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LETTER FROM UNHCR-THAILAND



/* Written Apr 29 1:00pm 1995 by uneoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on  igc:reg.burma */
/* -------------" Letter from UNHCR-THAILAND "------------- */

UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES
Branch office for Thailand

10 April 1995

Dear Mr. Ne Oo,

Reference is made to your facsimile transmission of 3 April 1995
concerning the situation of Myanmar refugees living in
settlements along the Thai/Myanmar border.

Insofar as the above mentioned refugees are concerned, UNHCR
considers that the existing infrastructure of the settlements
and the current assistance measures being undertaken by the
non-governmental agencies are sufficient to ensure the well
being of these persons. This office, therefore, has no plans to
establish/administer new camps at the border for the
aforementioned populations.

However, in light of the recent incursions and abductions that
have taken place in certain of these refugee camps, UNHCR is of
the opinion that the security and protection of the residents
thereof would be improved by strengthening the current UNHCR
presence at the Thai/Myanmar border. To that end, this Office is
discussing with the Royal Thai Government, the possibility of
establishing the post of a Roving Protection Officer for the
aforementioned border.

WE hope that the above information proves useful to you. Please
do not hesitate to contact this Office if you should have any
further concerns in regard to this issue.

Yours sincerely,

Signed, Ruprecht von Arnim
Representative in Thailand




>/* Written 6 April 6:00pm 1995 by uneoo@ on igc:reg.burma */
>/* ---------------" Letter to UNHCR Bkk "---------------- */
>
>Dr U Ne Oo
>48/2 Ayliffes Road
>St Marys SA 5042
>Australia
>
>April 3, 1995.
>
>To /
>Ruprecht von Arnim
>Regional representative of the UNHCR in Thailand.
>
>Dear Mr von Arnim.
>
>As a Burmese national and a refugee in Australia, I support your
>initiative for making protection for refugees from Burma.
>According to reports, the refugees from Karen State continue
>entering into Thailand and the existing refugee camps have been
>terrorized by the break-away Buddhist Karen National Union
>faction, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. There are also
>suggestions that the Burmese military complicity in such an act
>of terrorizing refugees.  The existance of UNHCR would
>discourage such an operation of terror by the above mentioned
>parties.
>
>Regarding with the setting up of the formal refugee camps at the
>Thai Burmese border, some concerns has been raised by
>non-governmental sources that present relief operation for
>refugees may have been disrupted and posing a further stress on
>the refugees. I would therefore support the UNHCR to consult
>non-governmental organizations who currently engaging the relief
>operation at Thai-Burmese border. These non-governmental
>organizations , who in no doubt have good experience in running
>the relief operations, nonetheless cannot give formal protection
>to the refugees. My hope is that the UNHCR would be able to
>provide supplementary to their relief operation whilst given the
>full protection to the refugees in these camps. A joint
>operation of some sort, providing a smooth and causing minimal
>stress to the refugees should surely be able to formulate by
>consultations. We will appreciate very much for you to keep
>informing us of the developments concerning these matters.
>
>Finally, I should like to express my sincere thanks to you and
>UNHCR for helping refugees from Burma.
>
>Yours sincerely,
>
>U Ne Oo
>
>cc: 1. Pierrie-Michel Fontaine, Regional representative for
>Australia and New Zeland, the Office of UNHCR, Canberra.
>
>2. Miss Alison Tate, Burma Research and Information Officer,
>Austcare, Sydney.
>
>ENDS\