Thailand out to gag Karen refugees
Posted on February 8, 2010
Filed Under Burma news, Karen news | 1 Comment
After international pressure forced Thai authorities to scale back their plans to repatriate several thousand Karen refugees to Burma (see: Repatriation put on hold for now… sort of) they have been warning refugees against speaking to the media.
The Irrawaddy reports Thai army personnel in plain clothes entered the camps on Saturday afternoon. They told the refugees not to speak to the media or the UNHCR, or risk arrest and deportation.
Over 3,000 refugees are still at risk of repatriation. They arrived in June to escape fighting between the Karen National Union (KNU) and a joint force of Burma Army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) troops. They have since been housed in temporary sites along the border, while authorities decide what to do with them in the long term.
There has been pressure from the Burmese side and the DKBA for the refugees to be forced to return home.
However, the KNU and relief groups argue it is not safe for them to return, as they would be at risk from unexploded landmines, as well as being forcibly conscripted as porters for the DKBA.
A small group was sent back on Friday morning and Thai authorities claim all repatriations were voluntary. But, there have been several reports of Thai soldiers ordering refugees to tell the UNHCR that they want to return home.
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Mae Sot weather
It’s really sad to see all of these people being displaced.