THAI-BURMESE BORDER: Activists on illegal-entry charges

Published on Aug 21, 2002

Police yesterday arrested more than 30 Burmese activists in the border district of Sangkhlaburi, charging them with illegal entry, amid attempts by the Thai government to get border checkpoints reopened.

At about 9.30am, police from Sangkhlaburi police station raided several houses in the district where the Burmese dissidents live and work to promote democracy in their home country.

The dissidents are members of Thailand-based pro-democracy organisations, including the National League for Democracy (Liberated Area), the All Burmese Students' Democratic Front, the Democratic Party for a New Society, and the People's Democratic Front.

Members of ethnic rebel organisations, the Karen National Union and the Mon Youth Progressive Organisation, were also arrested.

They are being detained at the station for questioning and will be deported to Burma in two days, said Sangkhlaburi police chief Colonel Vorachart Noppakhun.

Burmese dissidents in Thailand said they believed the crackdown was a move to appease the junta in a bid to get the border reopened after a closure of three months.

Meanwhile, activists working to protect the rights of ethnic Burmese in Chiang Mai have closed their office to avoid raids by the authorities.

The Shan Women's Action Network and the Shan Human Rights Foundation said they had learned that the authorities would raid offices of people working for human rights.

Vorachart, however, said the crackdown was a routine task for his station since the border district of Sangkhlaburi - where it connects to Burma at the Three Pagodas checkpoint - is a home of illegal migrants.

"This is nothing relating to politics between Thailand and Burma. We don't care who they are, but illegal migrants are arrested in accordance with Thai laws," he told The Nation via telephone.

The Burmese Embassy has shown a strong interest in the arrests, checking with Thai police in the district if the detainees are members the opposition National League for Democracy, said an official at the police station.

Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai yesterday said his Burmese counterpart Win Aung would reply today on whether a meeting to reopen border checkpoints could take place by early next month.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee,

Pennapa Hongthong

THE NATION

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