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refugee fact sheet



FACT SHEET:  FORCED REPATRIATION OF KAREN CIVILIANS
INTO AREA OF ONGOING MILITARY OFFENSIVE
27 February 1997
(for immediate distribution; prepared by Burma Issues)

Area of Concern: Mergui/Tavoy district (the Fourth Brigade of the Karen
National Union) of the Tenasserim Division (southern Burma) and
Kanchanaburi Province (western Thailand).

Background:  On 7 February approximately 1,000 Burmese army soldiers with
8 bulldozers, 20 mules, 300 prisoners and 300 villagers as porters began
an offensive in the KNU's 4th Brigade area.  On 12 February they advanced
south through the Tenasserim River valley and  arrived at Htee Hpo Lay;
by 14 February they reached Kwee Waw Wah, and by 21 February they reached
a point close to Law Aw.  A second column of Burmese army soldiers
advanced south along the Paw Klo River and occupied Katonni and Tha Nay
Kler villages by 20 February.  As of 26 February, the Burmese army has
taken Amoe village  (17 km north of Htee Hta, the 4th Brigade's
headquarters) and Amalah village (10 km south of Htee Hta).  These
villages are a 4 to 6 hour walk away from Htee Hta.  Several thousand
civilians evacuated their homes and headed to the Thai-Burma border.  On
the morning of 25 February 1,000 - 1,500 refugees crossed the border at
Ban Pu Nam Rawn, Amphur Muang, Kanchanaburi.  They joined an a group of
approximately 1,500 refugees who had previously fled to the mines of Ban
Pu Nam Rawn.  An additional 1,000 Karen villagers have taken  refuge in
Ban Bong Tee, Amphur Sai Yoke, Kanchanaburi.

Selective Entry Policy:  In an effort to prevent armed combatants from
entering Thailand, the Thai army's 9th Division in Kanchanaburi separated
men aged 15 years and older from the women and younger children.  The men
and boys were forced to return to Burma and told to continue fighting.
Men aged 15 years and older  who have come to Thailand more recently have
been denied entry and urged to defend their homes.  Obvious non-combatants
including male children, sick and elderly men and a priest have been
included in those refused entry to Thailand.

Restriction of Humanitarian Aid and International Presence:  As new
arrivals came to Hti Hta Baw and Tho Kah camps in Kanchanaburi, the Thai
army denied access to relief and medical workers.  These two camps lie
just north and south of the Thai section of the proposed Total-Unocal gas
pipeline route.  On the morning of 25 February, the Thai army also refused
to allow US embassy officials to pass through the Pu Nam Rawn checkpoint.
The embassy officials planned to visit refugees and assess the situation. 

Forced Repatriation into an Active Military Zone:  On 26 February, about
3,000 women and children from Ban Bong Ti Pass in Sai Yok district and Ban
Pu Nam Rawn in Muang district were loaded aboard trucks belonging to a
Thai logging company and forcibly relocated to Suan Phung district,
Ratchaburi.  From Suan Phung they were forcibly repatriated to Paw Ma Pwu
village which is a 4 hour walk away from active military fighting and
heavy shelling.  The 9th Division has also given more than 2,000 Karen
refugees at Hti Hti Baw camp in Sangkhlaburi province two days to decide
whether to be shipped to Ratchaburi or go directly back to Burma.  

In addition to entering the vicinity of armed conflict, the women and
children who have been forcibly repatriated do not have cooking supplies,
medicines, shelter, supplies to build shelter, etc.  Thai authorities have
prevented foreigners from assessing the situation, providing the necessary
supplies and monitoring safety concerns.  Urgent humanitarian intervention
is needed.

Possible Violations of International Human Rights Standards:  Thailand has
signed and adopted the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the 1989
Convention on the Rights of the Child.  The Thai army's 9th Division and
National Security Council's sanctioning of the separation of children
between the ages of 15 and 18 from their families and forced repatriation
of women and children into an active war situation may violate the
following:  articles 6 (survival and development), 9 (separation from
parents), 22 (protection of refugee children), 38 (protection of civilians
from armed conflicts) and 39 (rehabilitative care) of the Convention on
the Rights of the Child;  article 14 (right to asylum) of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights; and articles 3 (equal rights for men and
women) and 4 (requirement to inform other States and the UN when public
emergencies require the derogation of rights) of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.