diakonia april edition

8/19/2019 Diakonia April Edition

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PROTECTINGevery

CHILDsustaining orphanageson the Burma border

CLOSINGTHE CAMP

Resettling Cambodia’s Montagnards

A FINAL ACT OF KINDNESSVillagers remember a friend

diakonia

FAREWELL JRS country director

re fl ects on time in Australia


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akonia | January, 2011

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14 Hope anddesperation

We were welcomed to Mass with an opening song, “It is a newlife in the Lord…” Fr Peter Balleis and I (JRS International Director)were on a field visit to Papua New Guinea, and celebrated the firstSunday of Advent in a small chapel with mostly refugees from WestPapua residing in Neogamban, Western Province, Papua New Guin-ea. e refugees in this church are part of the 10,000 people residingand seeking refuge in this remote border, hidden and forgotten.

e choir sang with life, filling the chapel with joy and warmlywelcoming Fr Peter and I to their humble chapel.

Saint Paul referred to all people as saints. I could understandwhat he meant at this Mass, when I heard the upbeat music of thesesaints of God in exile.

ese refugees did not have a choice to live like this. It wasdecided for them: Australia, Germany and the Netherlands drew theboundaries of the whole island (West Papua of Indonesia and PapuaNew Guinea). “is is our land and we are the same people (Mela-nesian). Suddenly someone from above decided to separate us,” saidone West Papua refugee, now living on the border in PNG.

Displacement is oen driven by competition for resources.Multinational corporations (e.g. Free Port Inc. of the US in WestPapua for gold mining; Ok Tedi Mining company of Canada inPNG) have taken interest in the natural resources of this island.When politics and economics combine people become displaced.

And what is le for the people? Do West Papuans have ashare in the wealth of the nation? Why is there no corporate socialresponsibility? Corporations have plundered the land for resources,destroying the very fabric of the environment, poisoning the riversand land—a source of livelihood for the Melanesian peoples.

At the Advent Mass, Fr Masjon, the presider, spoke about the

thousands of people fleeing persecution in the Old Testament, flee-ing slavery in Egypt and seeking “the promised land.” “You share thesame hope for freedom of the people of Israel…” Fr Masjon said.

For people who have been stuck in PNG for 25 years, afraid toreturn home, and unable to make a living on the PNG side, I wonderwhat this “hope for freedom” means that Fr Masjon was referring to.

roughout the Asia Pacific region refugees are driven todesperation by the conditions in their new host countries. But theyare also driven by desperation to escape persecution.ey hope withdesperation. I don’t claim to understand this; no one can understandthis life except those who live it. In PNG protection is a mirage, be-ing forcibly returned to Indonesia is a real fear, and hope in despera-tion is their cup of suff ering that Christ referred to.

We wait for yet another sign of “new life” as we draw near theevent of the Resurrection (Easter). Perhaps people and nations couldremove the fortresses of prejudice and policy that keep people in ex-ile. Governments can shoulder the responsibility to protect refugeeswho are forced to flee. It should also instil in corporations a felt senseof responsibility, as opposed to a relentless thirst for profits.

Bernard Hyacinth Arputhasamy SJ

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January, 2011 | Diakonia C

To read more news briefs or more on these stories,

go to www.jrsap.org

JRS launches new site

Advocateawarded

Detention workshop

Superior General visits

Weaving a future

EDITORIAL

C ) ! 1 , . & # ! / ,Shan refugee children make livelihoodsIndonesia hosts detention workshopSuperior general visits regional officeLandmine advocate awarded degree

DEF ) ! 1 ,Ahmadi refugees detained in Bangkok Montagnards in Cambodia resettled

GEH= IEBJ= !B & ! / - 2 ! ! 3 % # 4 ! ,Raising a baby as an urban refugeeShan refugee runs children’s shelterAfghani seeks life anywhere but

Indonesian detention centreFriends in Timor Leste come together

K 5 ' ) " 'Alternatives to immigration detention

BBEBC 4 % 3 ! & , $ % & 0Protecting youth in Northernailand

BDE!J / ! ' $ - & ! ,A crossroads in Papua New GuineaRanong education project - photo story

Reflection from Fr Sacha, Australia

!!E!C 6 & % 7 ! 4 $ - 6 " ' $ ! ,Philippines: farming as a community

Indonesia: Merapi IDPs still struggle19

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Phnom Penh, 28 February 2011 — Following the closureof the centre managed by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR)on 15 February, human rights organisations have called on theCambodian government to ensure it off ers protection to asy-lum seekers.

