Burmese refugees dream of return to troubled home

Burma refugees resettled in Co Mayo under a UN program are adjusting well to Irish life but dream of a future return to their troubled country, they said today.

More than 50 people from a crowded refugee camp on the Thailand border are now attending schools and workshops in Castlebar as part of a carefully-managed integration process.

The Karen tribe families arrived in Ireland in September as government forces were crushing massive pro-democracy marches led by Buddhist monks.

Three months earlier officials from the Integration Unit of the Department of Justice had travelled to the Burma/Thai border to select the refugees and organise their travel plans.

Mother-of-six Way Day, 34, hopes her children will get a good education in Ireland and some day return to assist the political situation in Burma.

“I wish one day that my children will be able to help people back home in any way that they can,” she told PA through a translator.

Father-of-five Takyi Takyi said conditions in the Ban Don Yang refugee camp and the political situation in Burma prompted his move to Ireland.

The Karen tribe were forced from their hillside villages inside Burma by the military and they made their way to one of a dozen refugee camps run by NGOs on the border with Thailand.

“It is very depressing to be in the same place for so many years so we wanted to get away from it,” said Takyi.

“The situation in Burma didn’t seem to be improving so we had to look at other options.”

He wanted his children to become nurses or teachers.

He added: “The children have made a lot of friends at school. They are adjusting faster than the adults. We are making slower progress.”

Department of Justice senior official John Haskins said the Burmese refugees were gentle, dignified and hardworking people and the transition to Irish life was progressing well.

The refugees took part in an eight-week orientation programme in Ballyhaunis before moving to Castlebar.

Children were given basic English and mathematics courses while the adults learned about aspects of Irish life like cooking, household budgeting, applying for a driving licence or a library card.

Many have never before seen common kitchen appliances like cookers or washing machines.

Mr Haskins explained: “We try to help the refugees towards making what is a major transformation in their lives. The children benefit most in the long term. Adults will always have problems with the adjustment but the progress of their children will encourage them.”

As refugees the Burmese have the full rights of Irish citizens, except certain travel restrictions abroad. It usually takes about five years to become an Irish citizen.

Up to 20 local and national service providers are closely involved in the integration project including the HSE, Mayo Enterprise Board and Mayo Partnership.

Ireland is only one of a small number of countries including the US, Canada and Norway which have accepted refugees from Burma.