[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

The Nation - Rebels missing on Burm

Subject: The Nation - Rebels missing on Burma I-Day 

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_005B_01BF589E.308D31E0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

The Nation - Jan 06, 2000
 Headlines=20

Rebels missing on Burma I-Day=20

BURMA'S Independence Day this year was a non-spectacular event here as =
the familiar protesters -- exiled Burmese democracy activists who have =
been desperately using Thailand in recent times as their outpost for =
anti-Rangoon activities -- failed to show up in front of the Burmese =
Embassy in Bangkok on Monday.=20

Unlike their previous protests, this year's campaign in Thailand to =
protest the present and ever-repressive regime on the eve of the 52nd =
anniversary of the country's independence was conducted only through fax =
and the Internet.=20

Exiled Burmese students' activities in Thailand have been stifled by =
Thai security enforcers to prevent the recurrence of incidents like the =
siege of the Burmese embassy in Bangkok carried out in October by five =
Burmese students.=20

Since then, Thai authorities have restricted their movements and beefed =
up security around camps along the Thai-Burmese border housing ten of =
thousands Burmese refugees, in particular the Maneeloy holding centre =
which has around 1,200 students.=20

Most of the camp residents are students who were involved in the 1988 =
pro-democracy protests in Bur, which nearly overthrew more than two =
decades of military rule.=20

Some 36 local police have been deployed 24-hours-a-day on the camp =
perimeter, while 54 security officers from the Interior Ministry are =
keeping peace inside the camp.=20

Police Maj Gen Sawaek Wattanakij, commander of Special Branch's division =
2, said about 60 police officers -- both uniformed and plainclothes -- =
from his unit were deployed in front of the embassy, in response to =
reports that about 30 students had sneaked out of the camp some weeks =
ago to stage a protest.=20

Sawaek said another 40 officers from the Metropolitan police were also =
mobilised in the area to back up his team.=20

So far he said there was no report of any incidents.=20

No protests were reported from other areas around Thailand yesterday.=20

However, Mae Hong Son authorities arrested a Burmese refugee on Tuesday =
who was planning to join the protest against Rangoon inside the Shan =
State Army's control areas at Loi Kwaw province, 30 kilometres =
south-west of the province.=20

In the latest incident, local police said a young man, about =
five-and-a-half-feet-tall and suspected to be a Burmese student sneaking =
out of the Maneeloy camp was found dead in the bush near a highway in =
Samut Songkram's Amphawa district.=20

At least 20 exiled students were arrested in Bangkok, over the weekend, =
after they sneaked out from the refugee camp, allegedly to hold a =
political demonstration.=20

Police Col Pornchai Benjathikul, the superintendent of Bhak Thor Police =
Station in Ratchaburi province said the arrested students, now under =
investigation at a detention centre in Bangkok, could face charges of =
illegal entry into Thailand and then face deportation, he said.=20

In a statement on Monday, the exiled 'government' of Burma attacked the =
Burmese junta's two-decade regime for being harsher than British =
colonial rule.=20

The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) said the =
country had been in a state of ''civil war'' since its independence from =
colonial rule on Jan 4, 1948, and called for talks with the military.=20

The Nation


------=_NextPart_000_005B_01BF589E.308D31E0
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT =
size=3D+1><B><FONT=20
color=3D#800000>The Nation </FONT>- Jan 06, =
2000</B></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT=20
size=3D+1><B>&nbsp;Headlines</B></FONT> <FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT=20
size=3D+2></DIV>
<P>
<H2><FONT color=3D#800000 size=3D4>Rebels missing on Burma I-Day=20
</FONT></H2></FONT><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT size=3D+.5>
<P>
<P>BURMA'S Independence Day this year was a non-spectacular event here =
as the=20
familiar protesters -- exiled Burmese democracy activists who have been=20
desperately using Thailand in recent times as their outpost for =
anti-Rangoon=20
activities -- failed to show up in front of the Burmese Embassy in =
Bangkok on=20
Monday.=20
<P>Unlike their previous protests, this year's campaign in Thailand to =
protest=20
the present and ever-repressive regime on the eve of the 52nd =
anniversary of the=20
country's independence was conducted only through fax and the Internet.=20
<P>Exiled Burmese students' activities in Thailand have been stifled by =
Thai=20
security enforcers to prevent the recurrence of incidents like the siege =
of the=20
Burmese embassy in Bangkok carried out in October by five Burmese =
students.=20
<P>Since then, Thai authorities have restricted their movements and =
beefed up=20
security around camps along the Thai-Burmese border housing ten of =
thousands=20
Burmese refugees, in particular the Maneeloy holding centre which has =
around=20
1,200 students.=20
<P>Most of the camp residents are students who were involved in the 1988 =

pro-democracy protests in Bur, which nearly overthrew more than two =
decades of=20
military rule.=20
<P>Some 36 local police have been deployed 24-hours-a-day on the camp =
perimeter,=20
while 54 security officers from the Interior Ministry are keeping peace =
inside=20
the camp.=20
<P>Police Maj Gen Sawaek Wattanakij, commander of Special Branch's =
division 2,=20
said about 60 police officers -- both uniformed and plainclothes -- from =
his=20
unit were deployed in front of the embassy, in response to reports that =
about 30=20
students had sneaked out of the camp some weeks ago to stage a protest.=20
<P>Sawaek said another 40 officers from the Metropolitan police were =
also=20
mobilised in the area to back up his team.=20
<P>So far he said there was no report of any incidents.=20
<P>No protests were reported from other areas around Thailand yesterday. =

<P>However, Mae Hong Son authorities arrested a Burmese refugee on =
Tuesday who=20
was planning to join the protest against Rangoon inside the Shan State =
Army's=20
control areas at Loi Kwaw province, 30 kilometres south-west of the =
province.=20
<P>In the latest incident, local police said a young man, about=20
five-and-a-half-feet-tall and suspected to be a Burmese student sneaking =
out of=20
the Maneeloy camp was found dead in the bush near a highway in Samut =
Songkram's=20
Amphawa district.=20
<P>At least 20 exiled students were arrested in Bangkok, over the =
weekend, after=20
they sneaked out from the refugee camp, allegedly to hold a political=20
demonstration.=20
<P>Police Col Pornchai Benjathikul, the superintendent of Bhak Thor =
Police=20
Station in Ratchaburi province said the arrested students, now under=20
investigation at a detention centre in Bangkok, could face charges of =
illegal=20
entry into Thailand and then face deportation, he said.=20
<P>In a statement on Monday, the exiled 'government' of Burma attacked =
the=20
Burmese junta's two-decade regime for being harsher than British =
colonial rule.=20
<P>The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) said =
the=20
country had been in a state of ''civil war'' since its independence from =

colonial rule on Jan 4, 1948, and called for talks with the military.=20
<P>The Nation</P></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_005B_01BF589E.308D31E0--