The US is urging China to offer temporary protection to ethnic Kachin refugees who have fled conflict in northern Burma and not force them back. Human Rights Watch says China recently forced at least 1,000 Kachin to return to a combat zone and plans to deport 4,000 more. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell on Thursday urged China to abide by its international obligations on treatment of refugees. He told a news conference: “The US believes that refugees should only return home by their own choice and in conditions of safety and dignity.”—AP
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