Hmong camps in Phetchabun torched

Refugees at the camp - which houses about 8,000 ethnicHmong from Laos - set fire to their homes, an official with a foreign aid group said.

The refugees were now seated in the open watched by a contingent of Thai troops. The scene was peaceful but could erupt.

There have been reports, unconfirmed at present, that the Thai military plans to truck about 2,000 of the refugees back to Laos Friday or Saturday.

Aid workers at the camp fear this could set off mass violence, as most refugees did not want to return to Laos and there was now no fence to contain them, the aid worker said.

"Tension has been high at the camp all week," said the official, who preferred not to be named.

Some refugees staged a hunger strike over punishment meted out to one man said to have leaked false information to the media.

"It is possible they wanted to get the attention ofthe UN," he said, referring to the visit of Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who is in Burma (and due to return to Thailand Friday night) dealing with the cyclone disaster.

Thailand and Lao officials have said repeatedly that the Hmong at Phetchabun are "economic" refugees hoping simply to be resettled abroad.

However, the governments' plan to repatriate them this year has been opposed by aid groups and Hmong in theUS, who say many are genuine refugees at risk of persecution if sent back.