US rights group condemns rebel fighting in Burma
A US-based rights group on Saturday condemned fresh ethnic fighting in military-run Burma and urged neighboring Thailand to protect hundreds of refugees fleeing the violence.
Human Rights Watch urged Burma to end the latest fighting near the Thai border between a pro-junta militia and the Karen National Union (KNU), the largest rebel group fighting the country's armed forces for autonomy.Burma's military and the pro-government militia seized key ethnic Karen rebel bases this week after days of fierce fighting, which forced some 300 people to cross into the kingdom, Thai officials said. "Burma's military government should end joint military attacks, carried out with ethnic Karen militias, on civilians" in the eastern Karen State, the rights group said in a statement. The US group also called on Thailand to protect all the refugees fleeing the military attacks. "The international community needs to keep a close watch on the situation, encourage Thailand to protect the refugees, and find ways of providing assistance themselves," it said. But a senior Thai border official said Thursday most of the fleeing civilians had returned to Burma as the violence ended on Wednesday. Burma, under military rule since 1962, has signed ceasefires with 17 other ethnic armed groups. But the KNU, based in eastern Burma, is one of the few remaining ethnic insurgent groups yet to sign a peace deal with the junta. Up to 150,000 Karen refugees already live in camps along Thailand's border with Burma. Many of them have been there for more than 20 years. Agence France-Presse
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