Japan agreed in 2008 to accept 90 Burmese refugees from northern Thailand's Mae La camp over three years, making it the first Asian country to agree to resettle refugees on its soil. [Reuters]Japanese officials are interviewing Burmese refugees in a camp in northern Thailand in the first step towards their resettlement in Japan.
The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, says those being interviewed are in dire need of resettlement, having lived in camps for extended periods, some up to 20 years.
Japan agreed in 2008 to accept 90 Burmese refugees from northern Thailand's Mae La camp over three years, making it the first Asian country to agree to resettle refugees on its soil.
The first family should leave for Japan in September.
Malaysian identidy cards
Meanwhile, Burmese refugee groups have given a cautious welcome to the Malaysian government's plan to issue identity cards to refugees recognized by the United Nations.The Secretary-General of the Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry, Mahmood Adam, says the plan is in its final stages but has not given a time frame as to when the cards would be issued.
The proposed identity cards will allow refugees to live temporarily in Malaysia.
Possession of the identity cards will protect refugees from arrest, although it still falls short of official recognition of their refugee status.
According to the refugee ageny, the UNHCR, some 70,000 of the estimated 76,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the agency in Malaysia are from Burma.
A further 100,000 Burmese refugees lack UNHCR recognition and face official harassment, arrest and detention.
Source :http://australianetworknews.com/stories/201002/2808725.htm?desktop
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