08feb10 ncgub: news on migrants & refugees- 8 feb, 2010 (english & burmese)

8/14/2019 08Feb10 NCGUB: News on Migrants & Refugees- 8 Feb, 2010 (English & Burmese)

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NCGUB: News on Migrants & Refugees- 8 February, 2010 (English & Burmese)

************************************************************* HEADLINES

************************************************************* NEWS ON MIGRANTS

Remaining migrant workers urged to go through national verification process

NEWS ON REFUGEES

In Darkness, Karen Refugees Dread Forced Return to Burma

Rights groups appeal to Thailand to halt repatriation of refugees

Some refugees repatriated by Thailand

Thai Govt Responds to Karen Landmine Fears

Thailand Begins Forced Repatriation of Karen RefugeesRefoulement Deferred: Still no durable solution for hosting refugees in Tha Song

Yang District

Karen deportations put on hold

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NEWS ON MIGRANTS

*************************************************************Remaining migrant workers urged to go through national verification process

Monday, 08 February 2010 14:31 S.H.A.N.

Officials from Thailands labor ministry, backed by those who have successfullycompleted the process, again urged migrant workers in Chiangmai to undergo the still

controversial national verification process yesterday.


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Of more than 66,000 registered migrant workers in Chiangmai, 43,782 or roughlytwo-thirds, have submitted their completed national verification forms, said MsPhanthila Kaewboonruang of Chiangmais employment office told around 100workers who attended the seminar at the Chiangmai University.

Out of the said 43,782, 74 have received their passports and 1,182 have beenapproved.

The cost of getting a passport is B 4,000 ($ 124), excluding travel and accommodation,according to the officials:

Visa B 500 Health check B 600 Social Insurance B 1,900 Work permit B 1,000

About half of the participants have applied for passports. The remaining half said theyhad yet to apply, as most of them had fled Burma during the 1996-1998 forcedrelocations of 1,500 villages in Southern and Eastern Shan State. Even before thatwe did not have household registers, let alone ID cards, one participant told SHAN.

The Human Rights Development Foundation (HRDF), that had facilitated the seminar,said it would be sending a 5 point proposal to the Thai Government:

To extend the 28 February 2010 deadline for submission of completednational verification forms

To do away with the broker system To set up Burmas national verification offices where the migrant workers are To launch greater publicity campaign among the workers To allow unregistered workers to register

Chiangmai alone is said to have more than 100,000 unregistered workers. There areeastimatedly more than 2 million migrants from Burma in Thailand.

http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2903:re

maining-migrant-workers-urged-to-go-through-national-verification-process&catid=93:general&Itemid=291

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NEWS ON REFUGEES

************************************************************* In Darkness, Karen Refugees Dread Forced Return to Burma

By ALEX ELLGEE Friday, February 5, 2010

THA SONG YANG, Thailand Last night, under the light of the stars, I guidedmyself through the paddy field toward the flickering flames on the top of the hill.Dashing across a dirt path, I narrowly miss a Thai security bike and arrive at the NohBoe temporary refugee camp.


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Immediately, I am whisked into a flimsy bamboo shelter to avoid the Thai soldiers,who the residents say are always circling the camp on patrol. Quickly, someone lightsa candlea precious commodity in a place with no electricityand various residentstell me of their heartache.

We cant stay here but we dont want to go back, Saw Naing, a camp teacher, saysquietly as we sit on his hut floor.

He explains that all the people in the camp are terrified to go back to Ler Per Her inKaren State because of the landmines that litter the area and the abuse they can expectto receive there from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), an ally of theBurmese junta.

Everyone is afraid of the landmines. Before we left to come here there was so muchfighting, the DKBA has put them everywhere.

The Thai authorities told them that the area has been cleared of landmines, but hedoesnt believe it. He said he suspects the Thais only went to one path that the DKBAsaid they had cleared, and did not inspect other areas.

They need to look over the whole area, not just the places that the DKBA have madefor them, he said.

The roar of an engine goes down the dirt path next to the hut and we quickly move tothe other side of the camp, passing a group of people talking emotionally by a fire.

Theyre going back tomorrow, theyre very worried, they cant sleep, so theyre justtalking about what they will do, one man whispers in my ear.

The Thai authorities had planned to enter the camp this morning and send 30 familiesback to the Ler Per Her area, but so far only 10 people from three families have beenrepatriated amid a growing outcry over the move.

On Thursday, 29 US congressmen wrote a letter to Thai Prime Minister AbhisitVejjajiva requesting that Thailand halt the repatriation of the refugees. In the letter,they said that these refugees will suffer horrific human rights abuses if forced toreturn.

Blooming Night, director of the Karen Womans Organization, told The Irrawaddythat its not clear what the Thai authorities want to do.

Many conflicting things are happening, so we cant believe the Thailand army, shesaid.

