Police arrest 200 illegal Myanmar workers in Mae Sot

TAK, Aug 6 (TNA) – Thai police have arrested about 200 illegal Myanmar
workers in this Thai-Myanmar border province ahead of this week's US
presidential visit to Thailand.

The illegal workers are mainly young people, thought to be Myanmar
students, who have come to Thailand to try to meet President George W.
Bush and his wife Mrs. Laura Bush in their move to free Myanmar democracy
advocate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest in her homeland
for 12 of the last 18 years, since her party won the country's elections
in 1990.

On Thursday Mr. Bush is scheduled to visit the Mae La refugee camp, the
largest concentration of refugees in Thailand and the Mae Tao Clinic of
Dr. Cynthia Maung, which provides free health care for refugees in Tak.

The United Nations reports Mae La as having a population of somewhat over
35,000 persons, while the Burma Border Consortium, an
umbrella-organisation, says there are about 38,000 persons being fed
daily.

Mr. Bush headed first to South Korea and then will visit Thailand, before
proceeding to the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony on Friday. The US
president has rejected repeated calls by activists to boycott the Games
over human rights concerns, but is on record as saying he is attending the
Olympics as a sports enthusiast. (TNA)