NEWS - US pledges aid for asylum-se

[nyinyilwin8@xxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Re: NEWS - US pledges aid for asylum-seekers

To my beloved freedom fighter students in Thailand,
what my best advice for you is "Come to US", "Get
Education," "Get Legal Passposts," and then "Go and
Fight" whatever and whereever you want to fight. 

--- Rangoon Post Co-Editor <RangoonPost@xxxxxxx>
wrote:
> THE NATION - October 14, 1999
> 
> US pledges aid for asylum-seekers
> 
> US Assistant Secretary of State Julia V Taft
> yesterday reassured
> Thailand of
> Washington's continued assistance for Burmese
> asylum-seekers living in
> the
> Kingdom and vowed to help increase Burmese students'
> resettlement
> opportunities, according to a US Embassy statement.
> 
> Taft, who heads the State Department Bureau for
> Population, Refugees and
> Migration, met with a number of high-ranking
> officials in Bangkok
> yesterday
> to discuss the matter.
> 
> During her meetings, she praised Bangkok for its
> humanitarian asylum
> policy
> extending back over 25 years, according to the
> statement.
> 
> She also reaffirmed that Washington would continue
> its support for the
> United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
> (UNHCR) and
> non-governmental
> organisations to assist Burmese asylum-seekers in
> Thailand.
> 
> The pledge came against the backdrop of the Burmese
> Embassy
> hostage-taking
> by five heavily armed Burmese students calling
> themselves the ''Vigorous
> Burmese Student Warriors.''
> 
> Thai authorities vowed to impose more stringent
> controls on the Burmese
> asylum seekers living in the country and urged the
> international
> community
> to help in finding a third country for them.
> 
> However, a US Embassy official here said the offer
> was not linked to the
> seizure of the Burmese Embassy on Oct 1.
> 
> ''We have flexible numbers so if the United Nations
> High Commissioner
> for
> Refugees refers us more cases we will consider more
> cases, but it wasn't
> in
> response to what happened here,'' the official said.
> 
> The United States is a vocal critic of the Burmese
> junta's human rights
> and
> democracy record, but has condemned the
> hostage-takers for their use of
> force.
> 
> The embassy siege severely strained bilateral ties
> between Thailand and
> Burma and added fire to long-simmering historical
> suspicions.
> 
> Rangoon used official press mouthpieces to pound
> Bangkok with diatribes
> alleging the latter of harbouring ''terrorists''.
> 
> Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said he plans to
> talk with the UNHCR in
> Geneva later this month about resettling the
> students as quickly as
> possible.
> 


=====

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