Celebrity heads fundraiser to provide education for Somali refugees

Helping others: Deborah (kneeling, left) and Shikeen with some of the Somali refugee children and teenagers studying at the Fugee Schoo

DOING an in-house documentary for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) was an eye-opener for former beauty queen Deborah Priya Henry, who met a family of Somali refugees during the shoot. “The children were aged between 11 and 14 with no access to education. They had witnessed the effects of war back home,” said Deborah. She left the refugees’ apartment unit feeling quite shocked and realised how important education was in helping the children reintegrate into society in the future. Her initial efforts were piecemeal, with Deborah and her friend Shikeen Halibullah providing English and Mathematics tuition respectively to the children. But she soon found out that her effort was not sustainable in the long-term. “The other parents were asking for our help as well. Given our jobs, it took a toll on us,” she said. At that time, there was a Somali refugee, Shafie Mohamed, who was running tuition classes for families who could afford to pay the monthly fees. Deborah and Shikeen decided to team up with him to provide better education opportunities for the refugee children. “We work on raising funds while he runs the school,” said Deborah.

This is how the Somali Kids Education Fund, now known as Fugee School, came to open its doors in May 2009. Now in its fourth year, Fugee School has over 100 Somali refugee children ranging from four to 18-years-old, learning Math, Science, Art and English as well as Somali languages. The main focus, Deborah explained, was for the children to have an academic education with some experiential learning which would help them think out of the box and adapt better to their eventual reintegration into society. “Without education they are left with very little to help build a future. “Malaysia is a transit point for these refugees and they have very few opportunities for mainstream education here,” she added. Focusing on fundraising for the children though, is not without its challenges. Deborah related how she had been accused by certain quarters of neglecting disadvantaged Malaysians in favour of helping refugees. But she shrugged it off, saying that the discouraging voices were far outnumbered by the large support shown by her colleagues, friends and family. She and Shikeen also faced initial barriers from the Somali refugees themselves, such as traditional conservatism and mistrust about their intentions. Shafiee has become their link to the refugees, helping to overcome their fears and allowing the children to explore the outside world. Funding the effort has always been a challenge for Deborah and Shikeen. The ladies tried creative methods, such “sponsor a child” similar to Worldvision (of which Deborah is a child rights advocate), Now, Deborah has teamed up with fellow celebrity Marion Caunter, artiste Mizz Nina and shoe designer Jon Wong (of footwear label Z’Ng) to design shoes and sell them online to raise funds for Fugee School under an initiative called ‘Step Out’. “When you solicit funds to help the refugee children get an education, you just do not want to ‘take’ their money. “People get tired after a while, so we try to find innovative ways to keep it fresh,” said Deborah. For her, the effort is worth it when some of the children are later settled in other countries such as the United States, Australia or Europe and the school receives positive feedback from the resettling agents. Email fugeeschool@gmail.com or visit www.fugeeschool.com to donate or volunteer.

Refugee stories a real education

The students learned so much about refugees and their life before coming to Australia. Picture: David Baylis www.communitypix.com.au Buy this photo

WHEN Year 6 student Issie Ridley’s mum Carrie came to St Anthony’s Primary School in Greenmount, she brought with her a slideshow, six refugees and some enormous life lessons for students. Mrs Ridley, who works for Communicare, organised for the children to meet refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to hear their stories about life in war-torn cities, refugee camps and travelling here on boats and planes from Indonesia and Malaysia. The children learned that since 1951 the United Nations had moved displaced persons to new homes as they sought a safe refuge from war and persecution. They also learned the difference between on and off-shore refugees, bridging visas, protection visas, and that ultimately it was important to help people to integrate into a new life in Australia with love and kindness. Mrs Ridley also told them that it was not illegal to seek asylum. The children learned the difference between the Sunni and the Shia branches of Islam in Iraq, and about the Hazara people and the Taliban in Afghanistan and now Pakistan, from where many persecuted Hazaras fled. Both Hazara men who spoke were trained as engineers and are working for Communicare, helping new refugees with their transition to Australian life. “I want to give back to Australia, my new country,” said Talib Hussain. “I would love to work as a engineer here and build something for everyone in Australia, not just for me.” Teacher Jenny Webb said the children were delighted to meet the refugees. “They absolutely loved it and got so much out it, with the refugees being so happy to share their stories, which were sometimes sad and hard to tell.” Communicare’s chief executive Martine Pitt said those who spoke were excellent examples of strong individuals who had travelled far, overcame challenges and were immensely grateful to Australia for their new lives.

Refugee camps on Thai-Myanmar suffer ration cuts

Thousands living in refugee camps on the border between Thailand and Myanmar will face further cuts of food supplies, according to Karen Information Center (KIC). KIC said The Border Consortium (TBC), which is working in nine refugee camps along the border, may have planned to reduce food supplies because international aid is also being cut from border projects. San San Maw from Ohnphyan refugee camp said: “We heard our rations will be reduced. In the past we received 15 kilos of rice for an adult. But we have received only 12 kilos since 2012. That is not enough. We have no income because we don’t have the right to work officially. In the camp we have to depend on the rations provided by TBC.” While international agencies have been shifting to their aid directly to Myanmar, many refugees still do not think it is safe to return home and feel that such cuts are a way of forcing them to repatriate. “It is not yet safe to go back to Myanmar. We are Christians. We don’t want to go back because of the internal religious conflicts. I think such food supply cuts mean they are making us leave here voluntarily,” said San San Maw. TBC officials said rations would be provided depending on the number of refugees in the camp despite food supply cuts, however some have been taking advantage of free handouts. “According to TBC, some are badly in need of food while some are not,” said a TBC worker from Nopho refugee camp. TBC executive director said they would try their best to continue to provide rations despite difficulties.

Donor support drops for refugees – food rations to be cut

The Border Consortium plans to cut its food rations to the 128,000 refugees living in the nine refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border. TBC is a group of nine international NGOs that delivers food, shelter and non-food items to the refugees on the Thai Burma border. The TBC in a letter to refugee committees, camp committees and community-based-organizations, stated that they are trying to ensure that their limited resources in 2013 would be used to provide assistance based on needs and that there will be a general ration reduction later in the year.

 The TBC letter said that changes to the ration have to be made due to funding constraints caused by a number of related factors affecting aid donations – the strength of the Thai baht against donor countries currencies, rising costs of food and the reduction of aid by a number of donors. Naw Blooming Night Zan, joint secretary of the Karen Refugee Committee, told Karen News that although the TBC will definitely reduce rations in 2013, its plan would not be implemented immediately. Naw Blooming Night Zan said the ration cuts would be means tested according to the needs of refugees. “Due to funding reduction by donors, support for refugees will be adjusted to meet their needs – more need, more support, less need, less support.” Naw Blooming Night Zan added that although there is a plan to reduce the food ration, the TBC would carefully make its assessment based on each refugee’s needs, factors to be considered include age, vulnerability and income if any, in order to be fair to all refugees.

 The TBC letter signed by its executive director, Ms. Sally Thompson, said that the TBC will continue to seek support for refugees and will work closely with the KRC, the Karenni Refugee Committee (KnRC) and community-based-organizations in an effort to counteract rumors and to allay refugee concerns caused by stress of the ration cuts. The Border Consortium’s monthly standard food basket allowance provided to each refugee includes 15kg of rice, 1kg of yellow bean, 1 litre of cooking oil, 0.5kg of fish paste, 0.2kg of salt and 20kg of charcoal (used for cooking fuel). A camp officer from Mae La refugee camp spoke to Karen News about the ration cuts. “Previously, there were seven types of food items provided to us. Now we don’t get chili anymore. 

