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Tension remains high at Maneeloy ce



Subject: Tension remains high at Maneeloy centre

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      The Nation - October 7, 1999

      Headlines=20


      Tension remains high at Maneeloy centre

      MANEELOY, Ratchaburi -- Life may have returned to normal for most =
of the residents at the Maneeloy refugee camp following the 25-hour =
stand-off between five Burmese gunmen and Thai police at the Burmese =
Embassy, but tension among the dissident groups remains high.=20

      Burmese students who fled persecution in their homeland and are =
currently living at the Maneeloy holding centre said the seizure of the =
embassy last Friday had shaken them and other dissidents.=20

      Most are afraid that Thai authorities will began to clamp down on =
their activities, which involve bringing to the world's attention the =
atrocities committed by the military government in Rangoon, said a =
student leader who spoke on condition of anonymity.=20

      Last Friday morning, five heavily-armed rebel students stormed the =
embassy in Sathorn Road, taking 38 hostages, and demanded that their =
military government release all political prisoners, establish a =
dialogue with the opposition and allow a democratically-elected =
Parliament to convene.=20

      From the outset of the embassy drama, all fingers pointed to the =
Maneeloy holding centre in western Ratchaburi province.=20

      The 1,028 Burmese asylum-seekers there are being screened by the =
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, after which -- if refugee status is =
granted -- they will be eligible to apply for asylum in a third country. =


      It is there that Kyaw Ni, leader of the five attackers, lived at =
one time. Those who knew Kyaw Ni, referred to by the press as =
''Johnny'', describe the young man as ''a troublemaker'' and =
''stubborn''. He often gave camp officials a hard time.=20

      There were several occasions when Kyaw Ni threatened to start a =
riot when things did not go his way, said a Thai official familiar with =
the dissidents' activities.=20

      ''No third country wanted to grant him asylum,'' said the Thai =
official.=20

      In fact, Kyaw Ni created so much commotion that people at Maneeloy =
had to ask him to leave.=20

      Kyaw Ni then went into the jungle where he teamed up with a number =
of radical students operating in Burma's Karen state -- opposite =
Ratchaburi's Suan Phung district.=20

      The Karen National Union, whose 4th Brigade also operates out of =
the same area, has been quick to denounce the raid on the embassy for =
fear that they will be linked to the student group.=20

      Other groups, such as the All Burmese Students Democratic Front, =
have taken similar action, issuing statements condemning the =
hostage-takers' action and denying any knowledge of the so-called =
Vigourous Student Warriors.=20

      One student leader at Maneeloy who claimed to know Kyaw Ni and the =
radical group that stormed the embassy, insisted that the students had =
acted alone, without any help from other armed rebel groups.=20

      But while most dissident groups have been quick to distance =
themselves from the Vigorous Student Warriors there are, nevertheless, =
indications that the events of last weekend will have a detrimental =
effect on other groups.=20

      In what appeared to be a knee-jerk reaction to the event, National =
Security Council chief Kachadpai Burusapatana said the UN High =
Commissioner for Refugees needed to hurry its work and process the =
Burmese at Maneeloy to a third country. It remains to be seen if his =
statement will amount to anything.=20

      Meanwhile, security officials in Ratchaburi accused the government =
of being out of touch with the situation on the ground. Measures =
dictated from Bangkok are not always practical and at times are =
difficult to carry out, they said.=20

      There is no way the government can contain the movements and =
activities of all the Burmese refugees, displaced people and =
asylum-seekers, said one Thai official.=20

      ''There are just too many of them,'' he said. ''For all we know, =
the three guys who have yet to be identified could be walking the =
streets of Bangkok.''=20

      Judging from the number of Burmese working illegally in =
back-breaking jobs for wages much lower than their Thai counterparts, =
the official indeed has a point.=20

      He said that several ideas to contain the dissidents' movements =
had previously been floated. Identification cards, punishment, the =
establishment of prisons inside refugee camps, and even the threat of =
repatriation for those violating set guidelines, have been tossed around =
but nothing ever seems to come out of it, he added.=20

      ''If we go too hard on the dissidents, the international community =
and the UN will come down on us,'' the official continued. ''But if we =
let them do whatever they want to, then their actions could come back to =
haunt us.''=20

