NEWS - MYANMARESE RIOT IN CAMP

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Source:      Refugees Daily
 Date:       Wednesday 17 November 1999
 Title:      THAILAND: MYANMARESE RIOT IN CAMP
 Text:
       About 100 Myanmar dissidents have clashed with guards at a
holding centre
       in western Thailand, leaving at least two people injured, police
said today,
       reports Reuters. The dissidents started the hour-long riot last
night after
       guards at the Maneeloy camp in Ratchaburi province refused to let
them out to
       get a colleague who had been arrested over the weekend for
stealing. One
       Myanmar dissident suffered a gunshot wound and was hospitalised,
as was a
       Thai security guard who was beaten up by the mob, a police
spokesman said.
       About 1,000 dissidents, who fled violence and political
suppression in
       Myanmar in 1988, have been held in the Maneeloy centre since 1993
under an
       arrangement with UNHCR. Frustrated by tight regulations governing
their
       movements out of the centre, they have been restless in past
weeks. AFP
       adds a member of the Burmese Students Association claimed that
several
       students had been wounded but most of the shots fired by security
forces
       were directed into the air. [Myanmar dissidents riot at Thai
holding centre ?
       www.reuters.com; Exiled Myanmar students clash with Thai police ?
       www.afp.com]