One minute they are doing one thing and then after a few minutes they are doinganother thing. We need to put more pressure on the Thai government to make surethat these refugees are not sent back.


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One thing I can confirm now is that three families were forcibly repatriated at 9o'clock this morning and some of the families were split upone husband was leftbehind while his wife was put in a car and sent to Ler Per Her.

The Bangkok Postreported on Friday afternoon that despite protests from human

rights groups, Col Noppadol Watcharajitborworn, commander of ParamilitaryTrooper Taskforce 35, had ordered the repatriation to go ahead as planned.

Thailand has stated that the return of the refugees would be voluntary, but speaking tothe refugees who were due to leave today, most said they felt they had no choice.

Every day, the Thai authorities give us pressure. They come to our homes and tell uswe are not welcome here anymore. They say they already have enough migrantshere, said a Karen refugee in her 60s.

As she speaks, we hear the sound of gunfire across the border. She looks unfazed, but

says that every time she hears the sound, it reminds her of the landmines and the warthat await her if she's forced to return to Burma.

The Thais are like the Burmese regime. All my life I have been on the run and now itfeels like I have to run away from the Thais. Even if I tell them I dont want to goback, they tell us we have to, she said.

She added that the Thai authorities told her the NGOs no longer wanted to give herfood, so she had to leave the camp.

Although no one from the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), whichhandles distribution of food and other basic necessities for refugees on the border, wasavailable for comment, the group has explicitly stated in the past that it will providefood to the refugees whether they are on the Thai side or the Burmese side.

Lighting a traditional Karen pipe, another man said that the Thai authorities also toldhim that he had to leave because foreigners wouldnt give them food any more.

He said he felt as though he had no choice but to leave, saying that to stay within thecamp, enduring Thai pressure, would be unbearable for him and his family. Heexpressed overwhelming sadness at being forced to take his children to the heavily

landmined area.

What can I do if my children are playing with birds and the bird flies into a landminearea? he asked.

I can do nothing. There are so many landmines in that area, if they accidentally stepon one, their lives will be over.

Two huts away, I visited a man in his 30s who had lost both his legs while gatheringfood for his family during the offensive last June that had forced these refugees acrossthe border into Thailand. With five children to feed, the injury has been a huge burden

for him and his wife.


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We are so worried about going back. If we go back, we will have so many problemstrying to find food, especially if we are separated from our friends, who we depend onfor our survival, his wife said.

Almost everyone I spoke to in the camp said they had been forced to work as porters

by the DKBA and were worried that they would have to do so again.

If we are forced to go back, the DKBA might make us be porters again. In my familythere is only me, my wife and my daughter. If I have to work for a long time, then Ihave to leave my family alone in a dangerous area for them to try and survive, saidone refugee.

The only reason the DKBA wants us to go back is because they have no people tohelp them with their business, said another refugee.

In a recent report, the Karen Human Rights Group claimed that the DKBA wants the

refugees to go back to provide labor for logging businesses.

It is highly likely the villagers returning to the Ler Per Her area will be forced towork as unpaid laborers for the DKBA and [the Burmese junta], the report states.

With orders being made to evict the remaining refugees, it appears that Thailand hasignored international pressure again and will repatriate the Karen refugees.

However, with fighting looming across the border and the situation still dangerous,most of the refugees say they dont think they will stay long.

Putting out the candle to end our interview, one resident said: Forcing us back wontsolve the problem. The situation is so terrible under the DKBA we will have to comeback again soon.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17751&page=2

************************************************************* Rights groups appeal to Thailand to halt repatriation of refugees

Friday, 05 February 2010 18:35 Usa Pichai

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) Citing instances of recent land mine explosion victims,several rights groups and US lawmakers have made a fervent appeal to the Thaigovernment to halt repatriation of ethnic Karen refugees, even as some refugeefamilies have begun to return to Burma.

Thai and Karen rights groups held a press conference in Bangkok on Thursday, onthe Thai Third Army s plan to repatriate Karen refugees, who fled fighting in Burma.

Surapong Kongchanteuk, a Human Rights Committee member of the ThailandsLawyers Council said at the press conference that there are several cases of refugeesbeing injured in landmines explosions.

While the Thai Third Army commander had insisted that there is no fighting in the


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area now, where the KNU, DKBA and Burmese Army were active, the fact remainsthat many landmines had been laid, he said.

Blooming Night Zan, Joint Secretary I of KWO said that there were more than fivedeaths or injuries after stepping on landmines, when villagers returned to look after

their farmlands or live stock. They included a 13-year old boy who lost his leg inAugust 2009 and a woman eight months pregnant who lost her left foot in midJanuary 2010.

Three families returned to Burma this morning, according to Surapong. On the appealto stop repatriation there is no clear response from the Thai government even as morerefugees are expected to go back because of pressure from the Thai Army.