Seventy Montagnards,part of ethnic minor-ity tribes from Vietnam’sCentral Highlands, hadbeen housed at the facilityin Phnom Penh. Late lastyear, the government or-dered UNHCR to close the centre by 1 January, saying that theMontagnards would either need to be resettled in third coun-tries or returned to Vietnam.is deadline was later extendedto 15 February.

According to UNHCR, 55 Montagnards had been resettledin Canada and the United States before the deadline, while afurther 10 are currently awaiting settlement.

e applications for the remaining 10 were unsuccessfuland are to be sent back to Vietnam.

e director of Jesuit Refugee Service Cambodia, Sr De-nise Coghlan, OSM, described the decision to close the centreas a positive step; she said it was an imperfect set-up that es-

sentially saw the asylum seekers confined to the centre, living inlimbo as their refugee statuses remained up in the air.

“Some people were in a closed site for six years, so I thinkit’s very good that it’s now finished,” Sr Coghlan said.

Sr Coghlan was among the most vocal critics when Cam-bodia chose to deportUighur asylum seekersback to China in late2009. Now, she said, she’shopeful the governmentwill give due process tofuture displaced people.

“Like most laws, something’s written down and we haveto see how it’s implemented. I hope it will be implemented ina humane way and according to the principle and spirit of theUN conventions,” Sr Coghlan said.

Human Rights Watch concerned

Human Rights Watch expressed concerns that aer therefugee centre closes, the Cambodian government will screenfuture Montagnard asylum seekers under a procedure that doesnot meet international standards.

e Human Rights Watch statement criticised the sub-de-cree passed by the Cambodian government in December 2009that does not incorporate the UN Ref ugee Convention’s defini-tion of what constitutes a refugee. It also lacks provisions tofulfil Cambodia’s other obligations as a country that is a signa-tory to the UN refugee convention, which ensures protection tothose seeking refugee status.

With insufficient procedural protections in place to pre- vent unlawful forced returns, the sub-decree provides Cambo-dian authorities great leeway to reject and expel asylum seekers.

Human Rights Watch continues to receive credible reportsof persecution of Montagnards in Vietnam, where more than300 have been imprisoned since 2001 for peaceful expressionof their religious or political views, or for trying to seek asylumin Cambodia.

Bangkok, 13 March 2011 — Ahmadi asylumseekers have suff ered tremendously. Religiouspersecution in their country has driven themfrom their homes, family, and careers to a placethat off ers little in the way of protection. Despitefacing arrest and detention they never lose theirdignity and resilience.

“Life in Pakistan for the Ahmadis has be-come a living hell. Hundreds have been murdered

because of their faith. Posters that claim ‘Ahmadis deserve to bed’ are put on walls to incite public hatred towards them,” saidikhar, Consul General of the Pacific Island of Tuvalu, on a visitangkok to raise awareness of the plight of Ahmadis.e Ahmadis are a Muslim ethnic group considered to betical by orthodox Muslims in Pakistan. ey have been declared-Muslims because they do not believe that Mohammed was theprophet sent to guide mankind. A number of laws have been

ed that make it a criminal off ence for Ahmadis to profess ortice their faith.Over the past three years, more than 450 Ahmadis have arrivedangkok in search of protection. But on 14 December 2010, ata.m., ai immigration officers raided the homes of 86 Ahmadi

um seekers and refugees. is first group, which included manymen and children, was forced into police vans and driven togkok’s immigration detention centre, where they were processedsent to court for violatingailand’s immigration policy.Facing persecution at home and arrest and indefinite detention

ailand, the Ahmadis are without solutions.“Only people living this life can know what we are going

ugh,” said an asylum seeker who chose to return to Pakistanbeing arrested and detained. Since January’sfirst round-up of

mdi people, two more raids were conducted, resulting in 114mdis detained on immigration violations.Dr Ikhar Ayaz had a simple message to share – the Ahmadis

peaceful people facing persecution and should be off ered protec-under the various human rights treaties and conventions.“ese people have come here to escape injustice, cruelty andhreat to their lives,” said Dr Iikhar Ayaz.“ose Ahmadis who have gone home have not done so be-e they wanted to or because they think it is safe. e conditions

