Monthly Report of Mon National Reli (r)

[brelief@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Monthly Report of Mon National Relief Committee (April, 1997) 

Monthly Report of Mon National Relief Committee (April, 1997) 

Mon. Refugees Fled into Thai Soil

Since the Mon Army, Mergui District (MAMD) split off from the New Mon State
Party and took control in Mergui District area where the Mon and other
ethnic refugees were taking refuge, the wars in the area have resumed again.
After the  split, there was terrible situation reached to those refugees and
their safety was in doubt In December, the SLORC local troops launched a new
military offensive to the MAMD area, but the breakaway group could protect
their territory. Accompanied with that operation, several Karen, Tavoy, Thai
(of Burma) and Mon villages were relocated and many hundreds of refugees
also arrived to the border area under control of MAMD.

After the offensive in December, the SLORC troops have resumed another
intensive offensive again in third week of April to occupy the whole area.
Along the offensives, the most refugees who are residing on the border area
under control of MAMD were also suffered because of this new offensives. To
defeat MAMD militarily, the SLORC troops also arrested and used several
numbers of civilian porter along the operation.

Actually, the new offensive was started in mid of April and that military
operation plan was prepared for over one month. According to initial aim,
the SLORC troops had attempted to occupy the ABSDF and KNU bases along the
border area and latter priority was to occupy the MAMD bases. The operation
was organized by Coastal Region Military Command which bases in Mergui town,
capital of Tenasserim Division, and it combined three battalions such as LIB
626, 358 and 224 to operate the offensive. The whole operation was managed
by Col. Aung Khin and he kept his troops for a two- weeks offensives. In
operation, the SLORC used totally 12 companies of troops from those
battalions and each battalion have to provide 4 companies. It used about 800
troops and arrested about 300 villagers to be porters from Mergui, Tavoy and
Yebyu townships of Tenasserim Division and brought them to the frontline.
Those civilian porters were forced to carry ammunitions and supplies for the
military and sometimes the soldiers also used them as human shields or
mine-sweepers when they moved advance across battlefields in which rebels'
land-mines were operated.


On April 13, the SLORC troops turned their operation to MAMD and kept ahead
to occupy the headquarters of MAMD that situated in Huai Phak area after
their occupation some KNU, Muslim and ABSDF student bases surrounding its
control area. The Huai Phak (see map) is situated in border area opposite of
Thep Sakae District of Prachuab Kirichan Province. By firing with motor
shells and marching advance to MAMD military camp, SLORC tried for three
days to occupy. In advancing toward to camp, the Burmese troops forced
civilian porters to walk ahead of them and some porters also died because of
land-mine explosions. Starting from April 23 up to 25, it had tried to
occupy the base but later failed and turned its operation to another MAMD
military camp again.

On April 26, it conducted a new fighting to Naung Hui camp of MAMD and
shelled into a small village that situated in the area because military camp
was also based dose to that village. All villagers of the whole village had
to flee into Thai soil or displaced inside territory. On the same day, they
could occupy the military base of MAMD and burnt down all houses in village
into ashes. One hardwood factory owned by a Thai company was also burnt
down. Before the ceasefire agreement, the villagers received income by
working as day labourer in factory and but after ceasefire logging
concession in the area
was closed by both Thai and Burmese authorities. Since then, the villagers
have faced difficulties for survival and at the same time, they still could
not return back to their native places because of various kinds of on-going
abuses.

After the occupation of Naung Hui area including MAMD military base and
refugee village, it also shelled to Chaung Chi area (see map) where the most
refugee villagers were situating. To get the military base, its troops fired
with motor shells into villages such as Kwan Raeh Mon. Kwan Seik Mon and Mai
Att. Those villages were established for several years and all buildings
were destroyed within one day on April 27. About afternoon time, the
villagers fled into Thai territory to accept a safe haven. While group by
group of villagers of Chaung Chi area were fleeing into Thai territory, two
children also died on the way because of tiredness. After the occupation of
the area, the Burmese troops burnt down all houses, rice-store, schools,
hospitals, monasteries and other buildings which left in the villages into
ashes. The villagers also lost the left belongings in their houses.

As a result, some about 800 refugees created a make-shift shelters in the
border police checkpoint in Thai territory for nearly one week and then they
have to return to their unsafe villages after the Burmese troops resumed
back. Some refugees also displaced in jungle inside the area. While refugees
were remaining in Thai territory, they have faced shortage of foods,
shelters and medicines. The refugees were also suffered by various kinds of
diseases because of lack provision of medicines. The Thai authorities
provided them with some small amount of medicines and foods which did not
reach to the needs.

The MNRC and also other international aid agencies could not get enough
chance to help those refugees as the Thai authorities had prevented all the
time and denied access. The relief workers were just allowed for a while
such as to arrange for a meeting with those refugees. Even the group of
civilian fled from fear of well-founded persecution of the military regime
that rules their origin country, they were never recognized as refugees or
asylum seekers. At the end, they had to return back to their unsafe
villagers again after they had no more choice.

