The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT
intervention in the following situation in Thailand.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Asian
Human Rights Commission, a member of the OMCT network, of the arrest,
detention and risk of deportation of eleven Burmese activists in
Thailand.

According to the information received, on June 26th, 2003, police
from Phasi Caroen station arrested eleven Burmese activists in
Bangkok, Thailand. The activists were charged with illegal entry into
Thailand and are now being detained at the Immigration Detention
Center.

The activists, who included columnist and key member of the
Democratic Federation of Burma (DFB), Soe Muhem, were arrested for
distributing leaflets demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. They
were arrested while meeting to plan a protest in front of the Burmese
embassy, scheduled for June 30th. Most of the eleven activists are
Burmese students who have campaigned for democracy and were forced to
flee Burma and seek political asylum. The Burmese activists are all
either refugees, or in the process of seeking asylum at the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR). The eleven detainees
are:

UNHCR recognised refugees: Moe Hein (Male); Zeya Win (Male); Htay
Lwin (Male); Saw Naing Kyaw (Male); Khin Thandar Soe (Female);
Asylum seekers: Khin Maung San (Male); Zaw Min Latt (Male); Soe Thu
Lwin (Male); Kyaw Kyaw (Male); Ko Latt (Male); and Ko Ko Naing
(Male).

According to Phasi Charoen Police Chief, Cchatcharin Swangwong, these
arrests were made in accordance with Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra's policy to "keep order in the country." The Thai
authorities have indicated that the activists may be deported to
Burma, where they face a high risk of being subjected to torture. On
June 26th, Thai language newspapers reported that the National
Security Council (NSC), the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of
Defence and the National Police Office received a warning from the
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Burma's ruling junta,
that Burmese student activists might be planning to raid the Burmese
embassy in Bangkok, kidnap Burmese diplomats and the Minister of the
Interior, or bomb the Bangkok Airport in their campaign to free Aung
San Suu Kyi. Burmese student activists deny these accusations and the
exiled student leader of the All Burma Students' Democratic Front
(ABSDF) says that these false tips are ABSDF's attempt to force a
major crackdown on pro-democracy groups, which have previously been
given refuge in Thailand. There are serious concerns that this case
may mark the beginning of a wider crackdown on Burmese refugees,
notably students and activists, in Thailand.

The International Secretariat of OMCT condemns the arrest of peaceful
Burmese activists in Thailand, and is gravely concerned for the
physical and psychological integrity of the detainees, notably given
the risks of being subjected to torture that they face should they be
deported to Burma. OMCT calls on the Thai government to order their
immediate release in the absence of legal charges that are consistent
with international law and standards, or, if such charges exist,
bring them before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee
their procedural rights at all times. OMCT further urges the Thai
authorities to ensure that the activists are not deported to Burma.

Background Information

In the last year, Prime Minister Thaksin has adopted a policy
imposing restrictions on the activities of pro-democracy and human
rights groups working on Burmese issues. A security directive adopted
on July 4th, 2002, banned pro-democracy and human rights groups
working on the situation in Burma, reportedly in order to mend
relations with the ruling SPDC. The Thai government is thought to be
showing a lack of support for anti-SPDC groups, in an attempt to
secure and further its economic interests in Burma. In the last year,
pro-democracy groups, dissident groups, and Thai and foreign NGOs
working on the Thai Burma border have been under surveillance and
faced harassment and raids by security and law enforcement agents,
with some of them having closed or halted their activities out of
fear of arrest and deportations.

Army spokesman Colonel Somkhuan Saenpattaranate announced that "the
Thai government and the army would not allow any foreign groups or
national to use our territory
to launch military raids or conduct unfriendly activities against
neighbouring countries. Their misadventure could seriously effect our
national security and relations with
neighbours." Additionally, NSC Secretary General, General Winai
Phattiyakhul has said that Thailand would no longer shelter and
resettle refugees fleeing political conflicts.

Action requested

Please write to the authorities in Thailand urging them to:

i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and
psychological integrity of the afore-mentioned 11 detained Burmese
political activists and refugees, and
ensure that they are not deported to Burma, where they face a high
risk of being subjected to torture;
ii. order their immediate release in the absence of legal charges
that are consistent with international law and standards, or, if such
charges exist, bring them before
an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee their procedural
rights at all times;
iii. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental
freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and
international human rights
standards.

Addresses

· Mr. Chinnawat THAKSIN, Prime Minister, Govemment House, Pitsanulok
Road, Dusit District, Bangkok 10300 / Thailand, Email:
govspkman@mozart.inet.co.th ,
Faxes: + 66 2 280 1443 / 2 282 8631

· HE Purachai Piumsombun, Minister of Interior, Ministry of Interior,
Thanon Atsadang, Bangkok 10200, THAILAND, Fax: +662 226-4371, Email:
webteam@moi.go.th

· Prof. Saneh Chamrik, Chairperson, The National Human Rights
Commission, 422 Phya Thai Road, Pathumwan District, Bangkok 10330,
THAILAND, Fax: +66 2
219 2940, E-mail: commission@nhrc.th

· Ambassadeur, Mme Laxanachantorn Laohaphan, Rue Gustave Moynier 5,
CH-1202, Genève, Suisse, e-mail : mission.thailand@ties.itu.int, fax:
+4122 715 10 00

Please also write to the embassies of Thailand in your respective
country.

Geneva, July 3rd, 2003

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this
appeal in your reply.

Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT)
8 rue du Vieux-Billard
Case postale 21
CH-1211 Geneve 8
Suisse/Switzerland
Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39
Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29
E-mail : omct@omct.org
http://www.omct.org