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Karenni call for an investigation on cases committed by the Thai Interior Ministry’s Volunteer Defense Corps in a Karenni Refugee Camp
Below is a letter written by Camp residents at Karenni Refugee Camp #1, Mae Hong Son Province:
To: Thai National Human Rights Commission
Subject: Call for justice and investigation on cases committed by Orsors in Karenni Refugee Camp#1
There was a confrontation that has resulted in the death of a young Karenni refugee student on December 15 [2007] between residents of Karenni refugee camp#1 and the Thai Interior Ministry’s Volunteer Defense Corps also known as the Orsors while the camp students were celebrating the second night of their annual students’ game concert.
Prior to this incident, on December 14, [2007] a group of the Orsors gathered at the game ground, surrounded and punched two young men without reason. The young men were simply watching the show and listen to the music. The Orsors hit them with knuckle-duster/brass knuckles and kicked badly causing them to have several stitches for their bruised head’s at a camp clinic. Despite this attack, the camp residents were tolerant and pardoned the Orsors for their abuses.
In order to continue the second night of the game peacefully, without further interference by Orsors, refugee camp committee consulted with the Orsors and had reached an agreement that the Orsors would not go to the game ground. They were instead to stay at their bases. So on December 15th, [2007] while the Orsors didn’t show up at the game ground, they waited on the way to the game ground, stopping and accosting all young people headed for the game. The Orsors checked the young refugee’s bodies, embarrassing the crowd on their way to the concert.
Previously, with authority given to them, the Orsors had inhumanely treated the camp population many times, lawlessly and sexually embarrassed or abused the girls in camp. Furthermore, the flouting of the camp residents’ cultural practices and traditional beliefs by Orsors was the utmost worsening act that advanced the negative sentiment of the camp population towards the Orsors. These cases that occurred in camp were reported to the supervisor of the Orsors, but measures of legal action were never effectively taken against the abusers. Instead, the one who is commanding the Orsors encourages his men to carry out more action against the camp residents.
The camp residents have endured maltreatment by the Orsors from time to time, but finally a live camp resident being gunned down by the Orsors was the end of tolerance and has stirred up the anger of the youths not to accept the Orsors’ presence in camp.
We, therefore, would like to submit a call for investigation on the incident that occurred in December 2007 and previous cases committed by the Orsors to both the Thai National Human Rights Commission and the International Human Right protectors/organizations to put pressure on authorities to take legal action against abusers according to human right protocol norms. Further, so that the camp population could be able to live with dignity as human beings we also call for help to protect the camp population by affixing our signatures.
Camp residents
Karenni Refugee Camp#1
Mae Hong Son Province
[Source: Karenni Refugee Camp #1] |
