update: forced repatriation

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BURMANET:FORCED RELOCATION AND REPATRIATION OF KAREN REFUGEES IN WESTERN
THAILAND
February 26, 1997

Karen villagers from the KNU 4th brigade area, Minthamee area in Tenasserim
Division (Mae Sa Mee) started to flee the fighting and the human rights
abuses from the Burma Army offensive against the KNU on February 22.

Refugees fled to two sites and numbers were estimated on  Feb. 25 to be:
Bong Tee  	approximately 1,500 refugees
Pu Nam Rawn	approximately 2,000 refugees

At Pu Nam Rawn, only females and children were allowed to enter Thailand.
Approximately 500 men from Htee Kee who tried to enter Pu Nam Rawn refugee
camp were not allowed to stay and were sent back
to Burma.

On February 25th, the soldiers at the Thai Army checkpoint near Pu Nam Rawn
refused to allow US embassy officials access to visit the refugees.  The US
embassy officials were also denied access to  Ban Bong Tee, in Amphur Sai
Yoke, Kanjanaburi.

On the afternoon of Feb 25, the Commander of the 9th Division of the Thai
Army came to Bong Tee and Pu Nam Rawn by helicopter and ordered that the
refugees could only stay in Thailand 3 days and then must all go back.
The division commander ordered  that  the men be separated from the women
and children - and that  the men be forcibly 'pushed' back 'to fight'.  The
women and children were ordered to be sent  through a 'safe corridor' into
Burma opposite Amphur Suan Pung, Ratchaburi Province.

In Bong Tee the refugees were reportedly separated and an unknown number of
men were sent back across the border into the war zone.  During the night of
Feb 25, the women and children were loaded onto two large trucks, reportedly
owned by a Thai logging company and organized by the Thai Army, and sent to
Ratchaburi Province.  As of February 26th, all the people in Bong Tee have
been moved.  It appears that the women and children have been forced back
into Burma at Paw Mah Pwe village opposite Amphur Suan Pung.  The Burma Army
is presently advancing up the Tenasserim River and is only 10-12 hours walk
from this borderpoint.

The Burma Army has taken Htee Hta, Amoe (17 km north of Htee Htah and
opposite Bong Lee refugee camp) and Amla village (10 km south of Htee Htah).
These villages are only between 3-6 hours walk from Htee Kee (Minthamee Kee)
which is the KNU 4th Brigade headquarters.  The Burma Army is presently
advancing on Htee Kee.

The reports say that the Thai Army forced the men back to Htee Kee and the
remaining women and children will be loaded into trucks, reportedly
belonging to a Thai logging company, and forcibly relocated and repatriated
back at Paw Mah Pwe village (the tin mines) opposite Amphur Suan Pung,
Ratchaburi.  This is expected to happen tonight.

On the evening of February 25, the Ninth Division Commander was interviewed
on Thai Channel 5 TV.  He stated that the men should all go back and fight
the Burma Army on the Burma side of the border and the women and children
would be sent back to Burma through a "safe corridor".  He also stated that
all the refugees would be pushed back within 2-3 days, and they will not
have a refugee situation along that area of the border.  It  should be noted
that this is against international law and internationally-accepted
humanitarian standards.

The refugees reportedly say that they will not allow themselves to be
separated from their families and that 'if the men go back to the war zone
in Minthamee area, then they will all go and die together.'

So far there has been no information available about the fate of the 1000
refugees in Thaw Ka, which is located south of Ban Ee Tong, the point along
the borderline where the pipeline will cross into Thailand.  The refugees
are trapped between the Thai Border Patrol Police and the SLORC army.
Relief NGOs are not being allowed access to this area.