Thailand decided on Friday to halt the repatriation of more than 3,000 ethnic Karens to Burma following protests by human rights groups and US lawmakers who said they were being forced to return against their will.
Foreign Ministry's deputy spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said "there is some concern, we have decided to halt the process until the Karens clarify their position. We want to dispel any concerns that their return would not be on a voluntary basis."
Earlier Friday, 12 Karens in three families voluntarily returned to Burma before the process was stopped, Thani said. Embassies and civil society groups sent representatives to the Thai-Burmese border to observe the procedure, he said.
Twenty seven US lawmakers on Thursday implored Thailand not to deport thousands of ethnic Karen villagers back to Burma, saying they were at grave risk of human rights abuses.
US lawmakers sent a letter to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva urging Thailand not to repatriate the Karen, with reports saying the operation could begin imminently.
"If forced to return, these refugees will suffer horrific human rights abuses," said the letter led by Representative Joseph Crowley, a Democrat from New York.
"They will undoubtedly be subject to forced labor, executions, torture and mutilations, forced recruitment as soldiers, including child soldiers, and theft and extortion, making their survival very difficult," he said.
While praising Thailand for taking on the burden of settling tens of thousands of refugees, the lawmakers warned of repercussions for forced repatriation.
"Historically, Thailand has developed a reputation as a country that provides refuge to those fleeing serious persecution, but actions like this will undermine and tarnish this reputation," the letter said.
Source: The Nation
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