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Tension remains high at Maneeloy ce
- Subject: Tension remains high at Maneeloy ce
- From: m.win@xxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 06 Oct 1999 15:03:00
Subject: Tension remains high at Maneeloy centre
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The Nation - October 7, 1999
Headlines=20
Tension remains high at Maneeloy centre
MANEELOY, Ratchaburi -- Life may have returned to normal for most =
of the residents at the Maneeloy refugee camp following the 25-hour =
stand-off between five Burmese gunmen and Thai police at the Burmese =
Embassy, but tension among the dissident groups remains high.=20
Burmese students who fled persecution in their homeland and are =
currently living at the Maneeloy holding centre said the seizure of the =
embassy last Friday had shaken them and other dissidents.=20
Most are afraid that Thai authorities will began to clamp down on =
their activities, which involve bringing to the world's attention the =
atrocities committed by the military government in Rangoon, said a =
student leader who spoke on condition of anonymity.=20
Last Friday morning, five heavily-armed rebel students stormed the =
embassy in Sathorn Road, taking 38 hostages, and demanded that their =
military government release all political prisoners, establish a =
dialogue with the opposition and allow a democratically-elected =
Parliament to convene.=20
From the outset of the embassy drama, all fingers pointed to the =
Maneeloy holding centre in western Ratchaburi province.=20
The 1,028 Burmese asylum-seekers there are being screened by the =
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, after which -- if refugee status is =
granted -- they will be eligible to apply for asylum in a third country. =
It is there that Kyaw Ni, leader of the five attackers, lived at =
one time. Those who knew Kyaw Ni, referred to by the press as =
''Johnny'', describe the young man as ''a troublemaker'' and =
''stubborn''. He often gave camp officials a hard time.=20
There were several occasions when Kyaw Ni threatened to start a =
riot when things did not go his way, said a Thai official familiar with =
the dissidents' activities.=20
''No third country wanted to grant him asylum,'' said the Thai =
official.=20
In fact, Kyaw Ni created so much commotion that people at Maneeloy =
had to ask him to leave.=20
Kyaw Ni then went into the jungle where he teamed up with a number =
of radical students operating in Burma's Karen state -- opposite =
Ratchaburi's Suan Phung district.=20
The Karen National Union, whose 4th Brigade also operates out of =
the same area, has been quick to denounce the raid on the embassy for =
fear that they will be linked to the student group.=20
Other groups, such as the All Burmese Students Democratic Front, =
have taken similar action, issuing statements condemning the =
hostage-takers' action and denying any knowledge of the so-called =
Vigourous Student Warriors.=20
One student leader at Maneeloy who claimed to know Kyaw Ni and the =
radical group that stormed the embassy, insisted that the students had =
acted alone, without any help from other armed rebel groups.=20
But while most dissident groups have been quick to distance =
themselves from the Vigorous Student Warriors there are, nevertheless, =
indications that the events of last weekend will have a detrimental =
effect on other groups.=20
In what appeared to be a knee-jerk reaction to the event, National =
Security Council chief Kachadpai Burusapatana said the UN High =
Commissioner for Refugees needed to hurry its work and process the =
Burmese at Maneeloy to a third country. It remains to be seen if his =
statement will amount to anything.=20
Meanwhile, security officials in Ratchaburi accused the government =
of being out of touch with the situation on the ground. Measures =
dictated from Bangkok are not always practical and at times are =
difficult to carry out, they said.=20
There is no way the government can contain the movements and =
activities of all the Burmese refugees, displaced people and =
asylum-seekers, said one Thai official.=20
''There are just too many of them,'' he said. ''For all we know, =
the three guys who have yet to be identified could be walking the =
streets of Bangkok.''=20
Judging from the number of Burmese working illegally in =
back-breaking jobs for wages much lower than their Thai counterparts, =
the official indeed has a point.=20
He said that several ideas to contain the dissidents' movements =
had previously been floated. Identification cards, punishment, the =
establishment of prisons inside refugee camps, and even the threat of =
repatriation for those violating set guidelines, have been tossed around =
but nothing ever seems to come out of it, he added.=20
''If we go too hard on the dissidents, the international community =
and the UN will come down on us,'' the official continued. ''But if we =
let them do whatever they want to, then their actions could come back to =
haunt us.''=20
BY DON PATHAN=20
The Nation
=20
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<P><STRONG><FONT size=3D4><U>The Nation - October 7,=20
1999</U></FONT></STRONG>
<P><STRONG>Headlines</STRONG></FONT> <FONT =
