Mungpi: Tension and fear grip the exiled Burmese journalists in Thailand as the Thai government starts relocating Burmese nationals, who are recognized as Persons of Concern (POC) by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to put in camps along the border with Burma.

While some Burmese journalists, still living in the urban areas of Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Mae Sot, run the risk of being arrested and deported by the Thai authorities, some have given up their career to go to the camps, said a Burmese journalist working for an Internet-based Burma media organization in Chiang Mai.

They include those who have been interviewed for third country resettlement by the US Embassy. Thai authorities have announced that no POC will be allowed exit permit unless they are in the camps.

Some Burmese journalists see the Thai move to contain POCs as an effort to crush Thailand-based Burmese media by stopping them from reporting.

However, differing with the view, the Chiang Mai- based Burmese journalist said he did not think the move as being specifically aimed against the Burmese media. But, it certainly affected the Thailand-based Burmese media, he observed.

“Many of us are struggling to continue our profession by coping with this problem in our own ways”, he added.

According to a report in the April 1 edition of Bangkok Post, more than 830 POC have gone to the border camps, but more than 270 others have not reported till the March 31 deadline, set by the Thai Government.

Those who refused to go to camps re virtually on the run by shifting homes frequently to avoid detection by the Thai authorities.

However, so far there are no reports about any Burmese journalist being arrested or deported back to Burma.

Some Burmese journalists, ho wanted to continue with their profession, had reportedly sought permission from the UNHCR to allow them to stay outside the camps, since it was not possible to carry on reporting from there. But their requests were turned down and they were asked to report to avoid arrest and deportation.

The Thai authorities have restricted the use of computers or mobile phones inside the camps.

Several exiled Burmese journalists are at present working in Thailand. While some of them are with Internet-based Burmese news organizations, some others string for overseas Burmese radio stations such as BBC, VOA, Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB).