The Nation - Police fear arms hidde

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Subject: The Nation - Police fear arms hidden at Maneeloy

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The Nation - Nov 18, 1999.
Headlines=20

Police fear arms hidden at Maneeloy

MANEELOY, Ratchaburi -- Thai police are looking to obtain a court order =
to conduct a thorough search of a Burmese refugee camp in Ratchaburi for =
weapons, while the Interior Ministry has imposed strict measures to curb =
the movement of residents at the Maneeloy holding centre.=20

Pol Maj Sophon Saengprathum said the police have reasons to believe that =
some of the Burmese students living at the Maneeloy centre may be hiding =
arms.=20

Scores of defence volunteers from the Interior Ministry were putting up =
barbed wire fences around the camp.=20

Moreover, deputy governor of Ratchaburi province Preecha Reungchan said =
on iTV last night that camp authorities will restrict the students' =
movement and threatened possible jail terms for those violating the =
rules.=20

Provincial Police Region 7 chief Pol Maj Gen Anand Haemthanond said he =
had already consulted with the United Nations High Commissioner for =
Refugees and claimed that the refugee agency would not object to any =
measure carried out by the Thai authorities as long as it was within =
legal guidelines. Maneeloy is under the supervision of the UNHCR and the =
residents there are waiting to be resettled in a third country.=20

Police yesterday passed out flyers and went around with loudspeakers =
urging local residents not to help the students with transportation as =
they may not have proper authorisation to leave the camp.=20

Meanwhile, Burmese student exiles at the camp appealed for calm and =
justice amid growing tension between them and local residents and camp =
officials after one of the refugees was shot in the leg on Tuesday night =
as he took part in a protest against what the refugees called =
heavy-handed treatment by a camp official.=20

According to the police, Tuesday's incident started when a security =
guard at the main gate refused to return a toy gun to a refugee from =
whom he had confiscated it. A fist-fight broke out between the two and =
soon afterwards, about 100 refugees rushed over and staged a noisy =
protest.=20

Local villagers, armed with guns and knives, held a counter-protest just =
metres away from the Burmese students. The two sides engaged in a war of =
words, said witnesses.=20

The incident ended when some of the villagers fired several warning =
shots in the air. Just minutes later, officials were informed that one =
of the refugees was shot in the leg, Maj Sophon said.=20

According to Sophon, the man was shot with a .22 calibre bullet. All =
Thai officials claimed ignorance about who fired the shot.=20

He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.=20

Sophon's story, however, contradicted Ratchaburi governor Komes =
Deangthongdee's version, given to Agence France-Presse, where he said =
the student was wounded before the demonstration took place.=20

According to Komes, the injured student was discovered before the =
demonstration when a Thai security officer tried to search an inmate he =
suspected of carrying a gun. An investigation is under way to find out =
when the student was shot, he said.=20

The ongoing tension between the Burmese exiled students and the Thai =
authorities emerged last Sunday when a local villager Jitti Thourn-siri, =
also known as Gan, shot at four Burmese refugees, injuring one in the =
left leg, as they allegedly tried to steal his ducks. The incident took =
place early on Monday morning shortly after midnight.=20

Fellow exiles said the four were merely out buying cigarettes but got =
into a dispute with Jitti, the shop owner, who refused to sell them the =
cigarettes. One of the four, upset at being turned down, kicked the shop =
door and walked away, they said.=20

Police said a number of Maneeloy camp residents were upset because they =
felt that no legal action would be taken against Jitti.=20

Jitti surrendered to the police yesterday.=20

Suspecting more trouble from the refugees, more police and defence =
volunteers from nearby Petchaburi province were called in for back-up =
yesterday.=20

The students, after a meeting with deputy governor Preecha, expressed =
grave concern over the recent incidents, saying all ''Burmese exiles are =
being labelled as thieves and trouble-makers by Thai society because of =
the actions of a few individuals''.=20

Thant Zin Htun, chairman of the Burmese Student Association, said the =
exiles at the Maneeloy holding centre had managed to make some headway =
with the Thai authorities as to how to deal with future problems. =
However, the student leaders said there are a number of issues that have =
yet to be settled.=20

For one thing, said another student leader Thet Thet Lwin, the high =
number of armed guards patrolling the camp can only intensify the =
already hard feelings in the camp among the refugees, many of whom feel =
that their rights and mobility are being slowly taken away from them.=20

The students have also asked the officers to scrap the plan to block off =
the camp into sections with barbed wire, Thet Thet Lwin said.=20

She added that Preecha agreed to take their request into consideration =
but did not promise anything.=20

The deputy governor also told the students that the alleged duck thieves =
and Jitti will be dealt with according to Thai law, she said.=20

The camp, home to about 1,000 Burmese student exiles, will be taking in =
about 1,700 more refugees. Residents at the holding centre have been =
granted refugee status, which allows them to request settlement to a =
third country.=20

Most had left their homeland a decade ago after the Burmese military =
government launched a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy activities.=20

The Thai government has asked the international community to speed up =
the resettlement process but so far only the United States has said =
publicly it would take in about 1,000 Burmese refugees.=20

