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UNHCR joins govt to enhance refugee
- Subject: UNHCR joins govt to enhance refugee
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 17:19:00
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