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UNHCR joins govt to enhance refugee



Headlines 

      UNHCR joins govt to
      enhance refugee
      protection effort

      UNITED Nations High Commissioner for
      Refugees (UNHCR) plans to open offices in
      three provinces along the Thai-Burmese
      border in an effort to help protect the
      refugee population, a spokesperson of the
      agency said yesterday. 

      The spokesperson said the UNHCR will
      establish offices in the Mae Hong Son, Tak
      and Kanchanaburi provinces as soon as
      possible. 

      ''We expect UNHCR's role at the border, in
      close cooperation with the Royal Thai
      Government, to contribute to enhanced
      protection of the refugee population,'' he
      said. 

      Commenting on reports issued by the
      London-based Human Rights Watch on
      Wednesday criticising UNHCR and the
      Thai government for failing to give
      adequate protection to more than 100,000
      Burmese refugees, the spokesman said
      the report had not taken recent
      developments into account, particularly in
      terms of the agency's expanded role at the
      Burmese border. 

      Based on the principle of solidarity and
      burden-sharing, the Thai government
      reached a common understanding on
      working arrangements with UNHCR in May
      to enhance the agency's role in four areas
      namely witnessing admission, assisting
      Thai authorities in registration, assisting in
      the relocation of temporary shelters and
      helping Burmese displaced persons with
      safe return. 

      Working arrangements are expected to be
      implemented this month with the Thai
      government and the UNHCR jointly
      monitoring its development. 

      In addition, the UNHCR will also be granted
      free access to refugee shelters. 

      Boonsak Kamheangridhirong, National
      Security Council secretary-general said on
      Monday, that Thailand as a host to refugees
      and displaced persons, recognised the
      need for international solidarity and
      burden-sharing as the solution to refugee
      problems. 

      Speaking at the Executive Committee of
      the Programme of UNHCR's 49th session
      in Geneva, Boonsak urged the donor
      community to provide financial support. 

      ''Funding should be sustained and
      increased in order to enable UNHCR and
      related organisations to cope effectively
      and sufficiently,'' he said. 

      Boonsak said public awareness should be
      promoted in donor countries so that their
      public can realise, understand and
      appreciate the extent of sacrifice and
      burden carried by top donors in the cause
      of refugees. 

      ''Financial assistance should go beyond
      emergency relief and should focus on
      reintegration and monitoring returnees to
      ensure the continuity of repatriation and to
      prevent the recurrence of outflow,'' he said. 

      Meanwhile, UNHCR said it would continue
      engaging in negotiations with interested
      NGO's and others on the situation of this
      population. 

      In addition to the Burmese there are some
      38,000 displaced Cambodians in Thailand.

      Since October 1997, 8,177 displaced
      persons had been voluntarily repatriated
      under the UNHCR assistance, and some
      37,000 had returned spontaneously. 

      RITA PATIYASEVI 

      The Nation