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AFP-US willing to accept more exile

Subject: AFP-US willing to accept more exiled Myanmar dissidents

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Monday, November 29 7:04 PM SGT=20
US willing to accept more exiled Myanmar dissidents
BANGKOK, Nov 29 (AFP) -=20
The United States is willing to resettle more Myanmar dissidents exiled =
in Thailand, after having found homes for more than 30 this month alone, =
US embassy officials said Monday.

"We are willing to process more Burmese refugees, were more to apply. We =
don't have a quota, we have never had a quota. If more were to apply, we =
are willing to consider it and settle more," said a US embassy =
spokeswoman.

"Capacity-wise we could do it,' she said.

Earlier in the day, Thailand's National Security Council said a first =
group of about 20 dissident students flew to the United States on =
Sunday, and that a further 100 would leave in December.

However, the US embassy spokewoman said no students left that day and =
that the 100 figure was inaccurate.

"In November there were three different dates people went out. On =
November 4th four people went out, on the 11th 13 people, and on the =
18th 16 people went out," she said.

A further 22 students would leave on December 2, she said, but added =
that the program was scheduled to be put on hold over the Christmas =
period.

She denied Washington was under pressure to accept more students as a =
result of the storming of Yangon's Bangkok embassy by gunmen claiming to =
be pro-democracy students.

"These are people who were in the pipeline well before the Burmese =
embassy thing even happened," she said, adding resettlement applications =
typically took three-to-four months to process.

The NSC recently set strict restrictions on the estimated 2,000 exiled =
Myanmar students in Thailand, after five gunmen took 38 people hostage =
at Myanmar's embassy here on October 1.

It set November 21 as a deadline for all exiled dissidents to register =
with the United Nations High Commisisoner for Refugees for settlement in =
third countries.

Most of the exiles fled here after a bloody 1988 military crackdown on =
Myanmar pro-democracy demonstrators.


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><B>Monday, November 29</B> 7:04 PM SGT=20
<H2><FONT size=3D4>US willing to accept more exiled Myanmar=20
dissidents</FONT></H2>BANGKOK, Nov 29 (AFP) -=20
<P>The United States is willing to resettle more Myanmar dissidents =
exiled in=20
Thailand, after having found homes for more than 30 this month alone, US =
embassy=20
officials said Monday.</P>
<P>"We are willing to process more Burmese refugees, were more to apply. =
We=20
don't have a quota, we have never had a quota. If more were to apply, we =
are=20
willing to consider it and settle more," said a US embassy =
spokeswoman.</P>
<P>"Capacity-wise we could do it,' she said.</P>
<P>Earlier in the day, Thailand's National Security Council said a first =
group=20
of about 20 dissident students flew to the United States on Sunday, and =
that a=20
further 100 would leave in December.</P>
<P>However, the US embassy spokewoman said no students left that day and =
that=20
the 100 figure was inaccurate.</P>
<P>"In November there were three different dates people went out. On =
November=20
4th four people went out, on the 11th 13 people, and on the 18th 16 =
people went=20
out," she said.</P>
<P>A further 22 students would leave on December 2, she said, but added =
that the=20
program was scheduled to be put on hold over the Christmas period.</P>
<P>She denied Washington was under pressure to accept more students as a =
result=20
of the storming of Yangon's Bangkok embassy by gunmen claiming to be=20
pro-democracy students.</P>
<P>"These are people who were in the pipeline well before the Burmese =
embassy=20
thing even happened," she said, adding resettlement applications =
typically took=20
three-to-four months to process.</P>
<P>The NSC recently set strict restrictions on the estimated 2,000 =
exiled=20
Myanmar students in Thailand, after five gunmen took 38 people hostage =
at=20
Myanmar's embassy here on October 1.</P>
<P>It set November 21 as a deadline for all exiled dissidents to =
register with=20
the United Nations High Commisisoner for Refugees for settlement in =
third=20
countries.</P>
<P>Most of the exiles fled here after a bloody 1988 military crackdown =
on=20
Myanmar pro-democracy demonstrators.</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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