DCs [immigration detention centres] are so terrible many feltwould rather take the risk of returning to Pakistan,” said one

mdi community worker.Some of those arrested were recognised as refugees, but the ma-y were still in the process of becoming recognised by the UN’s

refugee agency (UNHCR). One asylum seeker had been waitingfor nearly a year, aer having his interview postponed eight times.Without status he would spend months in detention under difficult

conditions, so he decided to risk his safety and return to Pakistan.

International protection

Dr Iikhar Ayaz is urging governments such as ailand andthe international community to show compassion and off er Ahma-dis temporary protection until long-term solutions can be found.

“e issue of Ahmadis leaving Pakistan is an issue of humanrights,” said Dr Iikhar Ayaz.

While the Ahmadis wait for UNHCR to recognise them as refu-gees and facilitate their resettlement they must live with uncertainty.

“What is important is that those who flee [Pakistan] areprovided refuge by the international community and treated with re-spect and dignity.ailand is currently president of the UN HumanRights Council and has a great responsibility to observe the UNHCRconventions and charters,” added Dr Iikhar Ayaz.

Oliver White, Regional Communications and Advocacy O fficer

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““Some people were in a closed site for six years,so I think it’s very good that it’s now finished.

Sr Denise Coghlan, OSM, country director, JRS Cambodia

Montagnards (pronounced mohn-tan-yards)

are a tribe of people from Vietnam’s Central

Highlands.

Montagnards to return to Vietnam, where many

are still imprisoned for peaceful protest.


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akonia | April, 2011 April, 2011 S Diakonia I

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Medan, 7 March 2011 – My name is Mohammed. I am a HazaraAfghan from the Kandahar province. I am 21.

e situation was very bad during the Taliban rule in Jaghori.e Taliban didn’t allow distribution of food so my father and mybrother opened a restaurant in the Kandahar province, which is thecapital of the Taliban government.

We made a good income from our restaurant because manyArab people and rich Taliban soldiers ate there. Besides working atthe restaurant I went to high school.

In 2001 the NATO army came to Afghanistan and sometimesNATO customers would come in and eat.

In 2004 my brother accepted a job as an interpreter with NATO.Aer a year the Taliban became aware my brother was an interpreterand sent my father a letter, saying, “Your son must leave his inter-preter job with NATO. If not, we will kill your son and your family.”

My brother and father were forced to flee. I was busy with mystudies and got my diploma in 2008 and was accepted to Kabul Uni- versity to study law. I was very busy with my studies because beingHazara my teachers were tougher on me than the other students,even threatening me. ere are no Hazara law professors becausethey aren’t allowed to teach.

Last year my father and brother returned to Afghanistan, aerthree years. On their way home to the Kandaharprovince, the Taliban took them because myother brother was an interpreter for NATO and

because we served NATO personnel at our res-taurant. We have not heard from them since.

Aer that I was confused and looked forany job that would help my family. I be-gan to teach at a high school, but aerthree months the Taliban found out about

my job and I received a letter saying, “Iknow you are a teacher. You teach oursons in a way that is against Talibanlaw. Waiting for your death.”

Aer that letter my mother ad- vised me to leave Afghanistan. I

had to leave the country to save

my life. I was hoping to find an opportunity to live and study in ademocratic country like Australia.

I went to Dubai and met a smuggler who said I could go to In-donesia and then on to Australia. Because the trip by land is danger-ous without any documents the smuggler told me to give him $1,000for safe passage.en he told me to show him my passport. When hesaw my passport he said that I did not have a visa and was illegal. Hetold me I had to give him $2,000 or he would call the police. I gavehim the money and aer three days I made it to Indonesia.

