The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will soon be allowed access to Burmese refugee camps on the Thai border for the first time, international aid workers say.
The UNHCR's permanent presence - coming after growing concern that thousands of refugees might be sent back across the border - is widely seen as giving much greater security to the 120,000 or so people in the camps.
But the Thai Interior Ministry yesterday renewed its threat to forcibly repatriate 10,000 ethnic Karen refugees to Burma if they continued to refuse to move to a new camp deeper inside Thailand.
Bangkok said the move was to protect the refugees from cross-border attacks and stop them illegally logging in a national park.
Thailand has until now refused to let the UNHCR play any direct role in the many camps dotted along the border for fear of creating a permanent refugee presence.
The Thais refuse even to use the word refugees, calling them 'displaced persons'.
Hardliners in the Thai military as well as political and business interests keen to pander to Rangoon's regime have voiced increasing unhappiness about playing host to so many people.