It has been a year since we have not received the full seven food items.” Funding support for refugees on the border has been decreasing since early 2012, partly due to donors redirecting their aid to inside Burma following easing of restrictions by the government. Recent rumors and official talks about refugee repatriation have concerned the refugee community along the border. The Border Consortium letter points out that the ration changes are not directly related to any future plans to return refugees to Burma. The Border Consortium was formed in 1984 when refugees from Burma crossed into Thailand to escape conflict and militarization in Karen state. TBC are supporting 128,000 refugees living in nine refugee camps along the Thai-Burma Border – Mae La, Mae Rama Luang, Ma La Oon, Umpheim, Nu Po, Ban Don Yang, ThamHin, and Karenni Camp 1 and Camp 2.

Restoring Hope: Australian Burmese community calls for more refugee support

The Australia Karen Organization commemorated World Refugee Day by calling for the international community to give more support to Karen people living in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. Under its banner, ‘Restoring Hope’, the Australia Karen Organization (AKO) and as many as 250 people gathered in Villawood, Sydney on June 22. The celebration was attended by over 250 participants including Australian members of parliament, Kachin ethnic group, delegations from the Burmese Muslim Association, political organizations, religious organizations and resettled member of the Burmese community. Speaking at the ceremony, an AKO chairperson, Saw Lwin Oo said. “The refugee situation is related to politics in Burma. No matter how many ceasefire agreements are being signed, if there is no political settlement, it will be unacceptable to carry out any refugee repatriation program. Karen and Kachin refugees from eastern and northern Burma are stateless due to the Burma Armies persecution.” The purpose of ceremony was for the Australia Oversea Resettlement Program and the international humanitarians’ organizations, IHSS, to offer resettlement opportunities to refugees from eastern and northern Burma made homeless by militarization and to get donors to provide support for cross border programs. San Maw Lapine, a delegate of the Kachin Association Australia (KAA) said. “The Burma Army has to stop the oppression of the Kachin people as they are behaving as if they have a license to rape [Kachin women]. The government should allow access [in Kachin state] for UN agencies to provide humanitarian assistance [to the displaced people].” There ceremony included Kachin and Burmese dancing, Karen songs, and fund raising activities to help internally displaced people and refugees. Speaking to Karen News about the ceremony, Saw Moe Zaw, said. “Back in Burima, I couldn’t see any hope for my future as everything was uncertain. When I arrived here [in Australia], I began to experience freedom and I began to have hope for my life.Today’s celebration is called ‘Restoring hope’ – I want all refugees to be able to have hope in their lives as soon as possible.” Attending the ceremony a member of the Australian business community sympathetic to the refugee situation in Burma said he would try assist refugees resettling in Australia as much as he could. The businessman promised to help resettled refugees to find work and said he had donated money for the refugees through the Australia Karen Organization. The AKO has commemorated World Refugee Day since 2008.

Still not safe to send back refugees 

 Following three days of discussion representatives from organizations working on refugee issues along the Thai-Burma border, refugee representatives, civil society groups, political leaders agreed that the current situation in Burma is not safe for refugees to return. Over 40 representatives including the United Nation High Commission on Refugee, Refugee Camps Committees, The Border Consortium, Karen National Union, Thai official from Mae La camp administration office, Thai border based and Burma based community-based-organizations and civil society groups met for a three days workshop to discuss issues related to refugees repatriation that was organized by the Karen Refugee Committee from May 14 to 16, in Mae La refugee camp. The objective of the meetings was to provide a forum for groups to share information relating to the return of refugees from the Thai border back to Burma, identify key processes and the conditions needed for safe repatriation. Pastor Robert Htwe, chairperson of the Karen Refugee Committee spoke to Karen News about the workshop. “The main goal is for us all, including INGOs, CBOs, Camp Committees and KRC, to come together and discuss about being prepared for the return. We need to talk about how can we work together when the time is right [for refugees] to return. We only shared information on the issue – it is not that we were a ‘return’ now. There will be a need for discussions and the right conditions to be put in place, but we still don’t know when we will be able to return.” Pastor Robert Htwe stressed that the workshop was only a discussion about being prepared in of repatriation and as yet there was no planning or discussion about an actual return of refugees. Topics discussed during the three-day workshop included the draft framework for the peace process, land rights, civil society participation in the peace processes, humanitarian access, refugee participation in planning, organising consulting communities in areas of potential return, community media and information dissemination and advocacy with both the Thai and Burmese governments. According to Pastor Robert Htwe, there was an agreement from the workshop attendees that when the time is right for returning refugees, the Camp Committees, KRC, UNHCR, TBC and CBOs would work closely together on the issue. Robert Htwe said. “We need to be prepared in advance and we all need to work together – KRC, NGOs, CBOs and other related agencies to help those who want to return.” On April 26, Pastor Robert Htwe, the chairperson of the Karen Refugee Committee and two camp committee members met with the Karen State government in Hpa-an Town where the State government expressed their willingness to receive returning refugees. The KRC said that the situation or the time was not right and it is not possible now. KRC in released statement said that it had outlined its position on the repatriation of Karen refugees living on the Thai-Burma border based on key conditions being put in place – a nationwide ceasefire, political settlement, the clearance of landmines, respect for human rights and the physical and work security for refugees. Workshop participants said the three-day meeting concluded with a number of key messages that they would take back to share with their organisations and communities. Key messages included, the KNU peace building process, an update on KRC’s meeting with the Karen State Government and its position on refugee repatriation, UNHCR’s framework on refugee voluntary repatriation and the Thai government’s position on refugee repatriation. Saw Hsa Ka Hsaw, the secretary of the Karen Student Network Group who took part in the workshop told Karen News what he took back to his community. “The key messages that we got from the workshop were about the refugees returning. The common position was that now was not the right time for refugees to return because the KNU peace process is still at the first step. KRC’s position was that the necessary conditions to enable refugee repatriation are not yet been met. Both the Royal Thai government and UNHCR said that the time is not right to send back refugee and that they do not have an operational plan for repatriation and it is now too early to prepare one.” Since the ceasefire agreement reached between the Karen National Union and the Burma government in January 2012, discussions and talks about refugee return have been held on many occasion by the relevant organizations and agencies responsible for the refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border.

Thai policeman charged over rape of Rohingya refugee

BANGKOK : A policeman has been charged with trafficking after a woman was allegedly lured from a shelter in southern Thailand and subsequently raped by a Rohingya man from the refugee Muslim minority, police told AFP Friday.

 It is believed to be the first time a Thai official has been charged with trafficking of Rohingya boat people, despite probes into alleged people smuggling by authorities including the army. 

 The officer is accused of driving the 25-year-old victim along with her daughters, aged 12 and nine, and two other women, from the shelter in Phang Nga in late May. The woman was told she would be taken to Malaysia to be reunited with her husband, who is also from the minority group, but was instead held at several places in the region in an ordeal lasting several weeks, police said. 

The woman was allegedly raped repeatedly by the Rohingya man, believed to have worked as a translator at the shelter, who has been charged for the assault. The victim and her children were found on a roadside and returned to the shelter last week when she contacted the police.

