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Letter to Thai Premier from Burma a



Letter to Royal Thai Government


To

Mr. Chuan Leekpai
Hon'ble Prime Minister
Royal Thai Government
Thailand
        February 1, 2000

Dear Mr. Chuan Leekpai,

We are the Burma pro-democracy activists who are based in India and who
are struggling for the restoration of democracy and human rights in
Burma.

Since after the military took over power in 1962, thousands and
thousands of people from Burma left the country to take shelter in
neighboring countries such as Thailand, India and Bangladesh. The Burma
refugee population in Thailand increased tremendously particularly after
the present military regime, namely State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) took over power in 1988. We wish to express our gratitude to the
people of Thailand and Royal Thai Government for giving shelter to these
refugees from Burma for years.

As we ourselves have suffered the consequences of violence, which
inflicted on us by the Burmese regime since 1962, we opposed all means
of violence. That's why we have been requesting international community
to oppose the military junta in Burma, which govern the country with
intimidation, arrest, killing and all other violence means.

We are saddened to hear that a group of 10-armed men seized a hospital
in Ratchaburi, Thailand on January 24, taking hundreds of patients,
medical and hospital staff as "hostages". We were, at that time, worried
about the safety of the "hostages". Though we support the demands of
hostage-takers, we don't agree with the act of seizing a hospital.


However, we are shocked to learn that Thai commandos killed all the 10
gunmen in a pre-dawn attack on January 25. According to eyewitness, most
of gunmen were killed in cold blood although they had surrendered to the
commandos.

"They were shot in the head after they had been told to undress and
kneel down," said a woman official."  A Thai female witness at the
Ratchaburi hospital. (See BANKGOK POST (January 26: WITNESSES SAY POLICE
SHOT THEM ONE BY ONE)

We had hoped that the situation could be solved peacefully. We strongly
protest the Thai government for allowing this cold blood execution to
have happened while option of peaceful solution still opened. Moreover,
we are gravely concerned about the growing cooperation between the Royal
Thai Government and Burmese military regime in recent crack down on
Burma pro-democracy activists and refugees in Thailand.

We urge the Thai Government to form an Independent Committee, comprising
members from civil society in Thailand, to investigate what had happened
before, during and after the Ratchaburi incident. We also request the
Thai Government to hand over the bodies of ten gunmen to their relatives
or otherwise to be buried and left undisturbed till they can be returned
to their relatives in future.


Sincerely,


Burma pro-democracy activists based in India

Contact Tel./Fax. 0091-11- 5511076; 5529817; 5157659