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Burmese to be repatriated



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Burmese to be repatriated

THAILAND will repatriate all displaced Burmese people living along the
border within the next three years with the assistance of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, National Security Council chief Kajadpai
Burutpat said yesterday. 

Kajadpai said he would raise the matter at the UNHCR's annual meeting, to
be held in Geneva in October. 

His aim was to bring the problem of the presence of Burmese on Thai soil to
the attention of the international community now that the Kosovo conflict
had ended. Currently, it is estimated that about 90,000 displaced Burmese
-- roughly divided into 30,000 Kayas and 60,000 Karens -- have taken
shelter along the Thai border following bloody domestic fighting. 

But for many the attitude of the Burmese government remains a problem and
there are fears that those who return may be endangered. 

In a bid to allay the fears that the Burmese could face prosecution upon
returning home, Kajadpai said Rangoon has given a positive gesture that it
is willing to receive the Burmese. 

''Recently, Rangoon had indicated that it was willing to accept the
displaced people and had prepared settlement areas for them. We regard
these as positive signs from Burma,'' Kajadpai said. 

He said UNHCR assistance might come in the form of an office inside Burma
which would guarantee the safety of the returnees and give them the
confidence to go back. 

The NSC chief did not reveal the procedures of the repatriation that would
see all the displaced Burmese disappear from the border. In principle, the
repatriation has to be conducted on a voluntary basis. 

Thailand has shouldered the burdern of supporting tens of thousands of
Burmese who fled here following years of internal fighting between the
Burmese government and dissidents seeking independence. 

Kajadpai said Asean should also shift to a more offensive strategy by
seeking direct dialogue with Burma's ruling junta and get rid of the old
practice of using excuses for failing to bring Rangoon to the negotiating
table. 

Asean groups Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Cambodia. 

Burma joined the grouping in 1997. Ever since, Asean has been criticised
for turning a blind eye to widespread human rights violations allegedly
carried out there. 

The refugees are minority groups who since 1984 have been fleeing bloody
fighting inside Burma. They have been supported by the UNHCR and various
NGOs. 

Cross-border issues have long been a matter of grave concern for Bangkok
given that Thailand's border with Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia is
poorly demarcated. 

Meanwhile, the committee set up to solve security problems in southern
border areas met yesterday to revise its policy for the period 1999-2003.
Its main objectives are to encourage more participation by the public and
private sectors, to improve the environment and human resources and to
forge closer co-operation between the various parties. 

The policy revision comes in the wake of a rise in the number of narcotics
offences although the security threats from armed separatists had ceased. 

BY PIYANART SRIVALO 

The Nation