returned Thursday, May 19, to their boarding school run by human rights group Christian Freedom International (CFI), its president said.
"God answered our prayers," said CFI President Jim Jacobson in a statement to BosNewsLife News Center. "As of today, all of our Karenni students are back at Christian Freedom International Vocational School" in Mae Sot, Thailand. It is believed that the driver who attempted to bring them to the school was also free.
Jacobson said all of those detained were "Karenni orphan students" who had spent their summer break in various refugee camps to see friends and existing relatives.
THOUSANDS FLEE
The Karen people of Burma are a predominantly Christian ethnic minority group who CFI and other groups say are being persecuted for their faith. "Many thousands have fled to refugee camps along the Burma/Thailand border [as] they are under the constant attack of the brutal military regime in power in Burma…" CFI said in an earlier statement.
"While attempting to bring our Karenni students out of the camps in Mae Hong Song Province [to the school] the truck developed a flat tire near a Thai police check point. All the Karenni kids and our driver were arrested," Jacobson said. Under Thai law it is allowed for refugee students to be at the CFI school, "but transporting them to the school from a refugee camp is "prohibited"…sometimes," Jacobson claimed.
"During their ordeal our Karenni students were very scared, cried, and prayed a lot" for their
release he added. "They are so very thankful to be back at school. May God bless the Karenni orphans as they continue to go through so many things that most people in the Free World never realize," he added. Thai officials had no comments about the detention. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from Thailand)