The open letter from the group, which will be submitted to Thai Prime MinisterAbhisit Vejjajiva said that on 27 January, Colonel Nopphadol Wathcharajitboworn,Commander- in-Chief of the Scout Department Special Force 35, called a meeting of

the army, United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR), Thai BurmaBorder Committee (TBBC) and leaders of the Karen asylum seekers being hosted atNong Bua village, Tambon Mae Usu, Tha Song Yang district. The meeting soughtways to push back the remaining 1,500-1,600 refugees to Burma safely.

Initially, we urged concerned Thai authorities, including the National SecurityCouncil, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to suspend any action topush back refugees pending genuine participatory and open investigation byauthorities and UNHCR regarding the willingness of the refugees to return to theirhomeland. Also, concrete measures need to be implemented to ensure that refugeesreturn to their homeland safely and with dignity in accordance with requiredinternational standards, the group said in the letter submitted to the Thai premier onFriday.

The Thai military has said that the repatriation shall be voluntary. They also claimthat safeguards have been put in place to ensure safety of the returning refugees incompliance with international standards.

On Thursday, 27 US lawmakers also dispatched a letter to the Prime Minister urgingThailand not to repatriate Karen refugees, with reports saying the operation couldbegin soon.

If forced to return, these refugees will suffer horrific human rights abuses, saidrepresentative Joseph Crowley, a Democrat from New York.

While, the Karen National Union (KNU) also released a statement to reaffirm andmake it clear that it has not given any instruction to members with regard to therepatriation of the refugees and it is not the KNUs position that refugees should berepatriated.

There is no guarantee of safety and security in the areas where the refugees are goingto be repatriated because they are still in the conflict zone. In addition, human rights

abuses, such as attacks on civilians, rape, forced labour, extortion take place dailythroughout the Burmese Army and DKBA-controlled areas, the statement noted.


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http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/3489-rights-groups-appeal-to-thailand-to-halt-repatriation-of-refugees-.html

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Some refugees repatriated by ThailandFriday, 05 February 2010 19:14 Sai Zuan Sai

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) Ignoring appeals from several quarters, three families fromNoe Boe refugee camp in Thar Saung Yan Township, Tak Province, Thailand weresent back to Burma by government authorities today, a Karen Refugee Committeeofficial said.

Notwithstanding appeals and petitions by rights groups and social workers requestingthe Thai government to grant more time to refugees as their homeland continues to beunsafe, Thai officials forcibly repatriated the refugees.

The repatriated today, included seven women and children. They were pushed back toBurma by the Thai Army, a Karen Refugee Committee official said.

Ironically, the husbands of the women are still in the camp.

Though plans suggested repatriation of 30 families of a total of 900 refugees shelteredin Noe Boe temporary refugee camp, only three families were sent back today.

When asked by the UNHCR, the refugees said they were going back to Burma

voluntarily.

UNHCR told them (the Thai authorities) not to send them back if they did not wantto go back. But the Thai authorities insisted on sending them back forcibly, a refugeefrom the camp said.

The villages the refugees come from, are in the areas controlled by ethnic Karenarmed groups, the DKBA and KNLA. Besides, landmines are planted there. Botharmed groups have made it clear through the media that they will not take anyresponsibility for landmine explosions.

At the moment there are no signs of continuation of repatriation from the camp, evenas UNHCR and TBBC negotiate with Thai authorities on the contentious issue.

http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/3490-some-refugees-repatriated-by-thailand.html

************************************************************* Thai Govt Responds to Karen Landmine Fears

By SIMON ROUGHNEEN Friday, February 5, 2010

BANGKOKActing Thai government spokesperson Dr. Panitan Wattanayagorn has

told The Irrawaddy that the Thai authorities have been assured by their Burmese


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counterparts that the areas to which 3,000 Karen refugees are to be repatriated areclear of landmines.

Earlier, while addressing a forum on the Thai Internal Security Act at ChulalongkornUniversity in Bangkok, Dr. Panitan said that the Thai government was assured of the

sincerity of the Burmese junta, saying, We do not look down on our neighbors asothers may do. We have no reason to accuse them of anything wrong.

However, at a press conference held at the National Human Rights Commission in theThai government complex, Karen Women's Organization (KWO) spokespersonBlooming Night Zan refuted the claims, saying that there is ample evidence that thearea to which the refugees will be repatriated is mined. She pointed to injuriessustained by some of the refugees who crossed the border to tend to livestock leftbehind, including a pregnant woman who had her foot blown apart.

Earlier on Friday, both the KWO spokesperson and US embassy spokesperson

Cynthia A. Brown confirmed to The Irrawaddy that three Karen families had alreadybeen repatriated. Ms Brown said that an officer from the US Embassy Refugee andMigration Affairs Office was on the ground at Tha Song Yang on the Thai-Burmeseborder on Friday morning when the forcible repatriation took place.