Aer 30 hours travelling in an overcrowded boat we arrived inIndonesia. Upon arrival we stayed in a forest for another day or so,

until we were arrested by the police.ey confiscated our money andour telephones and jailed us.Since then I have been in immigration detention waiting for a

solution. I can’t go back to Afghanistan as I am scared for my life.JRS provides exercise classes and movies. We are really grateful

to JRS personnel because they are very kind and good people.At the age of 21 I wish to find a chance at a proper life and con-

tinue my university studies. I am ready to get any kind of job andwant to continue my law studies at the same time.

I would like to reach Australia because it is a democratic coun-try with opportunities to study, work and make a new life. I am look-ing for anybody who can assist me with this wish.

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Upon arrival we stayed in a forest for another day or so, until we were arrestedby the police. ey confiscated our money and our telephones and jailed us.

Mohammed, detained since June, 2010

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Hazara people are an ethic group largely living in

central Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. They are

mostly Shia Muslims.

group has fewer rights than other Afghan groups

including economic sanctions, political discrimination

and threats against individuals.

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Diakonia | April, 2011 April, 2011 S Diakonia BB

But don’t let her appearance of deep-setnkles and her quiet speech fool you. She isstrong. She has to be. Mary has becomeher to 20 orphans and has to be resilient for

m.“e children become like family,” she

. “ey may have had trouble before theyhere, but I train them. ere is no trouble.”And the fact that there is no trouble aty’s House is an accomplishment. A smallpound in Northernailand, near the Bur-

border, there is trouble all around this safeen. e community is near a major druge where methamphetamine travels fromma to Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Local peo-as is the case wherever drugs are prevalent,

are at risk of addiction or involvement in thetrafficking.

“It is getting worse than it used to be. Butnot here,” she said.

Mary, who moved from Burma’s Shan State14 years ago, employs a discipline she learnedas an English teacher in a convent: tough love.And it’s this tough love that protects her chil-dren from the possibilities of drug trafficking,dropping out of school and sex work.

Her children must wake at 5:30 for Englishlessons. ey must cook and clean. ey must

attend school and look aer one another. Af-ter school, they tend the vegetable garden andpractice weaving. With this schedule, she, alongwith her biological son, are able to keep orderin a house of 15 teenagers, half boys and halfgirls.

“ere is no secret,” she said smiling. “Ev-erything I do, I do in the open. I am strict. I amup front.”

And her style has proven itself over theyears. Sitting in her kitchen, she points to aportrait one of her children painted of her. Heis now being educated as a monk. Near the por-trait is a photo of another one of her children,standing next to President George W. Bush. Shenow works in politics in the United States.

“I am very proud. Very proud,” Mary said,

putting the picture back on its shelf. Anotherfi ve of her children have gone on to be accept-ed for higher education in Chiang Mai. She istrying to support them financially on her ownwhile they study.

JRS supports Mary’s work by providingseeds for the vegetable garden.e children usethe vegetables in their meals and can sell theextras in town.

While she calls her home an orphanage,the title is not exactly accurate. Many of thesechildren have a parent or relatives in the com-

munity. But they are vulnerable. Some teenag-ers leave school to work in the fields or becomeaddicted to drugs. So when they need a safeplace to live, she tries to keep her doors open.

But with an ever-present drug problem inthe area and fewer funds to manage on everyyear, Mary admits to turning some childrenaway last year.

e name Mary’s House is also deceptive.It is more than a house. It is a place to learnweaving, an English school, vegetable garden,and a safe haven.

“I hope I can help some,” she said. “But Iam old enough already. Tired.”

Still, when asked if her youngest child — nine years old — is the last she will care for, shesaid, “I have no idea. I don’t know my future.”

The risks of being a childin Northern ThailandMary’s House is home to many

r home. At 75 years old,

akes her longer to get

ound than it used to. After

nning her orphanage —

odestly named Mary’s

ouse —

mits to feeling her age.

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Both Shan refugees and members of northernhill tribes like the Lahu face di fficult childhoods;dropping out, and drug and human tra ffickingare all risks to young people, many of whom justsimply want to go to school.

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Diakonia | April, 2011 April, 2011 S Diakonia BC

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Shan

violence broke out between Shan militias and the

military. They now live unregistered in Thailand,

Lahu: A Thai Northern hill tribe with fewer rights than

most Thai people. This leaves children and families at

rowing up in the Shan area of Northernailand is not easy.Without legal papers, work is hard to find, so from birthmany are resigned to a life of – at best – manual field labour,or – at worst – drug trafficking, prostitution or prison.

