ALERT: STUDENTS ARRESTED IN BANGKOK (r)

[brelief@xxxxxxx]

Please express your deep concern for the welfare of these newly arrested
Burmese students 
and for those others liable to be arrested at any time, despite their
rightful claims to asylum in Thailand.  Please urge the Thai government and
UNHCR to ensure that that this outrage stops immediately and Burmese
dissidents be accorded recognition that they are not simply "illegal
immigrants liable to deportation."

Please send your message via e-mail to:
<govspkmn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Send urgent faxes to:
His Excellency Chuan Leekpai
Prime Minister of Thailand 
Fax +662-2801443
Fax +662-2812536
Fax +662-2825131

Or contact your nearest Thai Embassy and convey the same message.

Please urge the UNHCR, which is mandated to protect those fleeing 
their homeland with well-justified fears for their safety, to do their duty 
by ensuring the well-being of Burmese asylum seekers in Thailand:

Write: 
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
United Nations Bldg. 3 fl., Rajadamnern Rd.
Bangkok, Thailand 10200
Tel:  +662- 288-1234

Fax: +662- 280-0555

Friday, January 22 1997

NINE STUDENTS ARRESTED, 7 FACE DEPORTATION TO LABOUR CAMP

Bangkok: Nine Burmese students were arrested yesterday in front of
scores of their astonished Thai colleagues at Ramkhamhaeng University.

Two of the students who held "safe area" passes have since been
released. The remaining 7 have been moved from Hua Mark police station
to the Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok. They appeared at court
this morning to be charged as illegal immigrants.

The nine were taken by plainclothes police at about 4 p.m. at the
university canteen.

Several of the students in detention had the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees protection or were being proccessed. Several
of them are student leaders.

At the same location last November, 21 Burmese students were arrested
and promptly transfered to the Immigration Detention Centre. They were
later deported to Mae Sot.

Current deportations have seen Burmese nationals "repatriated" to
forced labour camps in Burmese territory, therefore there are
extremely strong grounds to fear that these students may be sent back
to Burma to face certain forced labour and possibly other torture and
violations because of their student activism.

The past year has seen a growing incidence of harrassment and arrests
of Burmese nationals, a significant number of targets have been
democracy activists working in exile in Thailand. Some of these
arrests have been illegal detentions for the purposes of extortion.
However, it would now appear that arrests and summary deportations are
being conducted to fulfil government quotas to push back "economic
migrants" to Burma.

Until the Thai government recognises that these people are in fact
refugees and until the UNCHR is able to fulfil its moral and practical
responsibilites, Burmese refugees and activists will continue to be
easy targets for extortion and political scape-goating.


The names of those arrested are as follows:*
1. Aung Gyi, former ONSOB chair,
2. Naing Oo, has pass from safe area transit camp - RELEASED TODAY
3. Khin Khin (F) case for protection under consideration by UNHCR
4. Nyein Myo, (husband of Khin Khin) case for protection under
consideration by UNHCR
5. Ko Thet, chairman ABBESU
6. U Myan, ONSOB member
7. Than Zin Htun
8. Aye Chein
9. Gyi Oo, has pass from safe area transit camp - RELEASED TODAY

*Some of those not indicated may be also UNHCR persons of concern


http://www2.gol.com/users/brelief/Index.htm