 “The officer has been charged with taking part in human trafficking and abuse of his position”, Police Colonel Weerasin Kwansaeng, commander of Kuraburi Police Station told AFP. “The victim said he drove the car from the shelter,” he said, adding it was the first time charges had been brought against police over the trafficking of Rohingya. Dozens of Rohingya women and children who fled communal violence in Myanmar, are housed at the shelter while hundreds of men from the ethnic group are being held at an immigration detention centre in the same province. Rights groups have repeatedly voiced concerns over the treatment of destitute Rohingya refugees by Thai authorities, saying they are held in poor conditions and are vulnerable to exploitation. The rape “demonstrates the vulnerability of Rohingya women to human traffickers — even when they are living in government-run shelters where they should be protected,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. In January Thai authorities opened an investigation into allegations that army officials were involved in trafficking Rohingya. Around 2,000 Rohingya refugees remain in detention in Thailand while authorities wait for a third country to offer to accept them. Described by the UN as among the most persecuted minority groups in the world, Rohingya have for years trickled abroad to neighbouring Bangladesh and, increasingly, to Muslim-majority Malaysia. Myanmar views its population of roughly 800,000 Rohingya as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship. A explosion of tensions between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine since June 2012 has triggered a huge exodus of Rohingya, mostly heading for Malaysia.--AFP Read more: Thai policeman charged over rape of Rohingya refugee - 

Latest - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my

Malaysia clashes stoke fear of Myanmar spillover

http://www.globalpost.com

Myanmar migrant Yaza Min came to Malaysia several years ago seeking a better life but instead has hidden for more than three weeks in a temple, fearing for his safety as Muslim-Buddhist violence back home spilled over. Secretarian bloodshed between majority Buddhists and minority Muslims erupted in Myanmar a year ago, leaving about 200 people dead, up to 140,000 homeless, and raising fears of wider instability in the region as refugees flee the country. Recent incidents in nearby Malaysia and Indonesia are feeding those concerns. At least four Myanmar Buddhists were killed in Malaysia in suspected revenge killings by Muslims that began on May 30 in an area on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur where many Myanmar migrants have settled. In one attack, Yaza Min, a Buddhist, was hit with a steel pipe when he and several fellow workers at a vast vegetable market were targeted in a sudden assault by eight men also armed with machetes. "I will go back (to Myanmar). I'm very afraid," he said, cowering in a Buddhist temple where he and dozens of others have sought refuge. In April, eight Buddhist fishermen from Myanmar were beaten to death in an Indonesian detention centre by Rohingyas -- a Muslim group that claims heavy persecution in Myanmar -- over two alleged rapes blamed on Buddhists. The violence back in Myanmar has sent fresh waves of Rohingyas fleeing on rickety boats in a perilous journey to neighbouring countries like Muslim-majority Malaysia. Many fear staying in Myanmar due to a strident anti-Muslim movement that has included a campaign headed by Buddhist monks to shun shops owned by Muslims. In October, Surin Pitsuwan, then secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), warned the situation could, in turn, radicalise Rohingyas -- who the United Nations calls one of the world's most persecuted minorities, and "destabilise" the region. Following the Malaysia violence, Asian Buddhist and Muslim leaders met in Thailand in mid-June to address the "potential spread of hatred across the region". "Once things like this (clashes) begin to happen (outside of Myanmar), you have to be very careful. It could spill over. This is the danger," said Chandra Muzaffar, president of International Movement for a Just World which helped organise the Thai meeting. With its relatively developed economy, Malaysia has for years been a magnet for Myanmar migrant workers -- many of them illegal -- who now number about 260,000, according to government statistics. There are also another 95,000 Myanmar refugees and asylum-seekers in the country, the UN refugee agency says. Myanmar and Malaysia -- which welcomes the low-wage labour -- generally look the other way on the issue, but the disturbing recent events have forced them to act. Myanmar's deputy foreign minister visited Malaysia in June to look into the recent clashes and offer to aid victims, facilitating the return of many although exact numbers are not available. Malaysia responded to the violence outside Kuala Lumpur by rounding up more than 900 Myanmar nationals. Most were released, but about 200 reportedly face charges for entering the country illegally. Both countries also have pledged to work on repatriating thousands of Myanmar migrants caught in previous raids and held in overcrowded Malaysian detention centres. Workers at the sprawling Selayang market north of Kuala Lumpur, where the recent violence has been centred, say the attacks were perpetrated by Muslims angry over what they see as the targeting of fellow Muslims in the strife back home. "Some have lost everything. Imagine your father and mother have been killed, and your mosque and school burned," said Rafiq Rashid, a 21-year-old Muslim vegetable seller and refugee from Myanmar. He said Myanmar Buddhists also were inciting hatred in Malaysia, encouraging their fellow countrymen to attack Muslims. Security at the market has been tightened and once again bustles with commercial activity, but fears linger. "I believe it will happen again," said a Malaysian shop owner, who declined to give his name. The Buddhists hiding in the monastery are taking no chances -- they plan to return to Myanmar.

Why were Burmese migrants leaving Malaysia?

Why were Burmese migrants leaving Malaysia? Was it because they had been the targets of violence in several incidents? Or was it due to a new crackdown by police? 

Charles Hector takes a look.

 Aung Myo Oo, a Burmese migrant who was attacked by unknown assailants on 3 June 2013, lies in a hospital bed in Kuala Lumpur recovering from his injuries – Photo: The Irrawaddy Who was committing the violence was unclear. Was it locals or foreigners? Is Malaysia using the ‘ethnic clashes’ in Burma as a justification for a selective crackdown on Burmese migrants in Malaysia? We have not heard of the status of the police investigations…. And, is it not odd that people (possible witnesses or suspects) are being sent back to Burma before the investigations are completed and the alleged perpetrators are brought to justice? Are the Burmese migrants returning on their own free will – or are they really being ‘deported’? How many documented migrants have returned to their home country? That would be an indicator as to why they are returning. For the undocumented migrants who have been arrested and in detention, leaving to go back to Burma speedily at this time when the Myanmar government is supportive – and there are people offering free flight tickets home – many would grab this opportunity rather than continue to languish in immigration detention centres for undocumented migrants. At present, there are 4,400 undocumented migrants in Malaysia’s detention centres for undocumented migrants. That is really a very large number. Sadly, even alternative media seem to be biased in their reporting when it comes to this issue? Their ‘independence’ may be affected possibly by personal reasons or bias when it comes to this issue. 

After all, the Burmese Muslim groups have come out and stated that they are not involved… “We don’t know who did these attacks,” says San Win, chairman of the Malaysia Myanmar Free Funeral Service, a Kuala Lumpur-based group that assists Burmese migrants. Flicking through gory photos of roughly stitched victims of the violence, he adds, “but we think it could be the Rohingya people.” 

 The president of the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia (Merhom), Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, disputes this speculation. “This is not correct,” he says, citing previous attacks by Buddhists on Muslims in Burma, which he says did not prompt sectarian reprisals in Malaysia. “We have to respect Malaysian law and if any Rohingya breaks the law, we don’t support it,” Abdul Ghani adds.

 – Irrawaddy, 13 June 2013 Another excerpt from Irrawady: A week after a series of violent attacks that has left five Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia dead, and as local authorities talk of deporting thousands arrested in connection with the violence, many Burmese in the country are considering leaving voluntarily — if they can. “Many migrants who obtained work permits want to leave Malaysia now because they are very afraid. They no longer want to stay here,” said Myat Ko, a Burmese migrant living in Kuala Lumpur. 

