR persons of concern

Current deportations have seen Burmese nationals "repatriated" to
forced labour camps in Burmese territory, therefore there are
extremely strong grounds to fear that these students may be sent back
to Burma to face certain forced labour and possibly other torture and
violations because of their student activism.

The past year have seen a growing incidence of harrassment and arrests
upon Burmese nationals, a significant number of targets have been
democracy activists working in exile in Thailand. Some of these
arrests have been illegal detentions for the purposes of extortion.
However, it would now appear that arrests and summary deportations are
being conducted to fulfil government quotas to push back "economic
migrants" to Burma.

Until the Thai government recognises that these people are in fact
refugees and until the UNCHR is able to fulfil its moral and practical
responsibilites, Burmese refugees and activists will continue to be
easy targets for extortion and political scape-goating.

Please petition your closest Thai diplomatic mission NOW to protest
this outrage. 

Please send your message via e-mail to: <govspkmn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Send urgent faxes to:
His Excellency Chuan Leekpai
Prime Minister of Thailand 
Fax +662-2801443
Fax +662-2812536
Fax +662-2825131

Forget about the UNHCR. They?re quite hopeless in situations like
these when they?re most needed.





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