Originally, 161 Karen were due to be sent back to Burma on Friday, with all therefugees at Tha Song Yang to be deported by Feb. 15. However, according toBlooming Night Zan, the Thai military did not go through with the planneddeportation on Friday due to overnight media reporting.

On Thursday, a group of 27 US legislators, echoing several similar international anddomestic calls, appealed to Thailand against sending the refugees back to Burma. "Ifforced to return, these refugees will suffer horrific human rights abuses," said theAmericans' letter to Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai prime minister.

Outlining the bodies responsible for deciding upon and implementing the repatriation,Dr. Panitan said that the deadline and process [of repatriation] is subject to therelevant agencies responsible for border control and martial law areas, and addedthat the Thai government was happy to proceed based on preliminary reports fromthe military that the refugees were willing to go back to Burma.

Thai officials, however, have denied that anyone would be forced to leave, saying anyrepatriations would be on a voluntary basis. There is no forced repatriation as it's notour policy," Col Noppadol Watcharajitbaworn, the military commander in the Thaiprovince of Tak where the refugees are sheltering, told The Associated Press.

Thailand's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is not involved in thisissue, according to Prof Amara Ponsapich, the chairperson of the commission, as theactivity is being managed by the government and military.

The NHCR chair confirmed in an interview with The Irrawaddy that the body hadraised concerns about the proposed repatriation on Monday, and received a verbal

response from the government that it would look into the issue. The government toldthe NHCR that it was satisfied that the area was free of landmines and that there was


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no prospect of armed conflict between the rebel Karen National Liberation Army andthe pro-junta Democratic Karen Buddhist Army.

Sending refugees back to country of origin against their will and without guaranteesthat they will be safe is contrary to the international human rights and refugee

principle of non-refoulement. However, Dr. Panitan said the process will beundertaken in accordance with international human rights standards and incompliance with Thai law, that is the Immigration Law of 1979."

According to the UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, the refugees are very nervous aboutgoing back to Burma.

When The Irrawaddy put it to Dr. Panitan that there were inconsistencies between theThai authorities' view that the refugees are willing to return, and the reports that theyfeared going back to a heavily-mined area, he pledged that we will look into anydiscrepancy, but added that there is no indication as of now that the policy will

change.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17752

************************************************************* Thailand Begins Forced Repatriation of Karen Refugees

By SAW YAN NAING Friday, February 5, 2010

Three Karen families were forcibly sent back across the border to Burma by Thaiauthorities on Friday morning despite international calls for a halt to the repatriation

due to security concerns.

English-language daily The Bangkok Postreported on Friday that Thailand was todeport the first 161 Karen refugees that day from Tak Province to their villages inKaren State, eastern Burma, as planned.

Three families from Noh Boe camp in Tha Song Yang were sent back to their villagethis morning, said Saw Ta Su Nya, a villager in Noh Boe camp. They didn't want togo back, but they had no choice.

The faces of the villagers were full of sadness, but they did not cry, he told The

Irrawaddy.

Some 3,000 Karen villagers fled into Thailand in June 2009 to avoid the conflictbetween the Karen National Union and a joint Burmese government army -Democratic Karen Buddhist Army force.

All 3,000 refugees are to be sent back to Burma by Feb. 15, according to SurapongKongchantuk, the vice-chair of the Human Rights Subcommittee on Ethnic Minorities,the Stateless, Migrant Workers and Displaced Persons of the Lawyers Council ofThailand.


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The villagerssome of who were already internally displaced personssaid recentlythey did not want to go back to their villages because many landmines had beenplanted in the area.

Karen sources in the camp said that Thai authorities seized telephones belonging to

several camp committee members on Friday because they did not want them to talkwith the press.

The Thai army has claimed that they are simply helping the Karen refugees returnvoluntarily to their homes. However, Karen sources said this is untrue.

The sources, who did not wish to be named, said the Karen villagers were told by theThai authorities to say that they wanted to return home to Burma.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17748

************************************************************* Refoulement Deferred: Still no durable solution for hosting refugees in Tha Song

Yang District

The Thai military appears to have temporarily scaled down plans to repatriate thirty

households from one of three sites for refugees in Thailand's Tha Song Yang District,

Tak Province after being notified that they did not wish to return to Burma. Three

households were nevertheless returned to Burma today, however, and Thai authorities

have not indicated any willingness to allow the other 3,000 refugees to remain in

Thailand beyond the immediate future. Until a durable solution is found for hosting

these refugees, it is highly likely that Thai authorities will again attempt to forciblyrepatriate them. At this juncture, return should not be considered to be voluntary or

spontaneous. The three families that were returned today, and any others repatriated

to Burma, potentially face significant threats to their human rights and security. This

bulletin details events between February 2nd and February 5th 2010. Appendix 1 then

provides full transcripts of four interviews with refugees describing treatment by Thai

soldiers. Appendix 2 then summarises significant threats to human rights and security

that refugees could face should they be forced to return to Pa'an District.