“ere’s a problem here with drugs and prostitution,” explained Mrmlek, a caretaker at a local orphanage for at-risk youth.e Shan people are an ethnic minority of northern Burma. In 1962

n Burma’s democratically elected government was overthrown, Shane was abolished. Since then, this group has been treated as second-

citizens, clashing with the Burmese military over the past 40 years.flict, systematic human rights abuses and repressive policies causedsands of Shan refugees to seek protection inailand.

But theai government does not recognise the Shan people as ref-s and has not allowed them to set up refugee camps along the border.nearly 500 Shan people reside in an unofficial camp called Kung Jor,

w dozen bamboo homes on a dusty hill.ey are not permitted to register with the authorities, leaving themerable to exploitation, unable to access social welfare programmesek resettlement. Many are forced to depend on others or enter ai-’s unskilled labour market as migrant workers.ey do difficult anderous work for less than US$3 a day.But outside of the Kung Jor camp, live other groups of vulnerable

ple such as the Lahu. e Lahu are hill tribe people from Northernland.ey live in the s ame community as the Shan, and though theylived in this country for generations, they are still considered legally

cond-class citizens. Some are forced to earn money from traffickinghamphetamine or shabu, as it is known in ailand.e border areaWiang Haeng is a notorious drug smuggling route from Burma intoland. e risks are high with ailand regularly administering theh penalty for serious drug related crimes.

“When they sell drugs it has a big eff ect on the whole family, but itis hard to find work in the villages, even on the farms. Drug smuggling isoen their only option to earn money,” Mr Kamlek said.

His orphanage, supported by JRS, takes in at-risk children from Bur-ma and surrounding communities, ensuring their safety and education.

He along with his staff are trying to protect them not only fromdrugs; HIV and AIDS is also a serious problem, destroying families andleaving children without parents.

“Some Lahu women and young girls are forced to work as prostitutesin Chiang Mai and they carry the disease back to the village,” he said.“e parents of two children in this orphanage died from AIDS.”

Mr Kamlek and his team seem at a loss on how to deal with these

intractable problems and their devastating impact on the community.“ese two problems will create more orphans in the district and

surrounding villages,” Mr Kamlek said, not knowing how he and his teamcan accommodate any more children.

Risk faced by children and support for orphanages

Some children join their parents to escape the con flict and poverty,making it hard for them to claim citizenship in Burma. Others are bornin ailand, never seeing their homeland. Because they are stateless theyhave limited access to education, health care and freedom of movement.

For those without a safe place to live, Lahu orphanage o ff ers somerefuge. Perched upon a dusty hillside and overlooking an ostensibly quiet village called Kae Noi, the orphanage is home to 27 children. Not all thechildren are without parents but le because of problems at home. “eorphanage protects the children from social and family problems andalso poverty,” Mr Kamlek said.

ose children fortunate enough to have a bed at the any of the area’s

orphanages are the lucky ones. Children without parents who live in the village have to work for a host family and are unable to attend school.

“Some ask to stay here over night because they are scared to returnto the host family, especially if the work is unfinished,” Mr Kamlek said.

Significant funding cuts forced the caretakers and teachers to findalternative sources of income.e decision to grow mushrooms and veg-etables was supported by JRS with s eedling funding for equipment, mate-rials and agricultural expertise. e Lahu orphanage now grows enough vegetables to feed everyone and even has some le over to sell in the vil-lage to raise extra funds. However, money is limited and the orphanage isunable to care for every child in need.

“Some years orphans approach us but we cannot take them. We donot have the resources to take care of everyone. ey end up staying withsomeone in the village. is means they are forced to work instead ofhaving access to real education,” Mr Kamlek said.

