DEATH OF KARENNI REFUGEE HIGHLIGHTS UNDERLYING CAMP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHIANG MAI 000002 SIPDIS SIPDIS PACOM FOR FPA STATE FOR EAP/MLS, DRL, PRM/ANE AND IO E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREF PHUM MOPS BM TH SUBJECT: DEATH OF KARENNI REFUGEE HIGHLIGHTS UNDERLYING CAMP TENSIONS CHIANG MAI 00000002 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Alex Barrasso, Chief, Pol/Econ, Chiang Mai. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) The December 15 shooting death of a Karenni refugee at Ban Nai Soi Camp highlights underlying, on-going tensions in the camp between residents and Thai security officials, according to the camp commander and Thai National Intelligence Agency contacts. Though the camp commander has been transferred to an "inactive" post, calls for an independent investigation continue, and measures taken to restore calm are likely to fall short of addressing the root causes of long-standing grievances of camp residents. End Summary. -------------- WHAT HAPPENED? -------------- ¶2. (C) According to the Mae Hong Son Provincial Thai National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Chief, on December 14, two Karenni refugees participating in sporting events at Ban Nai Soi Camp in Mae Hong Son Province (one of whom was reportedly carrying a sword) were arrested. Following reports that camp security officials physically abused the two while in detention, several hundred refugees, some of whom were throwing stones, attacked the camp's command post. Camp security officials fired shots, killing one 17-year old refugee, though the NIA claimed most of the shots were fired into the air. Subsequently, camp security officials fled the area, and the refugees destroyed the command post and several vehicles those officials used to patrol the camp. Calm was only restored when control of the camp was turned over to the military and the camp was temporarily closed. ¶3. (SBU) This account is not entirely consistent with press reports. According to an article in the Bangkok Post, the confrontation broke out because camp officials insisted on "tightly inspecting" participants in the sporting activities, and "interfering" with those activities. The organizers of the competition subsequently asked the security officials to leave them alone, which they refused to do, resulting in the confrontation. According to the same article, the Mae Hong Son Provincial Governor transferred Camp Commander Wachira Chotisosseranee to an "inactive" post pending an investigation. Meanwhile, the Burma Lawyers' Council (an NGO that promotes the rule of law) and Karenni organizations have called for a thorough and fair investigation into the incident. -------------- WHY DOES IT MATTER? -------------- ¶4. (C) Regardless of how events played out, both the NIA Chief and Camp Commander Wachira agree that the clash that ensued is the result of underlying unresolved tensions between camp residents and security officials. (Note: Wachira participated in the International Visitor Program in 2004. End Note.) NIA Chief Prasert Osathaphan told us that one source of tension is the corrupt practice of some camp security officials, who provide firewood to some camp residents in exchange for money, whereas residents who cannot pay use the less preferred charcoal distributed by relief agencies. Prasert asserted that camp security officials also limit the merchandise available to camp residents by allowing certain venders to sell their wares in the camp in exchange for a 500 Baht monthly (approximately USD 15) payment. Wachira highlighted other factors that contribute to tensions in the camp, including that camp officials do not allow rations to be siphoned off to the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP - roughly the Karenni equivalent of the Karen National Union),as they were in the past. He also pointed to inconsistent camp access procedures implemented by security officials, and other corrupt practices such as illegal logging as sources of tension. -------------- NEXT STEPS -------------- ¶5. (C) According to a report by Mae Hong Son District officials provided to Embassy Bangkok by NGO contacts, the Mae Hong Son Governor met on December 16 with relevant military, police and CHIANG MAI 00000002 002.2 OF 002 district security officials to discuss the incident. Steps agreed upon at that meeting include: the creation of an inter-agency committee to include the Camp Commander, UNHCR, village leaders, district security officials, and refugees that will meet monthly to call the authorities' attention to corrupt camp security officials; the drafting of a code of conduct for camp security officials that takes Karenni culture into account; and the rotation out of current camp security officials, with their replacements to be accompanied by soldiers from the Thai Army until the situation calms down. According to NIA Chief Prasert, the assembled group also agreed to ask the Ministry of Justice to look into both the killing of the refugee and the subsequent damage to the camp command post and vehicles, and to have the inter-agency committee assigned to report on corrupt security officials conduct its own investigation into the incident. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) Though the steps agreed upon at the December 16 meeting will probably prevent unrest in the camp for the near future, they fail to address the root cause of tensions in the camp, which highlight the plight of Burmese refugees in Thailand. These refugees are neither able to return to Burma nor to integrate fully into Thai society. They generally cannot pursue either educational or employment opportunities outside the camps. Until a durable solution can be found that allows these refugees to lead normal lives and make ends meet on their own, relations between Thai authorities and Burmese refugees will remain strained at best. We will continue to press the Thai Government to proactively develop and implement long-term solutions that address both the needs of these refugees and the challenges of integrating them into Thai society. ¶7. (C) Some fall-out in the third-country resettlement program has occurred as a result of this incident. According to UNHCR, the Ministry of Interior has denied permission for an Australian mission to visit the camp where the violence took place (otherwise known as Site 1) in January as a way of "punishing" the refugees by removing the only durable solution available to them. RefCoord will meet with senior MOI officials on January 8 to discuss the US's own plans for a large scale resettlement program from the four Karenni camps in Mae Hong Son province, a program which we anticipate will begin in early FY09. A joint Embassy-IOM-UNHCR-OPE mission to the camps to begin planning is scheduled for mid-February. End Comment. ¶8. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassies Bangkok and Rangoon. MORROW