According to Myat Ko, who is a member of a network of Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia, 18 Burmese nationals left the country on Thursday, and many more are expected to return to Burma in the coming days. Among them, he said, are around 800 who have overstayed their visas, making them vulnerable to the police sweep that has ensued in the wake of a series of attacks from 30 May to 7 June. The attacks, carried out by unknown assailants, and apparently targeting Burmese Buddhists, have raised fears of further violence to come, despite assurances from the Malaysian government that it has the situation under control.

 On Friday, Burmese state-run media reported that a total of five people had died as a result of the attacks, up from previous reports of four fatalities. Several others have been hospitalized. In response to the panic among some Burmese in Malaysia, several of Burma’s richest businessmen, including Aung Ko Win, chairman of Kanbawza Bank, Zaw Zaw, the managing director of the Max Myanmar Group, and Tay Za, founder of the Htoo Trading Company, have pledged to help those wish to return. “Some will get a free ticket, while others will get a 50 per cent discount to fly back to Burma,” said Myat Ko, who is also involved in fundraising efforts. However, lack of return airfare is not the only obstacle for some who don’t want to stay in Malaysia. 

Many say that bureaucratic red tape at the Burmese embassy, where they are expected to submit ID certificates and other documents before they are permitted to return, is another problem. Others say that their Malaysian employers won’t let them leave unless they pay a RM1,000 (US$320) fine. On Thursday, Malaysia’s Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Jaafar said after a meeting with a visiting Burmese delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Zin Yaw that his government is seeking Burmese cooperation in repatriating Burmese nationals. “We have 4,400 Myanmars detained in immigration detention centres now, and we have invited the Myanmar authorities, especially the embassy, to… bring them back,” the Malaysian minister said, according to a report by Agence France-Presse. He also called on the UN refugee agency UNHCR to expedite processing of Burmese refugees who feel they can’t return to Burma. There are an estimated 95,000 Burmese refugees living in Malaysia. They are allowed to stay in the country, but are not granted legal status. There are believed to be a total of 400,000 Burmese nationals living in Malaysia, including many undocumented migrants and holders of fake UNHCR registration cards. - Irrawaddy, 14 June, 2013.

Students share refugee experience

Freedom and a chance at education are among the best aspects of life in New Zealand, according to Freyberg High School students who have shared stories of their refugee pasts. Laibar Boli, 18, was born in a Thai refugee camp, where her parents lived for 23 years. They fled Myanmar amid conflict between Burmese nationals and the Karen ethnic minority group, which has periodically fought for independence. The family did not leave the camp for fear of persecution by the Thai army, until they were granted passage to New Zealand when Laibar was 11. As their fellow captives found refuge in Canada, Australia and the United States, Norajaman La, 16, found himself at the same school in Palmerston North as Laibar, where they learnt how close they had lived as children. Laibar remembers little of her time in the refugee camp but says her parents have told her of the hardship. "We didn't have education over there . . . We did not have the right to leave the camp because then the Thai army would arrest us." She says in New Zealand she relishes her freedom and a chance at education. Norajaman agrees - he now plays football and rugby, while Laibar plays indoor sports and attends women-only swimming evenings. Freyberg High School yesterday marked the Maori new year - Matariki - which this year was on June 10, and World Refugee Day on June 20, with a celebration of the dozens of students who came to Palmerston North as refugees. They dressed in their national costumes and planted trees in the school grounds to symbolise a new life in New Zealand, and to remember loved ones lost and left behind. Sarah Nzamba, 18, came to Palmerston North from the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2009 with her brother - three years after her father was granted entry to New Zealand. She recalls the moment she first arrived in her new home, knowing little of what to expect. "It was very scary but awesome. I had to learn a new language and the culture and stuff, it was kind of hard. "People were telling me about New Zealand - that it was really beautiful - but until I arrived I thought it was only white people here, which is what I was told. "I didn't know there were other cultures living here but I moved here and found there were many," Sarah said.

Myanmar set to benefit from direct Australian aid

After around two-and-a-half decades of isolation, Myanmar may soon be in a position to receive direct developmental aid funds from Australia. Currently Australian aid to Myanmar, also known as Burma, is delivered through multilateral groups such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and non-government organisations. But AusAID director-general Peter Baxter told a recent Senate estimates hearing about new plans to work directly with the Myanmar government. "We are hoping that over the coming period we will be able to have a discussion with the Burmese authorities about how we might commence working with them," he said. "Along with other donors we are currently looking at how we can particularly support the reform minded elements of the Burmese government." Education is the current focus of developmental aid to the country. In a 2012 visit for Myanmar, Foreign Minister Bob Carr announced a new education package where Australia funds teacher training, school meals programs and measures to boost school attendance. "Education is the flagship of our aid program in Myanmar," Senator Carr said. But such funding is not direct and as yet there has been no change in policy in relation to direct funding for Myanmar authorities, according to Mr Baxter. "We have not moved away from our current methodology of delivering our program through trusted multilateral and NGO partners," he said. Direct Myanmar aid needs careful planning With a large number of visitors to Myanmar over the past 12 months, there has been a willingness to increase levels of assistance from current low levels, Mr Baxter said. "But there needs to be careful thought about how that is done," he said. Education was key, he said, citing a pilot program of scholarships that started two years ago. "And certainly Burma will need more trained people within government to deal with its relevant issues as it continues its reform process and donor assistance increases," he said. Burma will need more trained people within government to deal with its relevant issues. AusAID director-general Peter Baxter Ensuing aid reaches its target will remain an issue, he added. "We have an increasing numbers of AusAID staff in Burma who go out on monitoring visits and physically look at the programs that we are funding and make sure that they are being delivered." Australian aid to Myanmar stands at $64.2 million this year, rising to $82.8 million in 2013-14. But future aid could be jeopardised by ethnic violence. Senator Carr remains concerned about ethnic violence in Rakhine state, which has claimed 192 lives and left 140,000 people homeless. He will travel to Myanmar next month for bilateral discussion with president Thein Sein and foreign minister Wunna.

Refugees: “Talk to us and listen to our voices…”

Naw Day Wah Htoo lives in Mae Ra Ma Luang refugee camp on the Thai Burma border and talks to Karen News about her life living on the margins. Karen Newsreports.

“Living in a refugee camp we are not allowed to go outside to find work. When I hear talk about refugee repatriation, I have doubts about it as the current situation [in Burma] is not secure yet.”

Naw Day Wah Htoo, 22, explains that she is uncertain what life back in Burma would be safe as there is still conflict in ethnic areas suchas Kachin and Shan states.

“Although the KNU [Karen National Union] and the government signed a preliminary ceasefire agreement, there are still fighting, conflicts and human rights violations in other ethnic areas. Some refugees have been living in the refugee camp for a long time so they don’t have a place to go back to anymore. Even though, the [Burma] government have said they have made plans for people to return, nothing is certain yet.”

Naw Day Wah Htoo said life in the camps is hard especially now that international aid is being cut.

“Reducing the support in camps creates more difficulties for us. We don’t have sufficient medicine or medical services. For patients who have critical diseases that can’t be treated here in the camp because medical services don’t provide transportation and referral services to Mae Sariang anymore it is difficult. I feel like we are being neglected, education support is also being cut.”