Lack of protection to Burmese Ethnic Refugees
According to the well-documented agencies including some governments and
human rights monitoring organizations, Burma that is ruled by a military
regime, has been remained with one of the worst human rights records in the
world. Since it seized State power in 1988, the military regime SLORC has
been constantly condemned by international community for its numerous acts
of arbitrary execution, arrest, killing, torture, rape, forced labour and
unceasing tax collection. Because of various kinds of mentioned abuses
conducted by SLORC troops against civilians in rural area especially to
ethnic community who are residing in war confrontation zones, those
villagers had to escape from their home villages. Such abuses have been
committed as systematic persecution under the program of SLORC's ethnic
cleansing policy and as a result ten of thousands of ethnic refugees have
fled into border area or Thai territory for many years.

At the same time, Thailand also created a better relationship with Burmese
commanders of SLORC with business purposes and the ethnic refugees have been
denied access into Thailand or refuge inside Thai soil while it has
pressured the ethnic armed forces to agree on ceasefire with SLORC. In 1997,
after the intensive offensives launched by SLORC to the ethnic armed forces
such as Karenni, Karen and breakaway Mon group, many thousands of refugees
left their homes and tried to cross into Thailand. Many of them have been
denied entry into Thailand and refoulement of those suffering refugees was
also conducted by Thai authorities.

In January 1997, there was a big offensive launched by SLORC troops against
Karenni refugees who are in Thai territory of a very unsafe places. Some
refugees were killed in the unexpected attack by Burmese troops and the Thai
border police could not protect the refugees and prevent the advance of
Burmese troops. After the attack, they were not moved from that unsafe camp
to a more safer area deep inside of Thailand. Such terrorists' raid on
refugees made them to be fear all the time although they are in Thai soil.
But the Thai authorities disagreed to move them and put them in the former
places.

Similarly, the Karen refugees have been attacked by Burmese troops for
several times. Because of SLORC's intensive offensives that launched to KNU,
ten of thousands of local villagers also abandoned their native homes and
tried to take refuge in Thai territory. There were several evidences since
February after the SLORC troops launched more offensives that several
refugees who stayed inside Burmese territory or in camps at Thai soil became
very unsafe. In February, Karen women and children who fled from KNU No. 4
Brigade were seperated from men and all male refugees between age range 13
and 60 years were forced back into dangerous area of Burma. In March, a
group 1,800 Karen men, women and children who fled into Thong Pha Phum
District were also forced back into Burma.

In April, while the refugee villages that under control of MAMD were burnt
down by SLORC troops, about 800 of Mon refugees reached in Thai territory
and Thai authorities provided them temporary shelters close to border police
checkpoint. But they could stay only temporarily and they were forced to
resettle in Halockhani, a Mon refugee camp in border area of Kanchanaburi
Province, and refused to provide them a safe place in Thai territory. Later,
they have to decide to return their unsafe villages that were already burnt
down by SLORC troops.

Although Thailand is a member of the UNHCR Executive Committee (EXCOM), it
provided lack of protection to Burmese ethnic refugees. Since it has been a
member of EXCOM, Thailand also has obligation in international law that
related to refugee convention and protocal. The concept of principle of
non-refoulement is also important in international law and a State like
Thailand, whether it has ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention or 1967
protocol, or not, it should respect the non-refoulement principle. The
principle applies to all States to respect for the safety of asylum seekers
who escaped from war of their origin country and unrest political situation.

Otherwise, as a signatory member of Convention on the Rights of the Child
and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Thailand has
denied for the rights of refugee child and it attempted for separation of
families in cases when it tried to push the refugees back to Burma. The
refoulement of boys under 18 years old was against the rights of child and
it was an evidence violating the international law. When it forced male
members of refugees who arrived into Thai territory, several numbers of boy
between 13 and 18 years old were pushed back to an unsafe places.

In Article 16 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it mentioned that
"the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is
entitled protection by society and the State", the refoulement of some
members of families is meant violating the human rights principles.
Thailand, as an active member of United Nations, should respect the
international human rights instruments and provide humanitarian
consideration to Burmese ethnic refugees.

The problems including unceasing influx of refugees that related to
decade-long protracted civil war in Burma have not been solved yet. Without
solving these problem and promising to guarantee ethnic equal racial rights
and restoration of democratic system in Burma, the Burmese ethnic people
must be continuously suffered by Burmese Army and the refugee problem will
remain like before. The international community including Thailand should
learn the root problem of Burma and help for national reconciliation of the
whole country.

Refugee Population of the four camps as of April 1997 is:
	Camp	Family	Adult	Children	Total
					M   F	M     F
1  Bee Ree	415	   486  543	688   772	2489
2  Tavoy	685	   878 1087  989  1144	4098
3  Prachaub	491	   452  558	702   771	2483
4  Halockhani 1011  1324 1376 1686 1733	6119

Total:		2602   3140 3564 4065 4420	15,189

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