Refugees in Tak to be repatriated

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HEADLINES
(1) Refugees in Tak to be repatriated
(2) Asean still working on Myanmar issue with EU

NEWS
(1) Refugees in Tak to be repatriated
3,000 Burmese and Karens interviewed
Supamart Kasem and Tak

Thai officials and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees personnel are
planning to repatriate some 3,000 Burmese and Karen refugees in Tak, according
to a border official.

Thai and UNHCR officials are now in the process of interviewing about 3,000
Burmese and Karens housed in the four camps in order to classify them as
either war refugees or illegal immigrants before their repatriation.

The four camps are Mae La camp in Tha Song Yang District, Huay Kalok camp in
Mae Sot District, Mawkier camp in Phop Phra District and Nu Pho camp in
Umphang District.

Fourth Infantry Regiment Task Force commander Col Chayuti Boonparn said the
inspection team consists of UNHCR staff, Thai state officials and army
officers, members of the Karen Refugee Committee, and non-governmental
organisation members working at the camps.

"More than 200 people have already been interviewed at the Huay Kalok Camp.
Information will be forwarded to Thai officials to consider sending some
refugees back to Burma, seeking legal action against aliens for illegal entry
or allowing them to continue their stay in the camps," he added.

According to a source, drought and lack of employment have forced many Burmese
to illegally enter Thailand to look for jobs here since the start of the dry
season late last year.

At least 745 of them are known to have taken refuse in the Huay Kalok Camp.

The inspection team had found that the names of some 800 escapees from the
four camps had already been deleted from the camps' refugee lists, the source
said.

In another development, 4,148 Karens fleeing fighting in Burma to Ban Nong Bua
of Tha Song Yang district are now facing food shortages after the NGOs stopped
providing them food aid on January 24 for fear of Rangoon's misunderstanding
that the NGOs have supported the Karen rebels.
Bangkok Post - Feb 6, 99

(Does UNHCR know what it is doing regarding the repatriation?)

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(2)   Asean still working on Myanmar issue with EU 

BANGKOK -- Efforts were being made to resolve Asean's dispute with the
European Union (EU) over Myanmar's participation at meetings of the two
groupings, and suggestions of an Asean boycott were premature, Professor S.
Jayakumar said yesterday. "I believe the Asean-EU Dialogue process is an

important one for both sides. It is the oldest dialogue relationship which
Asean has with any dialogue partner, and I think it's in the interest of both
Asean and the EU to maintain this relationship," he said. 

"So I'm confident that Thailand, as coordinator, will continue to exert all
its efforts to see how this problem can be resolved." 

He told The Straits Times that any suggestion of an Asean pullout from next
month's Asean-EU Ministerial Meeting in Berlin -- due to an EU ban on issuing
visas to Myanmar officials over Yangon's human rights record -- was
"premature". 

"Asean's position is that we attend the meetings on the basis of reciprocity
and on an equal basis," he said. Members were also "bewildered and puzzled
because they see the inconsistency". 

This was because the EU had no problems attending meetings held in an Asean
country -- with Myanmar's Foreign Minister present. 

Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan, who discussed the issue with Prof
Jayakumar over lunch, indicated later that a compromise could be reached soon.
Edward Tang 
The Straits Times - FEB 6 1999

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