Naw Day Wah Htoo said it is important that refugees do not lose the protection of the international community.

“We want the civil society organizations and other organization to keep protecting and supporting refugees. Although the KNU and the government have been holding rounds of peace talk, they haven’t reached a genuine peace yet.”

Naw Day Wah Htoo called for people in power to listen to what refugees wanted.

“We want them to listen to our voices and help with our needs. We want our decisions to count and we don’t want to be pressured into doing something we don’t want. We want them [groups] to decide after asking the refuges opinion. The Mae Fah Luang Foundation survey’s questions are questions that we did not want to answer. We don’t want to be forced to go back against our wishes.”

Naw Day Wah Htoo said authorities do not take time to hear what refugees are saying they want.

“For the [Burma] government, the KNU or other organizations, before they make decisions about refugees issues, I want them to seek refugees’ opinions and listen to their decision first.”

Saw Kyaw Kyaw Sein, health worker who lives and works at Tham Hin refugee camp, spoke to Karen News about life in the camp.

“Refugees are surviving on basic rations that is provided to the camp, sometimes it is not enough. Some people have to go out and work to supplement their food rations. No one wants to live in camps, some want to go to a third country, but some want to live in Thailand. Just a few want to return to Burma.”

Saw Kyaw Kyaw Sein, 23, states that he does not want to return to Burma.

“I don’t want to go back. If I go back, I don’t want to live in place that they [government] arranged for us and that we don’t have any money to invest or any land to work for our livelihoods. Living in camp is a little bit better than living back there. There are other serious [IDPs] problems than ours in terms of living conditions. I just want to say that they [government] should resolve those issues first.”

Saw Kyaw Kyaw Sein thinks that many young people in the camp want to resettle, as it will give them the opportunity to have a better quality of life.

“As for us youth, we want to resettle to a third country. We see that we would have better opportunities to build up our life, including our education. Learning in camp, we don’t have any guarantee for jobs after we graduate from school. It is really difficult here, as the education that we get in the camp is not recognized by the government or the international community.”

Saw Kyaw Kyaw Sein stresses that camp authorities discriminate between refugees.

“There is a discrimination between new arrivals and old refugee. There are obstacles for applying for resettlement to a third country. I don’t want them to discriminate like that. If they send refugees back to Burma, the refugees have to go back. However, if the government provides loans or land for livelihoods for the returnee, it will be possible to go back. If not, it will be hard to restart our lives.”

Naw Ler Htoo, is a teacher at Mae La refugee camp and spoke to Karen News about what her life is like.

“I have been living in the camp for five years. The longer I live here, the more I start to feel depressed. Now, we are hearing yet another depressing message about refugee repatriation. The situation is not possible for us to go back. There are ongoing conflicts and human right violations in ethnic areas. I heard that the households in Rangoon are being forced to relocate. If the government neglects the human rights violations that are happened in Burma’s cities, how can we trust the government?”

Saw Kyaw Kyaw Sein, 43, said it is stressful that there is no official information that refugees can trust, as they keep hearing rumors that refugees will be sent back.

“UN registered or unregistered refugees, we all get stressed when we hear about refugee repatriation. The situations cannot be trusted, there is no guarantee for our safety. Both registered and unregistered refugees will have to return. We know it is not possible to live in camps in Thailand for our whole life. But it is impossible at this time for us to go back.”

Burmese refugees in Thailand feel mounting pressure to return home

SHAFAQNA (International Shia News Association)

After living in refugee camps in Thailand for over a quarter of a century, more than 140,000 Burmese refugees who fled civil war at home are starting to feel like their welcome has worn thin. One of our Observers, a refugee, tells us how pressure is growing on them to return, despite facing a highly uncertain future back in Burma.

Since the end of military rule in Burma two years ago, the country has undergone a number of reforms and entered into ceasefire agreements – albeit fragile ones – with a number of rebel groups from ethnic minorities. This has led many to hope, or fear, that the roughly 140,000 Burmese refugees living in camps in Thailand may soon be repatriated.

Though the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says there is as of yet no timeframe for this, they have organised workshops to prepare refugees for repatriation. Meanwhile, the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, a Thai organisation under royal patronage, has recently been handing out surveys in the border camps asking refugees to answer a number of questions about what they hope for their future, notably ranking in order of preference whether they would like to stay in Thailand, go back to Burma, or resettle in a third country. It also asks about specific plans upon return to Burma.

This has not gone down well with some refugees: more than 3,600 of them living in Mae La camp have signed a petition saying they refuse to take part in the survey, claiming that the questions are biased to favour repatriation. The UNCHR has said that participation in the survey is encouraged so it can gather accurate information to prepare for the refugees’ possible return, but that it was not mandatory

“I don’t want to go home – there are still Burmese troops in my village”

Paw Mu Nan, 57, lives in Mae La camp with 45,000 other refugees. She and her family fled their village in northern Karen state in early 1980, after Burmese troops attacked it and took over their land. She belongs to the Karen ethnic minority, like most of the camp’s occupants.

‘‘My family and I spent three years living in the jungle until we were finally able to cross into Thailand in 1983. We’ve lived in several refugee camps on the border since then. All my children save for the eldest were born there. Until now, there was no remote possibility of going home.’’

During the repatriation workshops I attended, NGO workers told us there is no set timeframe for repatriation, but that they want us to be prepared because we’ll have to return home some day. We were told we would have to stand on our own feet then. We learnt such concepts as empowerment and self-integration, and practical skills like agricultural planning and livestock breeding. I liked it – it made us think in detail about how we will live and what careers we might have if we return home.

However, I don’t want to go home at this moment because I don’t feel safe – there are still Burmese troops there. While there is no one left in my village, I know from people living nearby that they’re still occupying it. Despite a ceasefire between the government and the Karen National Union (KNU), we have no guarantees that we will get our land back. We lost our family’s paddy field to the troops, which was our source of livelihood.

“It’s getting harder and harder to live in the refugee camps as aid is reduced”

Many refugees here in my camp are now applying to resettle in third countries as they fear they will soon be forced to return home. Two of my children have already resettled in the United States, but I don’t want to go there because I can’t speak English. [Editor’s Note: The United States recently is now ending a program under which it had resettled 105,000 Burmese. Moreover, about half of the residents in Mae La camp do not have official refugee status, which means they are ineligible for resettlement in a third country.] Plus, I’m getting old. I would prefer to stay in Thailand, where I feel safe and where I’ve been living for two decades now.

However it is getting harder and harder to survive in the refugee camps, because the aid has been progressively reduced. [As Burma opens up, international donors have been giving more money to NGOs inside Burma and reducing funding to NGOs based on the Thailand-Burma border]. Some of the food we used to receive, such as oil and canned fish, have been cut off. Same with construction materials – we can’t rebuild our houses anymore, just make small repairs. Nobody expects to be able to stay here for much longer.

http://shafaqna.com/pakistan

World Refugee Day 2013 Special: Malaysian Social Research Institute & Essay Readings by Refugees

The Malaysian Social Research Institute or MSRI is a non-profit organization that runs the The Sahabat Support Centre. Known as the SSC for short, they provide services to refugees from minority communities who are living in Malaysia waiting to be resettled in a third country.

This World Refugee Day, we speak to Yolanda Lopez, a programme officer with MSRI, about the work she does through the organisation, and we also find out about the essay writing classes held for refugees at a centre in Ampang Point.

