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BKK Post, March 21, 1998. THAI-BUR
- Subject: BKK Post, March 21, 1998. THAI-BUR
- From: burma@xxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 21:48:00
March 21, 1998.
THAI-BURMESE BORDER
NSC admits security lapse led to refugee camp attack
Western envoys tour remains of camp
Mae Sot, Tak
Thailand admitted yesterday a lapse in security led to a cross-border
attack on a Karen refugee camp by Rangoon-backed forces which left four
dead and more than 30 injured.
"We accept we were inactive," National Security Council chief Gen
Boonsak Kamheangridirong said as Western ambassadors toured the scorched
remains of Huay Kalok camp just north of here.
"I accept that it (security) should have been stronger, particularly in
our intelligence gathering," he added when quizzed on last week's bloody
attack.
Refugee leaders say some 100 or more troops of an ethnic Karen
splinter-group, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, along with Burmese
government troops ventured unopposed into Thailand and torched the camp
destroying some 1,000 dwellings.
Tak Governor Pongpayom Vasaputi told the ambassadors that authorities
had heard two or three hours before the attack that intruders were
planning to set fire to Huay Kalok.
It was the second such attack on the camp in one year.
The governor also promised Thailand would relocate the refugees to a
safer site further inside the country within one month.
"We have decided to move the Huay Kalok camp and move the displaced
persons to a place that is more safe," Mr Pongpayom said.
The diplomats welcomed the decision and US Ambassador Willian Itoh urged
Thai authorities to maintain a dialogue with Burma which he said
ultimately held responsibity for the attacks.
"There's a lot of discussion that it's an initiative of the DKBA, but I
think the general view is that the DKBA doesn't really do anything
without at least the tacit understanding of the Burmese."
Nearly 100,000 Karens loyal to the Karen National Union - the only major
ethnic insurgency yet to sign a ceasefire with Rangoon's ruling junta -
are encamped at the Thai border.
The ambassadors of the United States, Britain and Australia also visited
a second camp yesterday at nearby Mae Hla which was shelled from Burmese
territory at the weekend, killing one refugee.
The diplomatic visits reflect growing international concern over the
attacks in Thailand last week and at the weekend.
Several countries, including the US and Britain, which spoke out as
president of the European Union, have criticised Burma's military
authorities for waging a campaign of terror against refugees in
Thailand.
Some non-government organisations have also criticised the Thai military
for inadequately protecting the border camps. The United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees office in Thailand welcomed the decision to
relocate Huay Kalok camp.
"This is the best news I've heard," said Amelia Bonifacio, the UNHCR
representative in Thailand.
"It is a welcome decision for the UNHCR and those in the international
community who are very concerned by the (refugee) tragedy.
"This camp was attacked last year and is within shelling range (of
Burma). Relocation further away from the border is the best way to
ensure the safety and security of the refugees."
The Tak governor added the province was hoping to find a new site 50 to
100 kilometres from the border to house all of the 60,000 Karens in four
border camps in Tak.
Promises last year by Thai authorities to move the Huay Kalok refugees
currently camped in shacks three kilometres from the border failed to
materialise.
The UNHCR is not permitted by Thailand to run the temporary camps, which
are filled with tens of thousands of refugees who have fled fighting
between the junta and Karen rebels in Burma.
Fears persist of repeated raids although the Thai military have beefed
up their presence particularly at Mae Hla, home to some 30,000 Karens.
Refugees there have built bunkers around their bamboo homes, while
others are currently abandoning their camps at night to sleep in
surrounding fields for safety.
At the weekend, Thai forces fired shells into Burma after a mortar
attack on the camp at Mae Hla.
Gen Boonsak said he would raise the issue of the cross-border raids in a
visit to Rangoon to be made before the end of the month. - Bangkok
Post/AFP
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