NEWS - Thailand clamps down on Myan

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Subject: NEWS - Thailand clamps down on Myanmar exiles after siege 

Thailand clamps down on Myanmar exiles after siege 
                        06:23 a.m. Oct 06, 1999 Eastern 

                        By Sutin Wannabovorn 

                        BANGKOK, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Thailand on Wednesday
announced an immediate crackdown on
                        the movement of Myanmar exiles after last week's
siege of the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok. 

                        Thailand, a haven for dissidents campaigning
against military rule in neighbouring Myanmar,
                        said it would restrict the movement of exiles in
Thai camps, monitor the movement of other exiles
                        and try to stop them engaging in political
activities. 

                        On Friday, five armed dissidents stormed the
Myanmar embassy and held 89 diplomats, officials
                        and members of the public hostage for 25 hours
before they were allowed to flee to the
                        Myanmar border in a helicopter. The hostages
were freed unharmed. 

                        Thailand's National Security Council, announcing
the new measures, also said on Wednesday it
                        would seek, with the U.N. High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), to speed up the relocation
                        of Myanmar refugees to third countries. 

                        LAX SECURITY 

                        Council secretary-general Kachatpai Buruspat
told a news conference that holes in Thailand's
                        security net had allowed the siege to occur. 

                        ``There were flaws in the intelligence and
security measures, which resulted in the unwanted
                        incident last Friday,'' he said. 

                        ``From now on the security agencies will impose
stricter rules and measures on Myanmar
                        dissidents, pending the UNHCR process, to find a
third country for their resettlement,'' he said. 

                        The measures were announced after Thai Prime
Minister Chuan Leekpai chaired a meeting of
                        the security council on Wednesday to find ways
of preventing such incidents, officials said. 

                        Two of the five men who burst into the Myanmar
embassy with assault rifles and grenades are
                        suspected by Thai police to be former residents
of a UNHCR-assisted camp at Maneeloy, in
                        Thailand's Ratchaburi province, near Bangkok. 

                        Thai authorities will immediately impose
stricter rules on Myanmar dissidents living in Thailand, in
                        particular on more than 800 Myanmar dissidents
in Maneeloy and about 2,000 exiles who live in
                        Bangkok under the care of the UNHCR. 

                        ``We will talk with the UNHCR about speedily
finding a third country for them. For the time being,
                        we will have to monitor their movements
closely,'' Kachatpai said. 

                        Thousands of Myanmar students, politicians and
pro-democracy protesters fled to Thailand from
                        Myanmar in 1988 after the military bloodily put
down an uprising by opposition forces. 

                        BANGKOK MECCA FOR EXILES 

                        Many of the exiles now live in Bangkok, which
has become a Mecca for Myanmar opposition
                        groups. 

                        Anti-Yangon groups have long used Bangkok as a
springboard for protests against the
                        Myanmar government and have staged political
campaigns freely in recent years. 

                        A Bangkok-based UNHCR official said resettlement
of Myanmar exiles would continue but gave
                        no details. 

                        ``In accordance with established practice, we
will continue the recruitment of those refugees to
                        third countries for resettlement,'' an UNHCR
spokesman told Reuters. 

                        The All Burma Students' Democratic Front, which
represents many exiled students, reacted
                        cautiously to the new Thai rules, saying it
supported voluntary resettlement but would continue
                        peaceful protests against the Myanmar
government. 

                        ``Instead of imposing stricter rules on us, the
NSC (security council) should extend more
                        cooperation with us in order to prevent unwanted
incidents,'' a spokesman for the front, Naing
                        Aung, told Reuters.