World Refugee Day marked in Thailand

KANCHANABURI, June 21 (TNA) -- Thailand together with UNHCR organized activities to mark the World Refugee Day at a refugee camp in Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi, on June 20. Sangkhla Buri district chief Pakorn Kannawallee opened the activities at the camp in Ban Ton Yang village. UNHCR protection officer Nami Asaka, local officials, volunteers and about 3,000 refugees participated in the event. There were performances by a chorus of students in the camp and a video presentation on the hope of refugees among other activities. The refugee camp in Ban Ton Yang was set up to receive victims of battles between Myanmar soldiers and ethnic troops in 1997. Parts of the refugees at the camp supervised by the UN Refugee Agency agreed to move to a third-party country. The rest refugees hoped they could return to their homeland as ethnic groups in Myanmar entered peace negotiations and battles with the Myanmar government were declining. The United Nations declared June 20 the World Refugee Day in 2001. There are nine refugee camps in Thailand, accommodating more than 100,000 people. All refugees there came from Myanmar. (TNA)