Thailand to shut down refugee camps holding over 100,000 Burmese

2011-04-12 07:18:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

BANGKOK, THAILAND (BNO NEWS) -- The government of Thailand on Monday announced that it is planning on shutting down all refugee camps along its western border, where over 100,000 Burma (Myanmar) refugees are housed, officials said.

Thawil Pliensri, Thailand's National Security Council Chief, made the announcement, saying it had been discussed with the agency during Monday's meeting, which was chaired by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The decision was made as Burma has now installed a constitutional government after decades of conflicts between the military and ethnic minority rebels in Burma.

Through its refugee camps in Tak, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces, Thailand has provided shelter for about 140,000 Burmese refugees, most of them from strife-torn villages in the country's eastern region.

Thawil told the Bangkok Post that most of the refugees have been in Thailand for over 20 years, adding that the closure of the camps did not have a fixed date, noting that the plan was already in talks with the Burmese government.

However, United Nations Relief Agency spokeswoman Kitty McKinsey said in Bangkok that it was too soon to send the refugees back to Burma, noting that refugees should not be forced back into a country that remains dangerous.

"We do understand that they don't want the refugees to stay here forever," McKinsey said, regarding the Thai government, but underlined that "what we would really like to see is that the returns are done in safety and dignity, and they absolutely have to be voluntary."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-04-12

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