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20 Myanmar students arrested in Ban



Subject: 20 Myanmar students arrested in Bangkok

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20 Myanmar students arrested in Bangkok






BANGKOK, Jan 3: At least 20 exiled students from Myanmar have been =
arrested in Bangkok after they sneaked out from a Thai refugee camp, =
allegedly to hold a political demonstration, police said Monday, reports =
AP.=20

The students were arrested over the weekend, under suspicion of planning =
to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the independence of Myanmar, also =
known as Burma, in the Thai capital on Jan. 4.=20


In previous years, small numbers of Myanmar dissidents have gathered on =
such occasions to make peaceful protests against the Myanmar military =
regime outside the country's embassy in Bangkok.=20

But Thai authorities now restrict the movements and political activities =
of the 3,000 student exiles in Thailand after five pro-democracy =
dissidents stormed the Myanmar Embassy on Oct 1-2, and took hostages.=20


The siege, which ended when Thailand agreed to give the rebels safe =
passage to the Myanmar border in return for the release of the captives, =
badly hurt Thai-Myanmar relations and led to a two-month closure of =
their long land border.=20


Thailand has since been rounding up student exiles into the Maneeloy =
holding center near the Thai-Myanmar border in preparation for their =
planned resettlement in third countries.=20


The students at Maneeloy are forbidden from leaving the camp without =
permission and organizing political protests outside the it, police =
said.=20


"They (the arrested students) had sneaked out in small groups since =
Christmas and they met up in Bangkok for a political purpose," said =
Police Col Pornchai Benjathikul, the superintendent of Bhak Thor Police =
Station in Ratchaburi province.=20


The arrested students, now under investigation at a detention center in =
Bangkok, could face charges of illegal entry into Thailand and then face =
deportation, he said.=20


Some 1,200 Myanmar exiles stay at the Maneeloy camp in the western =
province of Ratchaburi, 140 kilometers (90 miles) west of Bangkok.=20


Most of the camp residents are students who were involved in 1988 =
pro-democracy protests in Myanmar, which almost brought down over two =
decades of military rule. Thousands of protesters were gunned down in =
the uprising and many fled to Thailand.=20


The dissidents in Maneeloy have been recognized as refugees by the =
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the grounds they would =
face persecution if they returned to Myanmar, where the military has =
been in power since 1962.=20


The arrested students include three student leaders. Police declined to =
name them.


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<DIV><FONT size=3D2>
<CENTER><FONT color=3D#400000 size=3D+2>20 Myanmar students arrested in=20
Bangkok</FONT><BR></CENTER>
<CENTER><FONT color=3D#008000 size=3D+1></FONT><BR></CENTER>
<CENTER><FONT color=3D#004080 =
size=3D+0><I></FONT></I><BR><BR></CENTER>BANGKOK, Jan=20
3: At least 20 exiled students from Myanmar have been arrested in =
Bangkok after=20
they sneaked out from a Thai refugee camp, allegedly to hold a political =

demonstration, police said Monday, reports AP.=20
<P>
<P>The students were arrested over the weekend, under suspicion of =
planning to=20
commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the independence of Myanmar, also =
known as=20
Burma, in the Thai capital on Jan. 4.=20
<P>
<P>In previous years, small numbers of Myanmar dissidents have gathered =
on such=20
occasions to make peaceful protests against the Myanmar military regime =
outside=20
the country's embassy in Bangkok.=20
<P>But Thai authorities now restrict the movements and political =
activities of=20
the 3,000 student exiles in Thailand after five pro-democracy dissidents =
stormed=20
the Myanmar Embassy on Oct 1-2, and took hostages.=20
<P>
<P>The siege, which ended when Thailand agreed to give the rebels safe =
passage=20
to the Myanmar border in return for the release of the captives, badly =
hurt=20
Thai-Myanmar relations and led to a two-month closure of their long land =
border.=20

<P>
<P>Thailand has since been rounding up student exiles into the Maneeloy =
holding=20
center near the Thai-Myanmar border in preparation for their planned=20
resettlement in third countries.=20
<P>
<P>The students at Maneeloy are forbidden from leaving the camp without=20
permission and organizing political protests outside the it, police =
said.=20
<P>
<P>"They (the arrested students) had sneaked out in small groups since =
Christmas=20
and they met up in Bangkok for a political purpose," said Police Col =
Pornchai=20
Benjathikul, the superintendent of Bhak Thor Police Station in =
Ratchaburi=20
province.=20
<P>
<P>The arrested students, now under investigation at a detention center =
in=20
Bangkok, could face charges of illegal entry into Thailand and then face =

deportation, he said.=20
<P>
<P>Some 1,200 Myanmar exiles stay at the Maneeloy camp in the western =
province=20
of Ratchaburi, 140 kilometers (90 miles) west of Bangkok.=20
<P>
<P>Most of the camp residents are students who were involved in 1988=20
pro-democracy protests in Myanmar, which almost brought down over two =
decades of=20
military rule. Thousands of protesters were gunned down in the uprising =
and many=20
fled to Thailand.=20
<P>
<P>The dissidents in Maneeloy have been recognized as refugees by the =
United=20
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the grounds they would face=20
persecution if they returned to Myanmar, where the military has been in =
power=20
since 1962.=20
<P>
<P>The arrested students include three student leaders. Police declined =
to name=20
them.</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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