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THE NATION: 14 Burmese deported
- Subject: THE NATION: 14 Burmese deported
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 26 May 1998 21:22:00
Politics
14 Burmese deported
THAILAND on Sunday deported 14
Burmese dissidents, including a minister of
a government in exile, to their country but to
areas where their safety was guaranteed, a
senior security official said Tuesday.
The source declined to reveal the
whereabouts of the Burmese, including
Thein Oo, a justice minister in the National
Coalition Government of the Union of
Burma, who had been deported.
He said the deportation was in line with
Thai immigration laws.
''They were arrested last week in
Nonthaburi province on charges of illegal
entry. According to the laws, an illegal alien
is to be deported to the country of origin,''
he said.
Meanwhile Foreign Ministry spokesman
Kobsak Chutikul said the arrested
Burmese group had not applied to be under
the care of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR).
''I was informed that as a group the
Burmese did not want to be granted
person-of-concern status with the UNHCR.
They chose not to apply for the status.
There are certain Western countries that
offer them asylum,'' Kobsak said. He
declined to name the countries.
Shortly after the arrest, UNHCR officials
were allowed to interview the group to learn
whether they wanted the status or not. It was
reported that eight of them had sought the
status.
Under the care of the UNHCR they will be
allowed to stay in Thailand, but their
anti-Burmese government activities will be
prohibited.
The Nation