On February 2nd, Karen organisations and humanitarian workers began reporting thaton February 5th Thai military authorities with control of three sites for refugees in

Thailand's Tak province planned to repatriate 30 families that had "volunteered" toreturn to Burma. This was confirmed by refugees, who told KHRG that on February1st Thai soldiers had begun harassing and threatening them up to three times a day,pressuring them to leave. Based upon these reports, KHRG and other organisationsexpressed concern that the initial group of 30 families represented the first group of amuch larger repatriation exercise, which refugees said would be complete by February15th. According to feeding figures from the Thai-Burma Border Consortium (TBBC),3,019 refugees reside at three sites in Tak's Tha Song Yang Disrict: Noh Boe, Oo ThuHta and Mae Salit. These are Karen names for sites commonly referred to by thenames Nong Bua, Mae Oo Hsu and Mae Salit, respectively.

By February 3rd, media had picked up the story, eventually quoting Thai ArmyColonel Noppadol Watcharajitbaworn as confirming that 30 families would be sent


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back, while at the same time telling media that, "There is no forced repatriation as it'snot our policy... The commander of Thailand's Third Army has given assurances that

these refugees are volunteering. We will not force them back if they don't volunteer to

go."

On the same day Col. Noppadol assured international media that any repatriationwould be voluntary, Thai soldiers at the refugees sites in Tha Song Yang Districtcontinued their third day of harassment. Refugees interviewed by KHRG describedsoldiers rounding them up and forcing them to stand in the sun while they re-countedeveryone in the camp. "They cooked us in the sun," Naw T--- told KHRG. "Theychecked each person and each group for an hour [each] ." At the time, a humanitarianworker tasked with providing support for refugees in Tha Song Yang told KHRG thispotentially represented at least marginal progress for the short term; following the re-registration, Thai authorities granted aid workers official permission to feed slightlymore people. Refugees at the sites, however, had a different take on the re-registration:"On February 3rd 2010 Thai soldiers... checked household registrations and the

number of people for providing food. We had to stay under the sun till the evening.They said, 'It will be the last time for you getting food from us. You have to return to

your village, and we will never provide you rations again.'"

Karen organisations, Burmese exile media, overseas advocacy groups and lawmakersfrom the United States responded, meanwhile, insisted that the 30 families selectedfor repatriation, all from the Noe Boh site, would be doing so involuntarily and wouldnot be returning to an area where they would be safe. The Democratic Voice ofBurma (DVB), for instance, quoted one member of the group of 30 families as saying,"Thirty families including mine are to go back on the 5[th of] February. By 15February, all of us will be gone from this camp... This is not voluntary; we are given

no choice but to leave." The Karen Women's Organisation (KWO), meanwhile, issuedan open letter to the Thai government, signed by 75 Burmese and Thai civil societygroups, requesting that the Thai government halt the repatriation process. Accordingto a humanitarian aid worker tasked with providing support to the refugees, onFebruary 4th the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) interviewed 22 of the 30families scheduled to be repatriated. According to this aid worker, not a single one ofthe 22 families interviewed by UNHCR said they wished to return.

By the evening of February 5th, however, aid workers and observers at the Noe Bohsite reported that only three families were confirmed to have left the site, first taken

by trucks to the Moei River, which forms the border between Thailand and Burma,and then taken across the river by boat to the Ler Per Her site for internally displacedpersons (IDPs). Ler Per Her is the IDP site from which approximately one-third of therefugees in Tha Song Yang fled following attacks by a joint force of State Peace andDevelopment Council (SPDC) and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA)soldiers on nearby camps belonging to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)7th Brigade. These sources said that Thai military authorities, including Col.Noppadol, interacted with them in a friendly manner and were in plain clothes. Col.Noppadol also assured aid workers and observers that no forced repatriation wouldoccur, stating that any future repatriation would be voluntary.


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KHRG welcomes the decision by Thai authorities not to repatriate the 30 familiesoriginally scheduled to return today and not to begin to repatriate the whole group of3,000 refugees. However, four important points need to be made:

1. It is highly likely that repatriation occurring in the near future will not be

voluntary or spontaneous, regardless of whether the Thai military asserts otherwise.Similarly, the three families that left Noe Boh for Ler Per Her today did likely did soinvoluntarily. Refugees interviewed by KHRG at the sites in Tha Song Yang havedescribed harassment and threats by Thai soldiers pressuring them to return. Refugeesare understandably worried about their future, and are making decisions aboutwhether to stay or go based upon their experiences with the Thai military. In thesecircumstances, it is not reasonable to conclude that a refugee providing an affirmativeanswer to a Thai soldier inquiring if he or she would like to leave does not do sounder duress. While it is not clear if threats and harassment documented by KHRGwill continue, this pressure will certainly continue to inform refugees' decision-making for the foreseeable future. Indeed, one refugee whose full interview with

KHRG is included in Appendix 1 below said on February 5th: "Now Thai soldiershave ordered me to return to my village... They treat us roughly and don't allow us to

go out from the camp. I'm not happy to stay here because of their actions." Refugeeshave clearly expressed to KHRG that they do not currently wish to return to Pa'anDistrict, or only want to return if their concerns regarding human rights and securityare first addressed. To provide further context for this statement, new interviewsconducted today with refugees in Tha Song Yang are included below as Appendix 1.