Following that, we hear from OA, Aizen and Anna, all refugees living in Malaysia, who share a little about the circumstances that brought them to our shores. They each read out a short essay they wrote about their lives as a refugee.

Listen To the audio, 

http://media.bfm.my/assets/files/TheBiggerPicture/2013-06-20_YolandaLopez_WorldRefugeeDay2013.mp3

World Refugee Day 2013

According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), as of June 2013, there are more that 100,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered in Kuala Lumpur. Most of them are forced to flee their homeland because of war and persecution and many have found their way here to Malaysia by either trekking overland or by sea. The bulk of the refugees in Malaysia are from Myanmar, with smaller numbers coming from Sri Lanka, Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan and Afganistan. For this year's World Refugee Day Celebration, the UNHCR is holding an exhibition of images taken by Malaysian professional photograhper, Ted Adnan to highlight the dilemma of having to flee one's homeland and the plight and survival of refugess once they land in another country. Members of Coalition of Burmese Ethnic Malaysia (COBEM), which comprise of refugees from all the 7 ethnic states in Myanmar put up a cultural, music and dance show for the public at the lobby of Sentral Station. Women and children are the most innocent and vulnerable group in all such situtations and their future hangs in the balance of the UNHCR and countries where are in now. Malaysia is not a signatory to the UNHCR Refugee Charter and as such these refugees and asylum seekers are here illegally and subject to the whims and fancies of the enforcement agencies on immigration and security. Those refugees who have been registered by the UNHCR have some minimal form of recognition and protection. The ones at great risks of human rights violations and trafficking are those who are not registered by the UNHCR and according to COBEM may amount to 50% of those registered. Refugees fleeing Myanmar and entering into Malaysia make a beeline to the many COBEM offices all over Kuala Lumpur seeking assistance and information on survival issues in a new environment. The following images are taken at the exhibition and cultural presentation in the lobby of Sentral Station on 23rd June,2013. They mainly portray refugees and asylum seekers who are women and children. Children in Mon traditional costume manning their stall at the lobby of KL Sentral o World Refugee Day, 2013

Myanmar migrant workers held in M'sia detention centres

Eleven Myanmar/Asia News Network Monday, Jun 24, 2013

 

YANGON - Most of Myanmar migrant workers currently held in Malaysia detention centres are seeking UN refugee status because many are hoping to resettle to a third country, according to the resources. Myanmar migrant workers have been sent to detention centres after sentenced to prisons for violating Malaysia's immigration laws, such as illegal border crossing, over staying and working without permit. "They have been sentenced to 3 or 4 months due to Malaysian immigration law. After their sentence, they were sent to detention centres. The respective embassies bought air tickets and sent them home. Most workers informed their homes and bought air tickets. After that the embassy issued a confirmation letter to identify as citizen. But most workers said they don't want to return home," said an aid worker who are helping Myanmar workers in Malaysia detention centres. The reason not to return home is that they are waiting for UN refugee status. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) interviewed the migrant workers in detention centres. If they are satisfied, they can have the certificates issued by UNHCR. The workers can stay in Malaysia or can go to third countries with the certificates, so they are waiting the certificates, according to the sources. At present, The UN has issued more certificates to Bengalis than ethnic races such as Chin, Mon and Rakhine. Although non-ethnic migrant workers from Myanmar who are at detention centres have a little chance to recognise as refugees, they are still waiting for it. "We are urging them to go home. No country is enjoyable like their country. They can stay what they like but they don't want to go home," said Yusoff Khan, Deputy Director of Semenyih detention centre. Malaysia kept migrant workers in detention centres if they don't want to go back to their countries after released from prisons. Malaysia has nine detention centres to keep migrant workers. among the migrant workers, most are being arrested while crossing the border from Thailand to Malaysia, working illegally, having argument with their boss and having informed by someone from neighbouring area. As the arrangement made by Myanmar embassy, 12,882 migrant workers being kept in detention centres are being deported by Malaysian immigration department between 2009 and 2013.

When refugees are not provided with accomodation and food, as they should be, they really have to earn money to survive

They are refugees and people of concern - but alas in Malaysia, there is no provision of accomodation and food for these refugees. The problem is a problem with the UN and its member nations not providing sufficient funds so that it is possible to house refugees (and people of concern) whilst their application is being processed, or they are awaiting re-settlement in a third country. Refugees are not allowed to legally work in Malaysia - possibly because Malaysia does not want to jeopardize relationship with Burma, or maybe because Burmese government is already involved in sending migrant workers in Malaysia. To survive, these refugees need money - and so they have been working and 'doing business' to earn money to survive, and Malaysia has compassionately not made too a big a deal about this Malaysian laws only recognize undocumented and documented migrants - not refugees. Malaysia really need laws to deal with refugees and asylum seekers. Laws that will stipulate the relevant procedures and rights of all concerned. The Association needs to not foolishly ask on UNHCR to stop according refugee status - Do you know what a refugee is? Myanmar refugees taking over markets 

By JASPAL SINGH | news@nst.com.my PREVALENT IN KLANG VALLEY: THEIR REFUGEE STATUS DOES NOT ALLOW THEM TO CONDUCT BUSINESS IPOH: THE Federation of Vegetable Wholesalers Associations of Malaysia wants the Home Ministry, police and Immigration to be strict in dealing with Myanmar refugees. Despite their refugee status, the foreigners have taken over several markets in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur and selling vegetables, it claims. Treasurer Chong Tek Keong said some of them had also hired fellow refugees as workers. He said hundreds, if not thousands, of Myanmar nationals with refugee cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees were trading vegetables at all wholesale markets in the Klang Valley. These illegal traders, he said, could be found at wholesale markets in Jalan Chow Kit, Jalan Pudu, Selayang, Puchong and Klang. He added that the problem was prevalent only in the Klang Valley and not in other states. The federation's call for the authorities to clamp down on the illegal traders was one of the issues raised during its annual general meeting (AGM) here. "Their businesses are affecting our members'. "Over the years, our profits have suffered by 30 per cent because these refugees are obtaining their supply directly from vegetable farms, including those in Cameron Highlands. "They have formed a good connection with vegetable farmers," he said after the AGM. Chong, who is also president of the Kuala Lumpur Vegetable Wholesalers Association, said enforcement needed to be carried out irrespective of UNHCR intervention. He complained about UNHCR's repeated defence of refugees, who were caught abusing their refugee status by conducting illegal businesses. He said every time police and Immigration arrested them, it would step in to get them released. This intervention, he said might have emboldened the refugees to carry out their business at wholesale markets, adding that UNHCR should provide them placements in other countries. He said some of the Myanmar refugees, who total about 9,000, according to UNHCR data, had refused to leave Malaysia after establishing themselves in the country. "Some of these refugees are doing so well that they have become bosses and hired fellow refugees as workers. When the UNHCR found them placements in foreign countries, they refused to leave Malaysia. "By right, they cannot conduct businesses with their refugee status. That is what the federation was told by the Home Ministry. They are allowed to do only odd jobs. "We hope police and Immigration will be stricter in enforcing the law against them. "We hope the UNHCR will stop issuing refugee status. "From a few hundreds in the past, there are 9,000 now. Does the refugee agency want to increase the number to 15,000? We are already facing social problems created by them." Chong said the federation had last week sent a letter to UNHCR requesting to meet the agency to discuss the problem of vegetable trading being carried out by Myanmar refugees in Klang Valley. However, it had not received a response. Myanmar nationals selling vegetables at the Selayang wet market in Kuala Lumpur. 