Support for schools

Although ailand mandates education for all children, regardlessof their status, many do not speak enough ai to keep up in class, orcannot aff ord the expenses like uniforms and transportation.

rough the generosity of donors, JRS provides financial assistanceand teacher training to three schools in the area, agricultural materialsand support for a livelihood project in Lak Tang Primary school. isschool now produces enough mushrooms and vegetables to feed the stu-dents and supplements the schools’ income. JRS provides scholarshipsfor children most at risk from dropping out to reduce the risk of traffick-

ing, child labour and prostitution.Wi Lai Poli is an eighth grade

student who was awarded a scholar-ship by JRS so s he could continue

her studies. Despite beingso young, Wi Lai is

acutely aware of the

importance of school.“If I was not at school I would work in the farm or go to Chiang Mai,”

Wi Lai said.Inspired by her English and maths teacher Wi Lai not only wants to

continue her secondary education but would like to make it her vocation.“I want to be an English teacher. I want to share my knowledge with

others like me.”JRS currently provides 18 scholarships a year. Last year over 200 stu-

dents applied. To maintain social harmony in the community JRS alsoshares 20 percent of scholarships withai children.

While the situation for Shan and Lahu children remains complexand dangerous, community leaders remain dedicated to the cause. AShan community leader has organised English classes for the commu-nity, teachers remain dedicated to seeing their students continue theireducation, and those running orphanages are determined to keep theirchildren safe. While a bright future may seem hard to see, both commu-nity leaders and dedicated students refuse to give up.

Oliver White, regional communications and advocacy o fficer * names changed to protect identity

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From the banks of the Fly River in the industrial township of Kiun-watch Martina standing motionless, perfectly balanced at the fronte dug-out canoe as it glides gracefully towards me.Martina’s house is set amongst a cluster of about 25 built on theway of the Fly River, just off the main road of Kiunga in Papua Newnea’s Western Province. With 97% of land in PNG owned by the in-nous people, and 80 percent of the population relying on the land for

r daily needs, there is little land available for purchase (even if youaff ord it). So the refugees who come to town to be closer to servicesemployment prospects settle on what unclaimed land they can find.

What created refugees in PNG

Martina is one of more than 800 West Papuan refugees living in theremote PNG town, her parentshavingfled across the Indonesian-PNG border along with nearly12,000 others between 1984 and1986. ey sought refuge fromthreatened and real violence fromboth the Indonesian military andthe PNG separatist group. Somefled to escape from Indonesia’soppressive policies which lePapuans feeling like second-classcitizens in their own land, othershoped to bring international at-tention and support to their resis-tance of Indonesian occupation.

More than 25 years on, ap-proximately 2,500 refugees nowlive in East Awin, the official campestablished by the PNG govern-

ment in an attempt to move therefugees away from the border.e 15 km tract of land at EastAwin site was carved out of thedense jungle.

Approximately 5,000 refu-gees refused the PNG govern-ment’s instruction to “either moveto East Awin or return to Indo-nesia” preferring to stay in theborder areas, close to their tradi-tional land and amongst peoplewho share the same language andculture. Even the removal of gov-ernment and UNHCR servicesdid not persuade them to move.Today, the Catholic Diocese of

Daru-Kiunga is the main provider of basic health and education servicesto refugees in these areas. In some places, the fast-growing refugee com-munities now outnumber their local hosts, and more and more land isrequired to sustain them.

e border refugees, like the PNG locals around them, live a sub-sistence lifestyle, growing sweet potatoes, bananas, cassava, peanuts andsago. Unlike many of the locals, however, they do not have access to theregular compensation payments made to communities who live alongthe rivers polluted by the Ok Tedi gold and copper mine which generatessignificant income for PNG. While many refugees complain about theunfairness of this arrangement — aer all they are living with the dailyimpact of the pollution — many observers remark on the industriousnessof the refugee communities who have not grown dependent on the cashhand-outs from the mine.

e remaining 2,500 refugees are scattered around PNG’s cities andtowns. ose in Kiunga, have come to be closer to schools, hospitals,markets and prospects for employment. Employment is hard to comeby, however, and many in town have little or no access to land for foodgardens. Many, like Martina’s family, rely on the small income raised byselling doughnuts, betel-nut, or icy-poles from small tables set up besidethe dusty road to pay for food, clothes and s chool fees.

The Catholic church and JRS

e Catholic Church has a long history of providing assistance torefugees in PNG. As a major partner in the early relief eff orts, it distribut-ed food relief and other basic supplies and was a significant advocate forthe humane treatment of refugees by the PNG government.e Dioceseof Daru-Kiunga continues, in partnership with NGOs to advocate with

Diakonia | April, 2011

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and on behalf of refugees and, through programs such as teacher train-ing, maternal health, adult literacy and student sponsorships, to ensuretheir basic needs are met.

