By CEANA PRIEST - Waikato Times
Arriving as a refugee from Myanmar, Robert Dal feared the New Zealand police – and four years later, he says, he still struggles to express his opinions freely.
His comments come as the first batch of refugees from his home country, formerly known as Burma, is set to arrive in Hamilton. Though Mr Dal settled in Auckland, he said he understood the challenges each family would face.
He spoke at a workshop hosted by Refugee Services Aotearoa at the Waikato Migrant Resource Centre last week in preparation for the refugees' arrival in October.
"It will take a certain period of time for them to understand the concept of freedom of speech," he said. "Even for me, it would be hard to go into town and loudly say `hey, this is my opinion'."
Another Myanmar refugee, Amanda Aye – a volunteer team leader for Refugee Services Aotearoa – said the move to Hamilton would be unsettling.
"They will consider themselves extremely lucky to arrive here into safety, peace and stability but that is such a difference to where they have come from. It will be quite a shock – they are used to a lot of crisis and trauma."
The four families received refugee status by the United Nations after fleeing to Malaysia from Myanmar, to avoid persecution.
They were subjected to slum conditions in a Malaysian urban refugee centre before arriving in New Zealand.
Refugee Services Waikato manager Rachel O'Connor said they had beaten the odds to receive refugee status.
"There are around 11.4 million people who have refugee status with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and only 0.5 per cent will ever be selected for resettlement. The UNHCR oversees around 60 million people of concern around the world.
"The average time in a refugee camp is about 18 years."
The families will spend six weeks at the Mangere Refugee Centre learning English and New Zealand culture, and having medical checks, before their move to Hamilton.
Ms O'Connor said their arrival was exciting for the organisation.
"So far it has been a wonderful challenge for us getting prepared," she said. "We have been learning new greetings and beginning to understand the level of persecution they fled from."
Hamilton-based volunteers will support the families' integrate into the community.
Ceana Priest is a Wintec journalism student
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