Refugees Under Pressure to Return to Burma

By LAWI WENG, Irrawaddy.org, January 25, 2010.

About 3,000 Karen villagers who live in Tha Song Yang District in Tak Province in Thailand are under pressure from Thai authorities to return to Burma, according to human rights groups.

Thai authorities were scheduled to hold a meeting in Tha Song Yang district on Monday to determine the fate of the refugees, but rights group said it was postponed.

A Thai newspaper, The Nation, reported on Sunday that the meeting would be attended by the Thai military, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), the Karen Nation Union (KNU), NGOs and representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The DKBA is asking Thai authorities to order all 3,000 Karen refugees to return to Burma.

Last week, the Karen refugees were told they would be moved to Mae La refugee camp.

The pressure is directed at refugees now living in temporary camps who fled to Thailand due to fighting between the Karen National Liberation Army and a joint force of Burmese and DKBA troops in June 2009.

Sally Thompson, the deputy director of the Thai Burma Border Consortium, said, “Their future is undecided, whether they will be allowed to stay or not. There is daily pressure on people to return back across the border to Burma.

“There is a major concern if they have to return because the area is heavily mined. Any return should be voluntary because there are conflicts still ongoing in eastern Burma.”

The Karen Refugee Committee (KRC) based in Thailand said the Thai government is worried more Karen refugees may seek refuge in Thailand.

Many Karen villagers flee their homes because of the threat of conscription into government armies, forced labor and the risk posed by landmines planted around their villages by both the KNLA and the joint force of Burmese and DKBA troops.

A KRC representative said that a pregnant Karen refugee stepped on a landmine last week when she returned to check on her buffalo that remained in her village, causing serious injuring.

The DKBA and Burmese troops seized the headquarters of KNLA Brigade 7 in June 2009. The joint force unsuccessfully attempted to overrun KNLA Brigade 5 areas in Papun District in northern Karen State in September 2009.

Meanwhile, the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), a relief group operating in Karen State, reported on Jan. 21 that about 2,000 Karen refugees including women and children were displaced from 10 villages in Nyaunlebin District in Pegu Division on Jan. 17. The refugees face insufficient food, medical care and other basic necessities.