"Burmese refugees stage sit-in"

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Reply-To: south@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (SAFHR KATHMANDU)

"Burmese refugees stage sit-in"
The Rising Nepal, Kathmandu, July 26 1997

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, July 25(AFP)- Burmese Moslem refugees Friday
started a sit-in in one Bangladesh camp, while they continued to refuse
food in another in a bit to prevent authorities sending them back home.

Aid agency sources told AFP there had been no violence so far over the
repatraition, but security forces were on alert in both the camps, in
demostration started at Kutupalong camp, while in Noapara refugees have
continued to refuse rations," one source said.

Government and refugee officials tried to reassure protestorts through
microphone addresses, but little avail.

"We are in panic as the refugees are armed with sticks,arrows and knives,"
said Nopara camp official Abul Hashim.

UN refugee organisation official are scheduled to dicscuss the situation
with the Dhaka government on Sunday.

About 400 refugees were  repatriated on Sunday and Wednesday, amid growing
protests from human rights groups and UN officials which say the refugees
are being forced to return against their will.

Security forces guarding the camps have been asked to exercise maximum
restrain, but  growing tensions in the two border camps led to another
repatriation attempt being postponed for the second time on Thursday.

Many of those due to be repatriated have fled into the dense forests
surrounding the camps.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) in Geneva has
accused Bangladesh of forcibly repatriating the refugees, a charged
denied by the government.

On Thursday the US committe for Refugees blasted Dhaka for forcibly
repatriating Burmese victims of rights abuse.

"Bangladesh's action are shameful and dangerous,"USCR director Roger
Winter said in a statement receive in Bangkok.

" They are not only putting thousands of Burmese refugees at immediate
risk, they are endangering refugees worldwide by further undermining the
principle of asylum," he said.

The foreign ministry said in a statement  Friday that Bangladesh was not
engaged in a "programme of forcible repatriation" and officials in charge
of repatriation were dealing with the matter in a "humane manner."

"The refugees are predominantly economic migrants and any generous
subsidies and campaigns about local settlement will works as a
disincentive for refugees to return," the statement carried by official
BSS news agency said.

It added the repatriatiion would be completed within the time agreed with
the UNHCR.

Bangladesh officials say Burma has given an Augusat 15 deadline to return
the refugees.

Bangladesh repatriation officials  have blamed some of the refugee
leader for organising resistance, and charged they were being backed by
local UNHCR representatives.

More than 250,000 ethnic Rohingyas from the neighbouring Burmese state of
Arakan fled to Bangladesh in 1991 alleging persecution by the military
government. the military junta in Rangoon has denied the charge.