Since 2008 JRS has been working in partnership with the Dioceseof Daru-Kiunga to provide accurate information to refugees about theirrights and options for the future, to strengthen the Diocese’s capacity toadvocate for refugees, and with the Bishop, to advocate for the rightsand needs of refugees at national and international levels. To this end,JRS information and advocacy officers have visited the remote refugeesettlements up and down the border to collect information, conductedtraining with Diocesan personnel, published newsletters for refugees,and worked with UNHCR and all levels of government to identify andaddress issues of concern to refugees.

The future for West Papuan refugees

e tables turn slowly in PNG, however, and positive change can bea long time coming. What is the durable solution to this protracted refu-

gee situation? Generally, in refugee situations, voluntary repatriation isthe preferred option, where possible. A number of refugees have indeedreturned to West Papua on Indonesian-sponsored aircra in repatriationexercises organised by the Indonesian and PNG Government. Indonesiapromotes voluntary returns, hoping to show to the international com-munity that West Papuans have no reason to seek refuge. UNHCR is notyet satisfied that the conditions necessary for voluntary return exist, so

has not supported such exercises. Withoutside journalists and human rightsorganisations prevented from enteringWest Papua, it is difficult to know howthese returnees fare.

For the majority of West Papuanrefugees, return is not somethingthey will do voluntarily, at least notuntil they achieve their political as-

piration of an independent West Papua. For these refugees, local integra-tion is the most likely durable solution. Indeed, aer more than 24 years,this integration is well underway. As the Bishop of Daru-Kiunga putsit, “e gradual, silent Melanesian-style process of integration throughpower-struggles, exchanges, alliances and inter-marriage is already tak-ing place.” Local integration is not without its challenges, however. Per-manent, regularised access to land, for instance, is a major issue of con-cern for both refugees and their host communities, with no easy solution.

Access to PNG citizenship is another obstacle to overcome, albeitwith a more straight-forward solution. Despite fulfilling the residencyrequirement for citizenship, the current fee of K10,000 (AU$4,500) isprohibitive for all but the most fortunate refugee. Additionally, borderrefugees are currently not eligible given that their status has not beenregularised. ese factors along with the operation of Indonesian lawhave le most refugees, including their children who were born in PNG,stateless. One refugee said “If they can’t give me citizenship, I’m ok with

that because I’m already old, but at least give my children a country tobelong to.” Other refugees only want to be a citizen of a free West Papua.Although resource-rich (because of the Ok Tedi gold and copper

mine), the dispersed population, lack of service infrastructure and diffi-cult-to-access rural population creates many obstacles to service provi-sion and economic development for its residents. As a result, the WesternProvince has some of the highest rates of poverty, and performs amongthe lowest in terms of health and education statistics.

Along with many refugees and locals, Martina is one of the 40% ofgrade 10 students who did not get high enough grades to obtain one ofthe limited number of places in grade 11. For these young people, op-portunities are limited. Martina is not deterred, however. She is takingany opportunity she can – attending JRS j ournalism sessions to producecontent for the JRS newsletter and improve her English skills has inspiredher try to upgrade her school marks by correspondence, and hopes tosecure a place at a teachers’ college.

Wren Chadwick, JRS information and advocacy o fficer in PNG.

PNG: A history

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When school interferes with family incomee life and dilemma for Burmese economic

migrants in Ranong,ailand

Diakonia | April, 2011

A PHOTO STORY

April, 2011 S Diakonia BH

Photo story by Oliver White

and Molly Mullen

Ranong is a small coastal town.Population 25,000, most people earntheir income from the sea — working

in hotels for tourists stopping off beforeheading to an island or into Burma;

working on fishing boats for weeks at atime to haul in squid, prawns and fish;

working in fish processing factoriesto prepare the meat for distribution

all over ailand; or working in local

shops and stands selling the fresh fish.

While these are all ai-ownedbusinesses, the economy here sustainsitself on Burmese workers who either

migrate permanently for work infactories, or seasonally to work on

fishing boats.