BY PONGSAK BAI-NGERN and=20

DON PATHAN=20

The Nation


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT face=3Darial,Times size=3D2>The Nation - =
Nov 18,=20
1999.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT=20
size=3D+1><STRONG>Headlines</STRONG></FONT> <FONT =
face=3Darial,Times><FONT=20
size=3D+2></DIV>
<P>
<H2><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D4>Police fear arms hidden at=20
Maneeloy</FONT></H2></FONT><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT size=3D+.5>
<P>
<P>MANEELOY, Ratchaburi -- Thai police are looking to obtain a court =
order to=20
conduct a thorough search of a Burmese refugee camp in Ratchaburi for =
weapons,=20
while the Interior Ministry has imposed strict measures to curb the =
movement of=20
residents at the Maneeloy holding centre.=20
<P>Pol Maj Sophon Saengprathum said the police have reasons to believe =
that some=20
of the Burmese students living at the Maneeloy centre may be hiding =
arms.=20
<P>Scores of defence volunteers from the Interior Ministry were putting =
up=20
barbed wire fences around the camp.=20
<P>Moreover, deputy governor of Ratchaburi province Preecha Reungchan =
said on=20
iTV last night that camp authorities will restrict the students' =
movement and=20
threatened possible jail terms for those violating the rules.=20
<P>Provincial Police Region 7 chief Pol Maj Gen Anand Haemthanond said =
he had=20
already consulted with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees =
and=20
claimed that the refugee agency would not object to any measure carried =
out by=20
the Thai authorities as long as it was within legal guidelines. Maneeloy =
is=20
under the supervision of the UNHCR and the residents there are waiting =
to be=20
resettled in a third country.=20
<P>Police yesterday passed out flyers and went around with loudspeakers =
urging=20
local residents not to help the students with transportation as they may =
not=20
have proper authorisation to leave the camp.=20
<P>Meanwhile, Burmese student exiles at the camp appealed for calm and =
justice=20
amid growing tension between them and local residents and camp officials =
after=20
one of the refugees was shot in the leg on Tuesday night as he took part =
in a=20
protest against what the refugees called heavy-handed treatment by a =
camp=20
official.=20
<P>According to the police, Tuesday's incident started when a security =
guard at=20
the main gate refused to return a toy gun to a refugee from whom he had=20
confiscated it. A fist-fight broke out between the two and soon =
afterwards,=20
about 100 refugees rushed over and staged a noisy protest.=20
<P>Local villagers, armed with guns and knives, held a counter-protest =
just=20
metres away from the Burmese students. The two sides engaged in a war of =
words,=20
said witnesses.=20
<P>The incident ended when some of the villagers fired several warning =
shots in=20
the air. Just minutes later, officials were informed that one of the =
refugees=20
was shot in the leg, Maj Sophon said.=20
<P>According to Sophon, the man was shot with a .22 calibre bullet. All =
Thai=20
officials claimed ignorance about who fired the shot.=20
<P>He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.=20
<P>Sophon's story, however, contradicted Ratchaburi governor Komes=20
Deangthongdee's version, given to Agence France-Presse, where he said =
the=20
student was wounded before the demonstration took place.=20
<P>According to Komes, the injured student was discovered before the=20
demonstration when a Thai security officer tried to search an inmate he=20
suspected of carrying a gun. An investigation is under way to find out =
when the=20
student was shot, he said.=20
<P>The ongoing tension between the Burmese exiled students and the Thai=20
authorities emerged last Sunday when a local villager Jitti Thourn-siri, =
also=20
known as Gan, shot at four Burmese refugees, injuring one in the left =
leg, as=20
they allegedly tried to steal his ducks. The incident took place early =
on Monday=20
morning shortly after midnight.=20
<P>Fellow exiles said the four were merely out buying cigarettes but got =
into a=20
dispute with Jitti, the shop owner, who refused to sell them the =
cigarettes. One=20
of the four, upset at being turned down, kicked the shop door and walked =
away,=20
they said.=20
<P>Police said a number of Maneeloy camp residents were upset because =
they felt=20
that no legal action would be taken against Jitti.=20
<P>Jitti surrendered to the police yesterday.=20
<P>Suspecting more trouble from the refugees, more police and defence =
volunteers=20
from nearby Petchaburi province were called in for back-up yesterday.=20
<P>The students, after a meeting with deputy governor Preecha, expressed =
grave=20
concern over the recent incidents, saying all ''Burmese exiles are being =

labelled as thieves and trouble-makers by Thai society because of the =
actions of=20
a few individuals''.=20
<P>Thant Zin Htun, chairman of the Burmese Student Association, said the =
exiles=20
at the Maneeloy holding centre had managed to make some headway with the =
Thai=20
authorities as to how to deal with future problems. However, the student =
leaders=20
said there are a number of issues that have yet to be settled.=20
<P>For one thing, said another student leader Thet Thet Lwin, the high =
number of=20
armed guards patrolling the camp can only intensify the already hard =
feelings in=20
the camp among the refugees, many of whom feel that their rights and =
mobility=20
are being slowly taken away from them.=20
<P>The students have also asked the officers to scrap the plan to block =
off the=20
camp into sections with barbed wire, Thet Thet Lwin said.=20
<P>She added that Preecha agreed to take their request into =
consideration but=20
did not promise anything.=20
<P>The deputy governor also told the students that the alleged duck =
thieves and=20
Jitti will be dealt with according to Thai law, she said.=20
<P>The camp, home to about 1,000 Burmese student exiles, will be taking =
in about=20
1,700 more refugees. Residents at the holding centre have been granted =
refugee=20
status, which allows them to request settlement to a third country.=20
<P>Most had left their homeland a decade ago after the Burmese military=20
government launched a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy activities.=20
<P>The Thai government has asked the international community to speed up =
the=20
resettlement process but so far only the United States has said publicly =
it=20
would take in about 1,000 Burmese refugees.=20
<P>BY PONGSAK BAI-NGERN and=20
<P>DON PATHAN=20
<P>The Nation</P></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>

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