2. At least 3,000 refugees are still at three temporary sites in Tha Song Yang District.They remain in a tenuous position: Thai authorities did not repatriate them today, butthey also did not express any willingness for these refugees to remain in Thailand.Until a more durable solution is found for this group of refugees, it remains

highly likely that Thai authorities will again attempt to repatriate them, perhapsin the near future. Observers, particularly UN Agencies, international humanitarianagencies and interested foreign governments should continue to actively monitor thesituation, and communicate to the Thai government that they do not think safe returnis currently possible, and will not view repatriation to be voluntary at this time.

3. Refugees should be included in any discussions regarding repatriation orrelocation to places outside the three current sites in Tha Song Yang District. Failureto include refugees in discussions of repatriation not only risks serious violations of

their human rights upon return, but also future displacement. This argument issupported by testimony from the refugees themselves: when asked what they will doif they are forced to leave right now, almost every single refugee interviewed byKHRG has said that they will attempt to hide in Thailand, or return to Burma onlylong enough to find a new place to live outside their original homes. Internationalactors, particularly those currently involved in negotiations with the Thai military,should actively and sincerely seek to involve refugees in any future discussions ofrepatriation or relocation. Refugees in Tha Song Yang continue to monitor their ownhuman rights and security situations, and they are best able to assess the feasibilityand safety of potential repatriation or relocation. No refugees should be repatriatedagainst their will, and international actors should carefully monitor any repatriation to

ensure that it is genuinely voluntary.


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4. Safe return to Pa'an District does not currently appear possible . Statements bythe Thai military, media and even advocacy groups indicating that the refugees fledprimarily because of active conflict, or would only be in danger in the future becauseof renewed conflict, are potentially misleading. Refugees that fled Dta Greh and LuPleh townships in June did so because of attacks by the SPDC and DKBA on KNLA

7th Brigade camps near Ler Per Her. However, very few refugees interviewed byKHRG have said they fled only because they feared becoming 'collateral damage,'incidental casualties to active conflict between armed groups exchanging fire. Rather,refugees have said that they fled to avoid human rights abuses related to an ongoingconflict, including conscription of soldiers and the use of forced labour to buildmilitary camps, forced porters to carry military supplies, and human minesweepers.Villagers came from a much wider area than the immediate vicinity of the Ler Per HerIDP site, and the threats that initially caused them to flee remain present. Returningrefugees will also remain vulnerable to landmines placed by the SPDC, DKBA andKNLA, and will struggle to meet their basic livelihood needs. For a previouslypublished summary of human rights and security threats faced by returning refugees,

see Appendix 2. As with negotiations regarding potential repatriation and relocation,refugees should be consulted directly when assessments are made regarding safereturn: refugees themselves are the best placed to make decisions about human rightsand security in Pa'an District, and no refugees should be repatriated against their will.

Appendix 1: Interviews with refugees in Tha Song Yang

Interview | Maung T--- (Male, 40), M--- village, Dta Greh Township (Tha Song

Yang new arrival site, February 5th 2010)

1. Do you feel that you can stay here or do you have to leave?

Now Thai soldiers have ordered me to return to my village. They've come to stayaround our refugee camp. They treat us roughly and don't allow us to go out from thecamp. I'm not happy to stay here because of their actions.

2. If you feel that you have to leave, where do you have to go? Why do you think

this?

If I have to return to my village, I won't have any food to eat and also won't have anysecurity. And then it's not easy to find food of areas with landmines. And now,

landmines have been laid in enemy areas including our village. I don't know whoplanted the landmines. Therefore, I dare not return to my village.

3. What have the Thai soldiers said to you about going back? Can you tell me

exactly what they said, when and who said it?

Since February 1st 2010 Thai military soldiers have come to stay around our camp.They don't allow us to go out. We should've got rations at the end of January but theydid not provide us [with rations]. Usually, TBBC provides us rations at the end of themonth. This month we got our rations on February 4th 2010 because of the Thaisoldiers disturbing us. They told us we have to obey them. If we do as we want they

will send us back to our village. But now they haven't sent us to our village yet. Wedon't know when they will send us back to our village.


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4. Do you want to go back?

I don't really want to go back. If the Thai soldiers send me to my village, I will return,but I've decided that I will find another place to live.