 Read more: 

Myanmar refugees taking over markets - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/myanmar-refugees-taking-over-markets-1.306411#ixzz2X6dJ1iIN

Myanmar immigrant workers wait for UN refugee status in detention centers

Most of Myanmar migrant workers currently held in Malaysia detention centers are seeking UN refugee status because many are hoping to resettle to a third country, according to the resources. Myanmar migrant workers have been sent to detention centers after sentenced to prisons for violating Malaysia’s immigration laws, such as illegal border crossing, over staying and working without permit. “They have been sentenced to 3 or 4 months due to Malaysian immigration law. After their sentence, they were sent to detention centers. The respective embassies bought air tickets and sent them home. Most workers informed their homes and bought air tickets. After that the embassy issued a confirmation letter to identify as citizen. But most workers said they don’t want to return home,” said an aid worker who are helping Myanmar workers in Malaysia detention centers. The reason not to return home is that they are waiting for UN refugee status. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) interviewed the migrant workers in detention centers. If they are satisfied, they can have the certificates issued by UNHCR. The workers can stay in Malaysia or can go to third countries with the certificates, so they are waiting the certificates, according to the sources. At present, The UN has issued more certificates to Bengalis than ethnic races such as Chin, Mon and Rakhine. Although non-ethnic migrant workers from Myanmar who are at detention centers have a little chance to recognize as refugees, they are still waiting for it. “We are urging them to go home. No country is enjoyable like their country. They can stay what they like but they don’t want to go home,” said Yusoff Khan, Deputy Director of Semenyih detention center. Malaysia kept migrant workers in detention centers if they don’t want to go back to their countries after released from prisons. Malaysia has nine detention centers to keep migrant workers. Among the migrant workers, most are being arrested while crossing the border from Thailand to Malaysia, working illegally, having argument with their boss and having informed by someone from neighboring area. As the arrangement made by Myanmar embassy, 12,882 migrant workers being kept in detention centers are being deported by Malaysian immigration department between 2009 and 2013.

Myanmar refugees taking over markets

PREVALENT IN KLANG VALLEY: Their refugee status does not allow them to conduct business IPOH: THE Federation of Vegetable Wholesalers Associations of Malaysia wants the Home Ministry, police and Immigration to be strict in dealing with Myanmar refugees. Despite their refugee status, the foreigners have taken over several markets in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur and selling vegetables, it claims. Treasurer Chong Tek Keong said some of them had also hired fellow refugees as workers. He said hundreds, if not thousands, of Myanmar nationals with refugee cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees were trading vegetables at all wholesale markets in the Klang Valley. These illegal traders, he said, could be found at wholesale markets in Jalan Chow Kit, Jalan Pudu, Selayang, Puchong and Klang. He added that the problem was prevalent only in the Klang Valley and not in other states. The federation's call for the authorities to clamp down on the illegal traders was one of the issues raised during its annual general meeting (AGM) here. "Their businesses are affecting our members'. "Over the years, our profits have suffered by 30 per cent because these refugees are obtaining their supply directly from vegetable farms, including those in Cameron Highlands. "They have formed a good connection with vegetable farmers," he said after the AGM. Chong, who is also president of the Kuala Lumpur Vegetable Wholesalers Association, said enforcement needed to be carried out irrespective of UNHCR intervention. He complained about UNHCR's repeated defence of refugees, who were caught abusing their refugee status by conducting illegal businesses. He said every time police and Immigration arrested them, it would step in to get them released. This intervention, he said might have emboldened the refugees to carry out their business at wholesale markets, adding that UNHCR should provide them placements in other countries. He said some of the Myanmar refugees, who total about 9,000, according to UNHCR data, had refused to leave Malaysia after establishing themselves in the country. "Some of these refugees are doing so well that they have become bosses and hired fellow refugees as workers. When the UNHCR found them placements in foreign countries, they refused to leave Malaysia. "By right, they cannot conduct businesses with their refugee status. That is what the federation was told by the Home Ministry. They are allowed to do only odd jobs. "We hope police and Immigration will be stricter in enforcing the law against them. "We hope the UNHCR will stop issuing refugee status. "From a few hundreds in the past, there are 9,000 now. Does the refugee agency want to increase the number to 15,000? We are already facing social problems created by them." Chong said the federation had last week sent a letter to UNHCR requesting to meet the agency to discuss the problem of vegetable trading being carried out by Myanmar refugees in Klang Valley. However, it had not received a response.

 

Myanmar, Rohinya Refugees selling vegatables at the Market !

 New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my

Refugee Stories, World Refugees Day,2013

The Tunnel of Waiting By OA (Syria)

 It is ten months since I entered the tunnel of waiting, or what I call my situation here in Malaysia. I remember all the details of my first interview at UNHCR. Since then, I have been a refugee and asylum seeker. I woke up the next day with confused emotions. The first thing I did was look up on the Internet the meaning of asylum. I wondered how I would introduce myself to society. I asked myself a lot of questions. Will I sing in the street on the way back to the house as I used to do in my country, without shame? Will I get a job according to my experience and education? Will I see life as before, full of happiness and enjoyment? In those days, I read a lot of poems about refugees and asylum and I worried that my life would become an appropriate story for a poem. Recently, a policeman stopped me and asked me for my passport. I tried to speak in Spanish so he would not think I was refugee. They consider refugees here illegal. Long after he left, I still felt the horizon very near to my chest and the clouds following me. The issue of refugees is a global one. While it most immediately affects developing nations, there is a strong argument that industrialised countries should help by allowing more migration. This is partly a moral issue and partly in the economic self-interest of industralised nations. We live in a global village and it is no longer possible to ignore what happens on the other side of the world. Today I live more in my memory than in the present. When I drink a cup of coffee, I remember how it was drunk on the balcony of my house with a beautiful view of Damascus, my family and friends with me.

 My Dreams By wadshamm (Sudan)

 I’m from the Darfur region. I was born in a small village called Khadira and grew up there. I went to primary school in Nouri district, close to my village. As I was completing primary school, militia known as Janjaweed, armed by Sudanese president Omar al-Basheir, attacked our village early morning Dec 30, 2003. All the people in the village ran away to the mountains and forest and hid themselves in the long grasses. We stayed there for three days without food and water. On Jan 2, 2004, we stepped down to Sisi, where there is a small military camp, seeking food and water. When we got there, we tried to find some people from my village, including my brother and some classmates. But we didn’t find them. Some friends and I went back to Khadira, Nouri and surrounding villages to look for them. Eventually, we heard they were killed by Janjaweed who attacked our village. We were shocked. Our properties were pillaged and burned systematically. Nothing remained. My family and I fled from our village with just the clothes on our bodies. When we got to Sisi, it was winter. Many people passed away. A few months later, some humanitarian organisations came and gave us clothes and food. Since I went to Sisi camp, I didn’t go back to my village because the Janjaweed are still around there. When the women go out of the camp to collect firewood, they are raped and tortured by Janjaweed. What I wish is for the UN to help our people in Darfur who are in a miserable situation. I wish peace to all people in Sudan. I don’t want to go back to my country. Why? Because there is no justice. The government kills people everyday. Why? Since I came to Malaysia, I have faced many problems including discrimination from the Malaysian people. Why? Because they can’t accept black people in their community. Also, there is no chance for work. I wish to find another place to achieve my dreams. 

