Thread: Burmese refugees on the way to US

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5295014.stm


Burmese refugees on the way to US


Sixty-three people left Tham Hin camp on Tuesday, but hundreds more are due to go in the coming weeks, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

The refugees are mainly from the minority Karen ethnic group.

UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres and US Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey visited the camp on Tuesday to highlight the refugees' plight.

Thousands of people have fled across the border to temporary camps in Thailand to escape fighting between ethnic rebel groups and the Burmese military.

More than 140,000 Burmese nationals, mostly from Karen or other minority groups, live in these camps.

Most of those living in Tham Hin have been there for nearly 10 years.


Last year, Washington offered all the residents of Tham Him the chance to resettle in the US.

Tham Hin camp, 29th August
Many refugees in Tham Hin have been there nearly 10 years
But stringent new anti-terrorism rules imposed by the Homeland Security Act barred many of them, on the grounds that at some time in the past they had made contact with the armed Karen rebel army, the Karen National Union (KNU).

Ms Sauerbrey admitted during her visit on Tuesday that this law had "caught people who were not intended to be caught".

The US has recently waived this restriction, and Ms Sauerbrey said Washington was "very keen to resettle as many of these refugees as want to come".

She added: "Within the next year, we hope to bring thousands from Tham Hin and also to begin processing refugees from the other six camps where there are Karen."

Some 2,700 refugees are expected to have left the camp for the US by the end of this year.

As well as participating in US resettlement programmes, the UNHCR is working with countries including Australia, Canada and the UK to secure places for the refugees.

I wonder just what skills these people will bring and what their contribution to society will be??? Millions more in welfare. When will this absolute madness end? It seems Bush is trying to empty out Third World countries. I guess these people will be marching soon, eh?

I don't have a problem with this. This is how our immigration system is supposed to work. We are allowing and screening people for acceptance and admission into America. We are making a special acceptance to our quotas for refugees. Our congress has made the decision and DHS had been involved in the screening process. Unlike the immigration issues we have with Mexico. The Mexico quotas have been blown out of proportion due to illegal migration and avoiding our screening process. The Mexican population here today, would not be so if they had immigrated legally because they are over quota limits. That's our rule, that's our law and that is what Americans expect and will accept.

Some of the best people I know were refugees from Laose and Cambodia. They have made wonderful citizens. My friend is a survivor of war and she has overcome many obsticles, including learing a language to become a doctor.

Dixie

I don't have a problem with this

Dixie - With an honest and common sense legal immigration system I don't either but I really don't trust our system right now.

Our congress has made the decision and DHS had been involved in the screening process

Is this not the same congress and DHS involved in all the deceit, lies, ineptitude, inefficiencies and outright traitorious activity we talk about every day? Our system is broke and it isn't just illegal immigration.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't allow for certain "refugees" but IMO it all needs to stop until we can see just what we have. We are being overrun from all directions . I guarantee laid end to end our entire immigration system is a gigantic mess. Not even counting illegal immigration how many come in "legally" ? Who knows? We've got this exception and that exception. Not to mention Visa overstays and abuses etc. Trying to figure out what we have now to me is kind of like trying to count the number of people on a subway car as the doors are open and folks are moving on and off at the same time. Not only that we have people on the roof and some hanging on the axles...

Also while I admire the story of your friend not all refugees that come here with the blessing of our congress and DHS are like this.

Following is the same act that allows for the refugees in this article and probably your doctor friend too. They are generally "exceptions" to our legal immigration system. Many if not most don't count against the numbers.

The Refugee Act of 1980 has turned thousands of Somali Bantu into American dependents. Millions more “refugees” may be eligible for resettlement in your neighborhood
http://www.amconmag.com/2002/2002_11_18/cover4.html

I'm not saying that we shouldn't allow for certain "refugees" but IMO it all needs to stop until we can see just what we have. We are being overrun from all directions .

Agreed!

I suggest that everyone read that article about the Somalis. What struck me is that do not want to work, but rather send out "scouts" to find the best welfare cities in the U.S., and they move into them. Over half of the world can be classified as "refugees" under the Congressional Act. Just how many and from where and on what basis do we choose??? I disagree with people coming en masse and with the suspension of the terriorist "rules". Just how many terrorists are sliding right in with the others? The system is broken, but not in the way they speak of it. And just how much more poverty can this nation support with 1-4 blacks now in poverty and a higher rate than that for Hispanics. Reality has to be faced or it will come crashing down on you.

Because the immigration system is completely broken and millions have streamed across our borders uninivited we need to cut even legal immigration way,way down until we can establish some kind of order in our immigration system.The U.S. has a limited amount of resources and there's no way we can accommondate the 5billion 700 million other world citizens who want to move here.

We as a nation have already taken in more than all other nations of the world when the (by some estimates) 20-30 million illegal immigrants are included in the count.Of course if the senate bill 2611 should pass 66-100 million more from south of the border are waiting in the wings.This is complete madness on the part of the government for allowing this.

We need to let the dust settle before we start up Kennedy's refugee program again. How long will they be off the boat before "The Left" has convinced them they are victims of the American system and are entitled to the good life immediately if not sooner.. What is our government hoping to accomplish. If they lived in refugee camps for TEN years they must not have a great deal of drive. The Palestinians have lived in refugee camps now for more than 50 years and you could hardly call them achievement oriented.
I hope I'm wrong. Still I wish we had leaders like Captain John Smith who said "If you don't work, you don't eat".

Somebody in Washington better get a clue! We cannot continue to accept these people! Go to the org. story and see the pix. ...it's bound to be more welfare people, once they arrive.

Americans need to contact their reps., and demand that we be able to vote on more issues than we are now...taxes, immigration, etc.

I'm tired of a bunch of elitists sitting around designing the world as they want it.

Wake up people, our immigration system IS NOT BROKEN. It's just that it's not enforced. If our existing laws were enforced, we would not have any problems. We don't need new laws, we need enforcement of our existing laws.