Government must halt repatriation of refugees from Burma: relief organisation

The Karen Women Organisation issued a press release Tuesday demanding the government not to forcibly repatriate more than 3,000 Karen refugees, the majority being women and children, who are currently living in Tha Song Yang district, in Tak province.

According to the organisation, The Karen refugees fled from fighting in the Ler Per Her area, located in Burma's Karen State, last june.

The refugees were granted temporary refuge in different locations in Tak province, but the Thai Army has repeatedly pressured the refugees to return home, telling them they needed to return to Burma before February 15th. It was not clear as to why the military pegged the return date to mid-February.

The Nation Feb 3, 2010