Stramash Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Monday, June 22, 2009 A joint force of Burmese army troops and soldiers of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) seized the headquarters of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade 7 on Sunday, its most important victory in a weeks-long offensive in the Burmese-Thai border area, As fighting raged, Karen sources said the Thai authorities are forcibly repatriating refugees who had fled to Thailand. The fall of the brigade headquarters of the Karen National Union (KNU) military wing was confirmed by Maj Hla Ngwe, joint secretary (1) of the KNU, who said KNLA forces would now resort to ?guerrilla tactics.? only one KNLA Brigade 7 base remained intact, he said. Hla Ngwe said seven soldiers of the attacking force had died when the assault on the Brigade 7 headquarters began on June 19. KNU sources say the KNLA?s Brigade 7 has also lost three battalion bases?21, 22 and 101. Half of the battalion 202 base has also been taken. Hla Ngwe said the loss of the KNLA Brigade 7 headquarters could have an effect on the work of Burmese opposition organizations based in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. About 4,000 Karen refugees have fled to Thailand since the offensive began in the first week of June. Many are being forced by the Thai authorities to return to Burma, according to local sources. The Karen Women Organization (KWO) issued a statement on Monday saying it was deeply concerned about the repatriation of Karen families from Tha Song Yang in Thailand?s Tak Province, and appealing for international action to help the refugees. Aid groups, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Thai authorities are now discussing the problem. KWO Secretary Dah Eh Kler said: ?Thai authorities should at least wait and assess the situation. Forcing these people to return during the rainy season and to places where they still have every reason to fear for their lives is inhuman and a violation of their rights.? The KWO said the repatriated Karen faced human rights abuses and even death. ?Women are vulnerable to rape if they are forced to return,? said the KWO statement, drawing attention to the rape and murder last week of two young Karen women by Burmese soldiers. The two women, aged 17 and 18, were caught by Burmese army soldiers in Kwee Law Plo village in Pa-an district when their husbands fled into the jungle. The soldiers, from Infantry Battalion 205, raped and then murdered the women, one of whom was pregnant and the other was the mother of a six-months-old baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIA_Andie Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've been to Karen Refugee and Burmese Refugee and a few Hill Tribes villages this year and heard some sad story about Burmese and Karen ppl and right now i'm just 15 mins to Thai-Burma border!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oo.Cloud.oO Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've been to Karen Refugee and Burmese Refugee and a few Hill Tribes villages this year and heard some sad story about Burmese and Karen ppl and right now i'm just 15 mins to Thai-Burma border!!! bring me back something special ^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIA_Andie Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've been to Karen Refugee and Burmese Refugee and a few Hill Tribes villages this year and heard some sad story about Burmese and Karen ppl and right now i'm just 15 mins to Thai-Burma border!!! bring me back something special ^^ like what? bullet from Burmese Soldier that shoot from Burma to Thailand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stramash Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've been to Karen Refugee and Burmese Refugee and a few Hill Tribes villages this year and heard some sad story about Burmese and Karen ppl and right now i'm just 15 mins to Thai-Burma border!!! bring me back something special ^^ like what? bullet from Burmese Soldier that shoot from Burmese to Thailand? touche!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oo.Cloud.oO Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've been to Karen Refugee and Burmese Refugee and a few Hill Tribes villages this year and heard some sad story about Burmese and Karen ppl and right now i'm just 15 mins to Thai-Burma border!!! bring me back something special ^^ like what? bullet from Burmese Soldier that shoot from Burmese to Thailand? touche!!!! that would be an excellent souvenir babe hook me up! i was thinkin more on the ....... nevermind actually a bullet would be great :wink: :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maidai Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Thailand needs to support our ethnic cousins the Shan, so they can overthrough the oppressive gov. of Burma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juddie Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 Thailand needs to support our ethnic cousins the Shan, so they can overthrough the oppressive gov. of Burma. Thailand will never support the Burmese ethnic groups that oppose the SPDC because they are afraid of pissing off the Burmese generals. 25% of electricity in Thailand comes from Burma. Chiangmai would be in darkness if it wasnt for Burma. Also the influx of migrant workers across the border props up the Thai manufacturing industry in Mae Sot where 100s of Thai owned factories have relocated recently because as the workers are illegal they dont have to be paid the minimum wage. Couple that with the hang-ups of a 250yr old invasion Thailand will never do anything to get rid of the SPDC and bring about democracy. Its a shame that Thailand cant see past the end of their own electricity supply to realise that a free and democractic Burma would be a far more lucrative trading partner than the current Junta, but maybe they are afaid that an opened up Burma would kick its arse in the tourism trade?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce551 Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 Thailand imports about 20% of the natural gas it uses from Burma, not electricity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juddie Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 Thailand imports about 20% of the natural gas it uses from Burma, not electricity. You are right but the gas is used to produce the electricity. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3986 Also, with the building of Hydro-electric dams the power will come direct from Burma pretty soon, flooding large areas of Burmese ethnic states leaving many people homeless, without land to grow rice and no compensation. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=6755 http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2006-07/2006-07-11-voa10.cfm?CFID=238140482&CFTOKEN=99335001&jsessionid=88304acb29c9b9292e321620113a205b5552 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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