Thailand reopens access to Mons

Thailand reopens access to Mons

BANGKOK (AFP): The Thai authorities are scheduled to reopen today a frontier access to 6,000 Myanmarese Mon refugees who were forced back into their country by Thai security forces last week, police said.

Blockades between Thai territory and the Holokhani camp will be taken down so that humanitarian groups can get food to the refugees, Mon sources said.

Thai frontier police and army forced the Mon refugees to return to Myanmar by virtually laying siege to their camp in Thailand, where they came in July to escape Myanmarese army repression.

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, protested the Thai action.