Burmese refugee woman died after witnessing Thai security force’s brutality

DVB ( 14 November 2003 )

A Burmese refugee woman, Ma Pearl died from heart attack on 8 November after witnessing the Thai security force’s brutality on her husband, Ko Naing at Htam Hin refugee camp in Ratchaburi Province of Thailand.

The husband of the victim was beaten up by drunken Thai security soldiers after he was accused of supplying news about the condition of the camp by hand phones.

The more he denied that he knows nothing about the matter, the more severely he was beaten up. Other people were also beaten up by the soldiers.

The victims are ex-members of All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF).

Whenever the camp was in the news, the soldiers came to beat up students for supplying news to the outside world.

There are about 70 Burmese students with other Karen refugees in the camp. During recent APEC meeting in Bangkok, the Thai security force restricted the refugees’ activities.

The condition of the camp is said to be dire and squalid, according to guests who visited the camp recently.