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THe Australian-Burmese dissidents s



Reply-To: "TIN KYI" <tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: THe Australian-Burmese dissidents sign up for Australia

The Australian
Burmese dissidents sign up for Australia
By PETER ALFORD in Bangkok
30oct99

THE UN High Commissioner for Refugees will on Monday begin registering
Burmese student exiles in Thailand for resettlement in third countries,
including Australia.

The Thai Government is moving to ease a long-standing and now serious
irritation in its relationship with the Burmese regime by persuading as many
as 2700 student dissidents to resettle in Australia, the US, Canada and
elsewhere.

At the same time, Thai authorities are about to launch a crackdown on
illegal workers that could result in more than 100,000 Burmese labourers
being sent back to their poverty-stricken and politically repressed
homeland.

Though the moves are not closely related, both are connected to the
deteriorating relationship between two countries that share a 1200km border.

Thailand has allowed about 86,000 Burmese to hold temporary work permits
since 1996, formalising the practice of illegally employing foreigners from
neighbouring countries to work in tough, low-pay industries.

But since the 1997-98 economic crisis, the Thais have moved to open more
rural jobs for their own people by limiting these guest workers to 18
specific occupations.

The grace period for registering in those occupations expires on Monday and
police are expected immediately to begin rounding-up unregistered workers
for repatriation.

This action, which will mainly effect the Burmese, may put additional stress
on relations between Rangoon and Bangkok by forcing thousands of poor and
disaffected workers back over the border and restricting a meagre but
important flow of foreign income.

The border has been closed for almost a month, as a mark of the Burmese
regime's anger at Thailand's handling of the armed invasion of its Bangkok
embassy by five dissident students on October 1.

After taking hostage more than 30 people, including several Burmese
diplomats, the five, several of whom were identified as residents of the
UNHCR-supervised Manelooy camp for Burmese student dissidents, were allowed
to escape to a western border area.

Burma has accused the Thais of tolerating terrorist activities by Burmese
dissidents who have taken refuge in Thailand since the regime's savage
crushing of the student democracy movement in August 1988.

The Thai Government, through the UNHCR, is now urging the nations that have
traditionally provided third-country refuge to accept an expanded intake of
students.

Australia, which has a resident Burmese population of about 30,000 and now
resettles 100 refugees - mainly students - annually through its Special
Assistance Program, is understood to have informally agreed to a substantial
increase.

The Thais are hoping Canberra will agree to accept between 500 and 1000
students.

UNHCR regional representative Jahanshah Assadi said on Thursday eight
countries, including Australia, had agreed to take part in the resettlement
program.