Fukuoka court admits man from Myanmar ethnic minority as refugee+

FUKUOKA, March 8 Kyodo -
The Fukuoka District Court on Monday accepted the request of a man from Myanmar
to be granted refugee status as he fears persecution if he returns to the
junta-controlled country, nullifying a state decision not to grant him refugee
status.
Presiding Judge Masaya Ota recognized that the 37-year-old man residing in
Tokyo, a member of the Kachin ethnic minority, had been fighting against the
military-controlled government of Myanmar by gathering information and securing
food for the Kachin Independence Army, which is seeking autonomy for the
minority group.
''The military junta may detain him and torture him to obtain information (if
he is deported to the country),'' Ota said.
According to the ruling, the man fled Myanmar fearing arrest by the junta and
entered Japan in July 2004. He applied for refugee status in November 2005 but
his application was turned down.
==Kyodo