US Official Raises Concern over Burmese Refugees

By SAW YAN NAING Friday, June 11, 2010
Source: Irrawaddy

A senior US official said on Thursday that he is concerned about the plight of about 140,000 Burmese refugees on the Thai-Burmese border who cannot return home for the general election this year.

Eric Schwartz, the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, made the comment in Bangkok before visiting Mae La, the largest Burmese refugee camp, in Thailand's Tak Province on Friday.

Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Eric Schwartz attended the opening of a school in a Palestinian Refugee Camp last year in Zarqa, Jordan. (Photo: Getty Images)

Schwartz raised his concerns over Burmese refugees at a press briefing in Bangkok, saying, “I'm particularly concerned about the continued situation of vulnerable Burmese in Thailand, about 140,000 of whom are in camps in the border area.”

There are nine Burmese refugees camp located along the Thai-Burmese border. Most of the refugees are ethnic Karen who fled from their villages in Karen State due to six decades of oppression by Burmese government troops. Thousands of ethnic Karen villagers are also living as internally displaced persons in the jungle, mostly in Karen State.

Schwartz was on an official trip to the region and is visiting Australia, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand from June 7 to 18.

According to the US embassy in Bangkok, the official will observe the current conditions at Mae La refugee camp and will meet with some Burmese opposition groups based in Mae Sot.

Htun Htun, the chairman of Mae La refugee camp, said, “He [Schwartz] came to observe the camp. He asked us about the current situation in the camp and what he could do to help. We explained to him about the severe cases of dengue fever and diarrhea that we have at the camp.”

Schwartz also plans to meet with some Burmese opposition groups, including the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and the Forum for Democracy in Burma, according to sources in Mae Sot.

Schwartz said the continued repression of political opponents and restrictions on the electoral process to date suggest Burma's election will lack international legitimacy.

The Burmese regime will hold elections this year but a specific date has not been announced.

On May 9, Kurt Campbell, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said, “We are troubled by much of what we've seen, and we have very real concerns about the [Burmese] election laws and the environment that has been created, and we will be looking to clarify some questions, and also to urge the [Burmese] government to broaden its overall approach.

“We also have some specific concerns associated with political prisoners, the status of ethnic groups inside the country, and of course, we have some larger proliferation concerns as well,” said Campbell who met twice with detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon.

“We are disappointed with the results we've seen to date, and I look forward to further discussions,” he added.