Burma, Courier No.248, Dec. 9, 2000

FIRST FOLK FROM MANEELOY WELCOMED IN FINLAND

HELSINKI, Dec 3 (MUL) - A group of sixty former residents of the Maneeloy
Safe Area received a warm welcome when they arrived on a cold November
day in Finland's capital, Mon Unity League representative Cham Toik reports.

The students and their families are the first that Finland has accepted
from the camp. Another forty are expected shortly. Media coverage of the
arrival was extensive and served to heighten awareness of the situation in Burma
and the Maneeloy centre. Denmark, Sweden and Norway have also opened their
doors to provide asylum for those fleeing persecution in Burma.

The new arrivals in Finland have been settled in three smaller cities in
the central part of the country. They face the tough chore of learning a
difficult language and adjusting to a life completely different from
anything they have experienced before, but were said to be in good
spirits and eager to get started. Social workers in the three cities will
assist.

About twenty of the first group to arrive are of Mon nationality,
including one family with six children. Others in the student group are Tavoyan
and Burmese.

U Bo Hla Tint of the NCGUB office in Washington and Harn Yawnghwe, the
NCGUB 's European representative, along with MUL's Cham Toik, assisted with
orientation activities and were able to meet with representative of
Finland 's Foreign Ministry during a week in the country at the beginning of
December.