face=3Darial,Times><FONT size=3D+2>
<P>
<H2><FONT color=3D#000000>Tension remains high at Maneeloy=20
centre</FONT></H2></FONT><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT =
size=3D+.5>
<P>
<P>MANEELOY, Ratchaburi -- Life may have returned to normal for =
most of=20
the residents at the Maneeloy refugee camp following the 25-hour =
stand-off=20
between five Burmese gunmen and Thai police at the Burmese =
Embassy, but=20
tension among the dissident groups remains high.=20
<P>Burmese students who fled persecution in their homeland and are =
currently living at the Maneeloy holding centre said the seizure =
of the=20
embassy last Friday had shaken them and other dissidents.=20
<P>Most are afraid that Thai authorities will began to clamp down =
on their=20
activities, which involve bringing to the world's attention the =
atrocities=20
committed by the military government in Rangoon, said a student =
leader who=20
spoke on condition of anonymity.=20
<P>Last Friday morning, five heavily-armed rebel students stormed =
the=20
embassy in Sathorn Road, taking 38 hostages, and demanded that =
their=20
military government release all political prisoners, establish a =
dialogue=20
with the opposition and allow a democratically-elected Parliament =
to=20
convene.=20
<P>From the outset of the embassy drama, all fingers pointed to =
the=20
Maneeloy holding centre in western Ratchaburi province.=20
<P>The 1,028 Burmese asylum-seekers there are being screened by =
the UN=20
High Commissioner for Refugees, after which -- if refugee status =
is=20
granted -- they will be eligible to apply for asylum in a third =
country.=20
<P>It is there that Kyaw Ni, leader of the five attackers, lived =
at one=20
time. Those who knew Kyaw Ni, referred to by the press as =
''Johnny'',=20
describe the young man as ''a troublemaker'' and ''stubborn''. He =
often=20
gave camp officials a hard time.=20
<P>There were several occasions when Kyaw Ni threatened to start a =
riot=20
when things did not go his way, said a Thai official familiar with =
the=20
dissidents' activities.=20
<P>''No third country wanted to grant him asylum,'' said the Thai=20
official.=20
<P>In fact, Kyaw Ni created so much commotion that people at =
Maneeloy had=20
to ask him to leave.=20
<P>Kyaw Ni then went into the jungle where he teamed up with a =
number of=20
radical students operating in Burma's Karen state -- opposite =
Ratchaburi's=20
Suan Phung district.=20
<P>The Karen National Union, whose 4th Brigade also operates out =
of the=20
same area, has been quick to denounce the raid on the embassy for =
fear=20
that they will be linked to the student group.=20
<P>Other groups, such as the All Burmese Students Democratic =
Front, have=20
taken similar action, issuing statements condemning the =
hostage-takers'=20
action and denying any knowledge of the so-called Vigourous =
Student=20
Warriors.=20
<P>One student leader at Maneeloy who claimed to know Kyaw Ni and =
the=20
radical group that stormed the embassy, insisted that the students =
had=20
acted alone, without any help from other armed rebel groups.=20
<P>But while most dissident groups have been quick to distance =
themselves=20
from the Vigorous Student Warriors there are, nevertheless, =
indications=20
that the events of last weekend will have a detrimental effect on =
other=20
groups.=20
<P>In what appeared to be a knee-jerk reaction to the event, =
National=20
Security Council chief Kachadpai Burusapatana said the UN High=20
Commissioner for Refugees needed to hurry its work and process the =
Burmese=20
at Maneeloy to a third country. It remains to be seen if his =
statement=20
will amount to anything.=20
<P>Meanwhile, security officials in Ratchaburi accused the =
government of=20
being out of touch with the situation on the ground. Measures =
dictated=20
from Bangkok are not always practical and at times are difficult =
to carry=20
out, they said.=20
<P>There is no way the government can contain the movements and =
activities=20
of all the Burmese refugees, displaced people and asylum-seekers, =
said one=20
Thai official.=20
<P>''There are just too many of them,'' he said. ''For all we =
know, the=20
three guys who have yet to be identified could be walking the =
streets of=20
Bangkok.''=20
<P>Judging from the number of Burmese working illegally in =
back-breaking=20
jobs for wages much lower than their Thai counterparts, the =
official=20
indeed has a point.=20
<P>He said that several ideas to contain the dissidents' movements =
had=20
previously been floated. Identification cards, punishment, the=20
establishment of prisons inside refugee camps, and even the threat =
of=20
repatriation for those violating set guidelines, have been tossed =
around=20
but nothing ever seems to come out of it, he added.=20
<P>''If we go too hard on the dissidents, the international =
community and=20
the UN will come down on us,'' the official continued. ''But if we =
let=20
them do whatever they want to, then their actions could come back =
to haunt=20
us.''=20
<P>BY DON PATHAN=20
<P>The=20
Nation</P></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P></FON=
T></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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