 Sources: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/writing-class-for-refugees-chen-may-yee/ http://outstation.my/blog/2013/06/writing-class-for-refugees/

“Refugees’ Stories” for World Refugee Day on 20th June 2013

My Best Friends By AIZEN (Iraq)

 When I came here with my family, I left my friends and everything I loved in Iraq. Every time I met someone new, I wondered how they viewed me or if they would like me for who I am. At first, I did not make any friends. I did have class mates and lab friends but I did not feel they were my true friends. I told myself – who needs them? All need is my mom and dad and my sister. But as time passed, the fear and loneliness started to grow. After a while, I met some true friends. They did not even ask why I’m here or what I’m going to do for them. All they need is for me to reach out and I did that. Now I have two best friends. One is like my younger brother. I met him on Facebook and we started to share photos about anime and cosplay. He is always joking around and tries to keep a smile on everyone’s faces. The other is like the older brother I always wanted. We play online games together and he gives me advice on life. Not only is he really cool on the outside, but on the inside he can be your best friend, your team mate or just your friend. One day, on an outing with little brother, I met a girl. She has long black hair and brown eyes that can see your soul and your pain. Inside she is like a flower that you can never stop looking at it. I love her smile and her open heart but most of all I love her open mind. I was afraid at first, thinking a girl like her must have a boyfriend. Last month, I took a leap of faith. I told her how I felt about her. She did not seem surprised about it all. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and said to me: It’s about time, fool.

“Refugees’ Stories” for World Refugee Day on 20th June 2013

The Sky is Bigger By Ana (Iraq )

I still remember the first day I came to Malaysia. I saw for the first time in my life really high buildings, new faces. I think even the sky looked bigger and clearer. The clouds were close and I felt as though I could touch them. I remember how scared I was. The first years in Malaysia were really hard for me. I was only 15 when I came. I had my mother and my brother with me but I still felt alone even though I was not. I was born in Iraq. At age 3, I had to leave. I don’t remember why. After that I was living in Jordan before I came to Malaysia. When you become a refugee, people looked at you differently. Even though they don’t know anything about you or why you became a refugee. They don’t know how hard it is to leave your country where you thought you would live forever. They treat you differently, look at you differently. As if we are not humans like them. Back in the days, I think people used to care for one another, help each other. I am talking about everyone in the world, not just my country and here. But now every one cares about themselves. They don’t like to help, they are not very nice to you, always lying. If you want directions, they won’t help you. I don’t know why. People should treat refugees well, because you never know. Tomorrow that could be your life.

Peace a Prerequisite for Repatriation of Burmese Refugees: Minister

RANGOON — With nearly 800,000 Burmese nationals internally displaced or seeking refuge outside the country’s borders, the government on Friday emphasized the need to achieve ceasefire agreements nationwide before its people can begin the process of returning home in earnest.

About 350,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 440,000 refugees have been uprooted, according to Aung Min, a President’s Office minister and the chief negotiator in Naypyidaw’s efforts to achieve peace with the nation’s ethnic armed groups. The displaced are victims of communal violence, 2008’s devastating Cyclone Nargis, or the armed conflicts between the Burmese Army and armed ethnic rebels that have raged for decades.

Marking World Refugee Day on Friday—one day after it was officially observed worldwide—Aung Min said resettling Burma’s displaced was critical to its future.

“Our collective vision to build a democratic, open and inclusive society is not complete unless we can guarantee that displaced families can safely return home and will not be separated again by conflict and violence,” he said in prepared remarks to an audience at the government-affiliated Myanmar Peace Center in Rangoon.

With the installation of a nominally civilian government in 2011, and the political and economic reforms that have followed, talk has turned to the resettlement of IDPs and the repatriation of the hundreds of thousands of Burmese who live in neighboring countries.

Aung Min said there was progress on small-scale repatriation this week in Karenni State, where on Thursday he attended the conclusion of two-day peace talks that saw the signing of an eight-point agreement between the government and the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP).

Among the accords, the two sides agreed that the town of Shartaw would serve as one of the initial locations for returning IDPs. Any resettlement, however, will be contingent on land mine removal from the area, another point stipulates.

Myat Myat Ohn Khin, Burma’s minister for social welfare, relief and resettlement, said on Friday that achieving durable ceasefires nationwide was a prerequisite to the mass return of those displaced to their homelands.

“We need to achieve ceasefire agreements with the armed ethnic groups,” she said. “We are still discussing how to repatriate the refugees. We have to create jobs, build houses and provide food to returning refugees.”

Among Burma’s major ethnic armed groups, the reestablishment of a ceasefire accord with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) remains elusive, and occasional clashes between government troops and other rebel forces persist.

Despite the still simmering tensions in some parts of the country, preparations for refugees’ repatriation are ongoing.

Along the border in Thailand, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has begun working with refugees to prepare them for potential repatriation, organizing workshops and training sessions for some of the estimated 140,000 Burmese nationals in Thai refugee camps.

Refugees in Thailand’s Mae La camp were recently given cards asking them to choose one of three options: repatriation, move elsewhere in Thailand or resettle in a third country. A fourth option, to stay put, was nonexistent. Some refugees balked, but the survey’s organizers insisted that participation was voluntary and that the effort was simply to allow better preparation for when, or if, refugees did ultimately decide to return to Burma.

Hans ten Feld, the UNHCR’s representative for Burma, denied that Bangkok was putting any pressure on refugees along the border.

“They [the Thai government] are not in a hurry. They want return to happen when the time is right,” he told The Irrawaddy. “And that for us, and for the government of Thailand also, means that the individual refugee has to decide for himself or for herself that now he or she can go back.

“Reports about pushing or pressure on repatriation are not correct,” he added. “What is happening is that of course there’s more talk about repatriation, there’s preparation for the possibility of repatriation. It’s quite a large group of people there so there are a lot of things that need to be in place. That is what’s happening at the moment, but it’s still up to the individuals to say, ‘Now the time is right.’”

Internal Struggles

Along Burma’s west coast, more than 140,000 IDPs remain in temporary shelters, many of them displaced for more than a year, after two bouts of communal violence in 2012 between minority Rohingya Muslims and Arakanese Buddhists.

The UNHCR on Wednesday urged Burma’s leaders to act decisively to end discrimination in the state and nationwide.

“The ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingya community in Rakhine [Arakan] State, and the spread of anti-Muslim sentiment across the State and beyond, is threatening the reform process and requires focused attention from the Government,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement.

In northern Kachin State, about 100,000 people have been displaced since a 17-year ceasefire between the government and the KIO broke down two years ago. While humanitarian assistance to IDPs in the state has been received regularly in government-controlled territory, lands held by the KIO have been inaccessible until last week, when an aid convoy reached some 5,000 IDPs for the first time in nearly a year.

The aid delivery came two weeks after the KIO and government negotiators sat down for long-stalled peace talks in Myitkyina, the Kachin State capital. It was the first time the talks had been held in the country, with two previous rounds hosted by neighboring China.

“We hope that this [the aid deliveries] will now become a normal process but we have to take it step by step and see how it progresses,” Ashok Nigam, the UN’s resident humanitarian coordinator, told The Irrawaddy on Friday. “We certainly expect more, that this will now become normal given the peace talks that have been held recently. This is a point that had been mentioned in that agreement.”

Irrawaddy reporter May Kha contributed reporting.