      BY DON PATHAN=20

      The Nation
    =20



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      <P><STRONG><FONT size=3D4><U>The Nation - October 7,=20
1999</U></FONT></STRONG>
      <P><STRONG>Headlines</STRONG></FONT> <FONT =
face=3Darial,Times><FONT size=3D+2>
      <P>
      <H2><FONT color=3D#000000>Tension remains high at Maneeloy=20
      centre</FONT></H2></FONT><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT =
size=3D+.5>
      <P>
      <P>MANEELOY, Ratchaburi -- Life may have returned to normal for =
most of=20
      the residents at the Maneeloy refugee camp following the 25-hour =
stand-off=20
      between five Burmese gunmen and Thai police at the Burmese =
Embassy, but=20
      tension among the dissident groups remains high.=20
      <P>Burmese students who fled persecution in their homeland and are =

      currently living at the Maneeloy holding centre said the seizure =
of the=20
      embassy last Friday had shaken them and other dissidents.=20
      <P>Most are afraid that Thai authorities will began to clamp down =
on their=20
      activities, which involve bringing to the world's attention the =
atrocities=20
      committed by the military government in Rangoon, said a student =
leader who=20
      spoke on condition of anonymity.=20
      <P>Last Friday morning, five heavily-armed rebel students stormed =
the=20
      embassy in Sathorn Road, taking 38 hostages, and demanded that =
their=20
      military government release all political prisoners, establish a =
dialogue=20
      with the opposition and allow a democratically-elected Parliament =
to=20
      convene.=20
      <P>From the outset of the embassy drama, all fingers pointed to =
the=20
      Maneeloy holding centre in western Ratchaburi province.=20
      <P>The 1,028 Burmese asylum-seekers there are being screened by =
the UN=20
      High Commissioner for Refugees, after which -- if refugee status =
is=20
      granted -- they will be eligible to apply for asylum in a third =
country.=20
      <P>It is there that Kyaw Ni, leader of the five attackers, lived =
at one=20
      time. Those who knew Kyaw Ni, referred to by the press as =
''Johnny'',=20
      describe the young man as ''a troublemaker'' and ''stubborn''. He =
often=20
      gave camp officials a hard time.=20
      <P>There were several occasions when Kyaw Ni threatened to start a =
riot=20
      when things did not go his way, said a Thai official familiar with =
the=20
      dissidents' activities.=20
      <P>''No third country wanted to grant him asylum,'' said the Thai=20
      official.=20
      <P>In fact, Kyaw Ni created so much commotion that people at =
Maneeloy had=20
      to ask him to leave.=20
      <P>Kyaw Ni then went into the jungle where he teamed up with a =
number of=20
      radical students operating in Burma's Karen state -- opposite =
Ratchaburi's=20
      Suan Phung district.=20
      <P>The Karen National Union, whose 4th Brigade also operates out =
of the=20
      same area, has been quick to denounce the raid on the embassy for =
fear=20
      that they will be linked to the student group.=20
      <P>Other groups, such as the All Burmese Students Democratic =
Front, have=20
      taken similar action, issuing statements condemning the =
hostage-takers'=20
      action and denying any knowledge of the so-called Vigourous =
Student=20
      Warriors.=20
      <P>One student leader at Maneeloy who claimed to know Kyaw Ni and =
the=20
      radical group that stormed the embassy, insisted that the students =
had=20
      acted alone, without any help from other armed rebel groups.=20
      <P>But while most dissident groups have been quick to distance =
themselves=20
      from the Vigorous Student Warriors there are, nevertheless, =
indications=20
      that the events of last weekend will have a detrimental effect on =
other=20
      groups.=20
      <P>In what appeared to be a knee-jerk reaction to the event, =
National=20
      Security Council chief Kachadpai Burusapatana said the UN High=20
      Commissioner for Refugees needed to hurry its work and process the =
Burmese=20
      at Maneeloy to a third country. It remains to be seen if his =
statement=20
      will amount to anything.=20
      <P>Meanwhile, security officials in Ratchaburi accused the =
government of=20
      being out of touch with the situation on the ground. Measures =
dictated=20
      from Bangkok are not always practical and at times are difficult =
to carry=20
      out, they said.=20
      <P>There is no way the government can contain the movements and =
activities=20
      of all the Burmese refugees, displaced people and asylum-seekers, =
said one=20
      Thai official.=20
      <P>''There are just too many of them,'' he said. ''For all we =
know, the=20
      three guys who have yet to be identified could be walking the =
streets of=20
      Bangkok.''=20
      <P>Judging from the number of Burmese working illegally in =
back-breaking=20
      jobs for wages much lower than their Thai counterparts, the =
official=20
      indeed has a point.=20
      <P>He said that several ideas to contain the dissidents' movements =
had=20
      previously been floated. Identification cards, punishment, the=20
      establishment of prisons inside refugee camps, and even the threat =
of=20
      repatriation for those violating set guidelines, have been tossed =
around=20
      but nothing ever seems to come out of it, he added.=20
      <P>''If we go too hard on the dissidents, the international =
community and=20
      the UN will come down on us,'' the official continued. ''But if we =
let=20
      them do whatever they want to, then their actions could come back =
to haunt=20
      us.''=20
      <P>BY DON PATHAN=20
      <P>The=20
Nation</P></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P></FON=
T></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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