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THAI-BURMESE RELATIONS (r)
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THAI-BURMESE RELATIONS<br>
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Quick resettlement of students sought<br>
</font><i>US, Canada pledge to accept 2,000 from Maneeloy camp<br>
<br>
</i><font size=3>Post Reporters<br>
</font><font size=5>T</font></b><font size=3>hailand is pushing for
third-country resettlement of Burmese student exiles after some of them
locked up UNHCR officials at the Maneeloy holding centre in Ratchaburi on
Monday.<br>
Don Pramudwinai, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, yesterday said the
students' action was "not different from a mild form of
terrorism".<br>
He said the National Security Council will host a meeting of agencies
concerned tomorrow.<br>
On Monday, five officials of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees-one French woman and four Thais-were locked up in their offices
for several hours after some of the Burmese students at the holding
centre were denied their 800-baht monthly allowances because they had
left the camp to join protests against Rangoon's military junta.<br>
They released the officials only after the governor of Ratchaburi, Komet
Daengkomane, paid them out of his own pocket.<br>
Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan yesterday said the government found the
Burmese students' action unacceptable, adding they would face more
restrictive measures.<br>
M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the deputy foreign minister, said yesterday
the UNHCR would have to improve its control system at the Maneeloy
centre.<br>
M.R. Sukhumbhand said the student exiles should appreciate the privileges
granted them by the Thai government and must not take advantage of
Thailand's generosity.<br>
But he urged patience, saying the problem of Burmese student exiles in
Thailand could not be solved overnight.<br>
The only way to end the trouble fast was to drive all of them back into
Burma, "but no-one wants to do that", he added.<br>
M.R. Sukhumbhand said yesterday so far 13 countries have shown interest
in accepting Burmese students taking refuge in Thailand for
resettlement.<br>
Two of them, the United States and Canada, even pledged to take up to
2,000 of the 2,700 Maneeloy students, he added.<br>
M.R Sukhumbhand said the Foreign Ministry has remained in contact with
Burma despite its decision to close its borders with Thailand following
the Oct 1-2 armed seizure of the Burmese embassy in Bangkok by five
Burmese dissidents.<br>
However, he said, talks to settle differences between the two countries
have been difficult because Burma has not said what it wants.<br>
The Foreign Ministry has invited the Burmese deputy foreign minister to
visit Bangkok but there has been no response from him so far.<br>
Niran Kalayanamit, the Maneeloy centre's deputy director, yesterday said
protests against UN officials by Burmese students over their allowances
or medication were nothing out of the ordinary.<br>
The Ratchaburi governor said an investigation panel has been set up to
find out if the locking up of UNHCR officials was a criminal
offence.<br>
Governor Komet yesterday denied he had been too lenient with the
disgruntled students by agreeing to pay them, saying he was ordered to do
everything possible to ensure the safety of the five UNHCR
officials.<br>
The Maneeloy centre would have to be expanded and its security stepped
up, he said, adding that some 1,000 Burmese students living outside the
camp might be ordered to move back in.<br>
The UNHCR yesterday said in a press release it did not consider the
locking up of the five officials to be a major incident.<br>
However, the event would be fully investigated and the UNHCR would
discuss with Thai authorities measures to prevent it from
recurring.<br>
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