Burma refugees move into resettlement centre

Families from war-torn Burma were beginning a new life in Co Mayo today under a special UN refugee resettlement programme.

A group of 50 men, women and children have come from an isolated refugee camp on Burma’s border with Thailand.

A further 45 people will arrive in Ireland in mid-November.

The group will be accommodated in a training centre in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, to prepare them for permanent resettlement in Castlebar.

The refugees were referred to the Government’s resettlement programme by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Ireland is only one of six European countries that participate in the initiative.

“Resettlement is considered only as a last resort when all other options for these people have been considered,” said a spokesman for the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

“Most refugees hope to return to their country of origin to rebuild their lives and when that option is not available their second preferred option is to rebuild their lives in familiar surroundings in another country in the region.

“Following arrival in Ireland, the group, consisting of 10 families, will initially be accommodated in an orientation training centre in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, where they will receive training to prepare them for independent living in preparation for permanent resettlement in Castlebar, Co Mayo.”

Last year 180 Iranian Kurds arrived from a refugee camp in Jordan and were resettled in Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon and Mullingar, where they are adjusting well to life in Ireland.

A total of 29,560 refugees were resettled in 15 countries worldwide under UNHCR-sponsored programmes.

The Simon Cumbers Media Challenge Fund, which is grant-aided by Irish Aid, financed media projects in Burma during 2007.

More than 160,000 people in Burma have been forced to flee their homes since 1990 due to persecution from the ruling military regime. They live in several refugee camps on the border with Thailand where NGOs provide essential humanitarian services.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest in Rangoon for almost 12 years.

The Irish Government has raised awareness of the politician’s plight many times and U2 and songwriter Damien Rice have dedicated songs to her.

Burma is one of the poorest countries in Asia and up to 40% of national income is spent on the military.

Trocaire aid agency helps run projects in the refugee camps in conjunction with the Thailand Burmese Border Consortium NGO.

Last year Irish aid helped fund two independent reports on the torture and deaths of political prisoners in Burma.