Interview | Saw T--- (male, 36), M--- village, Dta Greh Township (Tha SongYang new arrival site, February 5th 2010)


Currently, Thai Soldiers have come to stay around us. We can't go out from the camp.They don't allow us to go out and travel to other places. I have to deal with thissituation, so I'm not happy to stay here. But other people haven't moved to anotherplace yet so I have to try to stay here. Even though I don't want to stay here, I can't doanything on my own.

2. If you feel that you have to leave, where do you have to go? Why do you thinkthis?

Recently, Thai soldiers said that if we return to our village, TBBC will provide usfood for six months. But now we don't hear the Thai soldiers saying anything [aboutTBBC support] to us. We can't return without getting food. There is no food orsecurity in our village. We're also afraid of landmines. It won't be easy for us to findfood if we are returned [to our villages].



On February 3rd 2010 Thai soldiers came to stay in our refugee camp. And around 10o'clock in the morning they gathered people in the camp. Men, women and childrenhad to stay under the sun. They checked household registrations and the number ofpeople for providing food. We had to stay under the sun till the evening. They said, "Itwill be the last time for you getting food from us. You have to return to your village,and we will never provide you rations again."


We've decided that we won't return. If we can't go out from the camp secretly, we'llhave to follow other people to the other side of the river. If I arrive in my village, Iwill stay in my village for a few days. After that I'll have to find a place to live and donew work.

Interview | Naw T--- (female, 50), W--- village, --- Township (Tha Song Yang new

arrival site, February 5th 2010)


I don't want to go back now but the Thai soldiers don't allow me to stay here. I don't

know what I should do. I am hopeless. It depends on other whether they [the otherrefugees] go or stay. We will follow them.


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this?

How can I dare to go back to my village? Landmines often explode [there].Sometimes, the villagers are injured by landmines. Therefore, we have just heard this

news [that the refugees will be returned] and we are already afraid. There is nosecurity and no food for us.



On February 3rd 2010, Thai soldiers called us to meet with them. They cooked us[made us stand] in the sun. They checked each person and each group for an hour. Ittook a long time. It didn't finish until 2pm.


I don't want to go back to the village I abandoned. However, during the rainy seasonif I have to live in a refugee camp I will cultivate the fields in my village. If we canraise some crops, it will be good to go back and live in my village, in the summer. Butif I go back now, I won't have any food to eat.

Interview | Naw T--- (female, 55), K---, --- Township (Tha Song Yang new arrival

site, February 5th 2010)


I now suffer the same as when I lived in my village, which was why I came to arefugee camp. Even though it's not a civil war, it's as rough as a civil war. When wecome and live in another country, they can do anything to us. But if they hadsympathy, they wouldn't treat us like this.


this?

I don't have any food in my village. We have no land. We have no security. If I don'tgo back, it will be good for me.



Thai soldiers have come to stay around our camp and tell us different things every dayand night. They always pressure us to go back. But there is no exact informationabout sending us back yet. We just have to wait and listen for the news.


For me, I don't want to go back any more. If I go back, how can I work? I don't dare

travel. There is no field to cultivate. It'll be very difficult for me. The work that weusually do is cultivating fields. If we are really forced to go back, I won't go back. If


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they send me back to the other side of the river, I will find a way by myself and comeback to stay in a Karen village in Thailand.

Appendix 2: Refugees forced to leave Tha Song Yang District face substantial

threats to human rights and security

Landmines laid by the DKBA, SPDC and KNLA pose a serious risk toreturning refugees. KHRG has documented five cases of villagers beingkilled or wounded in the Ler Per Her area since June 2009, including a 13-year-old boy and a woman in her third trimester of pregnancy. The most recentlandmine injury occurred on January 18th 2010.

Some returning refugees face credible threats of violent reprisals asalleged supporters of the KNLA. The DKBA has a history of violentlypunishing villagers suspected of supporting the KNLA, and has explicitlywarned some refugees in Tha Song Yang that they should not return toThailand because they will be treated as if they are aligned with the KNLA.

Since June, KHRG has documented the DKBA executing one village headwho it accused of cooperating with the KNLA. Given this history, assurancesfrom DKBA officers that no reprisals will be carried out are not credible orsufficient.

It is highly likely the villagers returning to the Ler Per Her area will beforced to work as unpaid labourers for the DKBA and SPDC.Refugeesthat fled in June and afterwards have repeatedly told KHRG that they fled notonly because of fighting, but because of demands for forced labour inherent inSPDC and DKBA military operations. These demands have continued, andKHRG continues to document the DKBA's use of forced porters and humanminesweepers, as well as labourers building and repairing military camps androads.

Returning refugees will face food shortages. The majority of refugees inTha Song Yang left early in the 2009 rainy season and were not able to tend totheir paddy crops, which should have been harvested in October. They areprimarily subsistence farmers, and this means that they will not be able toproduce another large store of food until October 2010. Most refugees werealso not able to carry large amounts of food or other supplies during flight.Given that it has been seven months since they arrived in Tha Song Yang, it isnot likely that food and other supplies currently remain at their homes, shouldthey be able to return.

DKBA promises to remove landmines are not sufficient to reduce thethreat to civilians. The DKBA has presented no evidence indicating that ithas the capabilities to remove large numbers of landmines, that removal isfeasible or that it has actually begun. Moreover, landmines have also been laidby the SPDC and KNLA. A promise for landmine removal from one group isnot sufficient. No safe return will be possible until removal of landmines laidby all three groups has been verified.

Conflict between the DKBA and KNLA is ongoing. Apparent cordialinterpersonal relations between individual KNLA and DKBA officers

should not be misinterpreted as an indicator of rapprochement between

the two groups. Many individual KNLA and DKBA officers have

relationships, which stem from shared operational areas, economic interestsand connections formed prior to the DKBA's split from the KNLA in 1994.


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Elsewhere in Karen areas, armed conflict between joint SPDC and DKBAforces and the KNLA continues. While fighting in the immediate Ler Per Herarea has decreased substantially since June, fighting has increased elsewhere.North of Dta Greh Township in Papun District, for instance, the DKBA hasbeen attempting to take control of Dweh Loh and Bu Tho townships since the

end of the 2009 rainy season. Though a large-scale offensive predicted bysome observers has not yet materialised, conflict continues; according to aKHRG source in the DKBA, on February 1st 2010 100 soldiers from DKBABrigade #999 left Shwe Gko Gkoh, just north of Myawaddy, to engage KNLA5th Brigade in Papun District.

Footnotes

KHRG has previously reported the number of refugees in Tha Song Yang at morethan 4,000. This figure is based upon research done by KHRG during September 2009,which calculated the total number of refugees to have fled to Thailand from Pa'an

District to be 4,862. See, "Abuse in Pa'an District, Insecurity in Thailand: Thedilemma for new refugees in Tha Song Yang," KHRG, September 2009. KHRG isalso concerned by some assertions that of the 3,019 people officially in the sites, onlyapproximately 1,000 of them should be considered "refugees," while the remaining2,000 are opportunists from Thailand and elsewhere. This directly contradictsinterviews conducted by KHRG, in which villagers from an area much greater than

just the immediate vicinity around Ler Per Her, in both Dta Greh and Lu Plehtownships, have described legitimate human rights and security reasons for fleeing toThailand. It is also worth noting that, regardless of the reasons for fleeing to Thailand,all 3,019 people at the sites in Tha Song Yang will be endangered if they return toPa'an District.

http://khrg.org/khrg2010/khrg10b4.html

************************************************************* Karen deportations put on hold

6/02/2010 at 12:00 AM

The planned deportation of about 1,700 Karen refugees back to Burma yesterday hasbeen shelved temporarily because of mounting domestic and international pressure.

Activists, led by the Friends of Burma and the Karen Women's Organisation (KWO),yesterday submitted a letter of appeal to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva followingan earlier call seeking suspension of the deportation which failed.

They had asked the National Security Council and the ministries of interior andforeign affairs to stop the plan to send the refugees back to Burma.

The 3rd Army had initially said the deportation would take place yesterday. But theplan has been halted for the time being as opposition to the policy has been increasing.

The Karen refugees fled to Thailand last year following a summer military offensive

by the military junta.


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The KWO said the repatriated refugees could be subject to horrific human rightsabuses, including rape, torture and even execution if they were sent home.

Thai human rights activists also said landmines are buried across the border and areturn on foot would be too dangerous for the refugees.

The NGOs said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) mayneed to play a role in ensuring the safe return of the refugees in keeping withinternational standards.

US Congressman Joseph Crowley called on Thailand to halt the deportation of theKaren to the dangerous conflict zone in eastern Burma.

"If this decision isn't reversed, thousands of Burmese refugees will be forced to live ingrave danger," said Mr Crowley who joined 26 fellow congressmen in conveyingtheir concern to Mr Abhisit in a letter dated Feb 4. They warned the deportation

would tarnish Thailand's reputation for helping resettle refugees.

Noppadol Watcharajitbovorn, commander of the 35th Ranger Regiment's task force,yesterday led representatives from the UNHCR, the Thailand Burma BorderConsortium and the American embassy to witness the repatriation of 16 Karenrefugees who returned home on a voluntary basis.

Col Noppadol said the Defence Ministry has told his task force to suspend all furtherrepatriation.

"We have been asked by Bangkok after a request by the US seeking a temporarysuspension. We are also re-evaluating the situation after rights groups voicedconcerns," he said.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/32375/karen-deportations-put-on-hold

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2010-02-05

Shanghai Daily

ChinaEconomic Weekly


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Ruili Fu Fayun

http://www.rfa.org/burmese/news/women_trafficking_to_china_increased-02052010111332.html

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08feb10 ncgub: news on migrants & refugees- 8 feb, 2010 (english & burmese)

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