JRS has been dedicated to providingeducation to the children of these

economic migrants, but it has beenan uphill battle since establishing six

learning centres in 2000.

While JRS wishes to provide educationfor all young people, it must look ata bigger picture. Young people are

pressured to work starting at age 10to contribute to the family financially.Many uneducated parents may not seethe value in having their childrenfinishsecondary or even primary educationwhen their work options are limited to

factory,fishing or sales work.

Students only receive an educationcertificate if they go to ai schools, but

many Burmese families — althoughlegally allowed — are financiallyrestricted from formal education.

Besides, many parents would ratherkeep their children in JRS learningcentres, where they learn Burmese

language and culture along with ai.But without a certificate their educationmeans little more than the knowledgethey possess and they are resigned to a

life of factory and fishing work.

Dynamics

of providing

education

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e two words that come tomind when I reflect on the peopleI have met in my last two yearswith JRS are hope and generosity.

Recently, I baptised a beauti-ful baby boy, born to a Sri Lankancouple during their time in de-tention. I had first met them onChristmas Island, where theywere taken and kept for fourmonths before being transferred

to the detention centre in Sydney. ere I visited them every weekfor another six months.

When the baby was born, we agreed to baptise him as soon asthey were granted protection and were let out.ey decided to nametheir son Risen partly because he was born during the first week ofEaster, but also because for them this name encapsulated the hopethey had kept alive, against all odds, of a new life in a new and peace-ful country. I have found this hope kept alive in the hearts of mostof the asylum seekers and refugees I have had the privilege to meet.

I used to ask myself and sometimes others, “How are you able todo this, to keep on hoping despite so many obstacles and seeminglyinsurmountable challenges?” until one day a refugee friend said tome “I have lost everything, but the one thing I choose not to lose ishope. It is the one choice I have le and I will hold on to it as long as

I am sane.”During these past couple of years, I have also been struck by the

constant generosity of those who are part of the wider JRS commu-nity: our staff , volunteers, donors, supporters, friends and the asylumseekers and refugees themselves who despite their own struggles areoen able to care lovingly for one another. Earlier this year, I wasgiving a talk to a group of kindergarten students about the plight ofrefugees. I was not sure how much they had grasped, until a fi ve-yearold boy raised his hand and said “Father, if the refugees don’t have aplace to stay, they can all come and stay with me and my family.”

Easy solution! Or perhaps not, but the innocence of that remark,and the incredible spirit of generosity it contained, represented forme an expression of what is possible if we all allow this generousspirit to imbue our lives.

I believe one of the great gis JRS off ers is the possibility for boththis hope and generosity to be maintained and to flourish, and thatis a great benefit for those we accompany, serve and strive to give a voice. But it is also a great gi for us, forit means that we too live our own livesin hope and surrounded by charity, big-heartedness and kindness.

Fr Sacha has finished his timewith JRS. JRS Australia’s new countrydirector is Fr Aloysious Mowe SJ.

“We have great memories of João. We re-member the good company that João gave thecommunity at night. João sang, told stories andwas usually happy despite the disability he had,”one neighbour said.

João was living alone in Hera Village. Asan old man who had l ost his sight he dependedon neighbours to assist him. JRS supplied himwith materials to build a new home. Because hewas blind his friends in the village decided to

build the house for him. João was born in 1944in Hera Village. He worked as an iron welderfor many years, earning enough to sustain him-self.

In 1983 he realised his vision was becom-ing unclear and not so long aer he lost his sightcompletely. His blindness came from welding

without proper eye safety. With help from hisfriends he bought traditional medicines to treathis eyes and cured his sight. His friends urgedhim to find other work. But in 1994 he wentback to his iron-welding job because he wasskilled and earned good money. Years later helost his sight again and remained blind.

João had no family to lean on and livedalone. When JRS workers met João they noticedhis home was bare. JRS then decided to helphim when implementing its building activityprogrammes in the village. JRS decided to assistJoão construct his house and visited regularly;he said he felt very happy because although JRSwere not his family or neighbours, it was goodto know that people were around to help othersto live and enjoy their lives.

With the building materials in place, lo-cal authorities and youth groups in the villagestarted to build the foundation and walls of his

house. He died before it was completed.“João seemed well at the time he died. He

was singing with the children and suddenly fellill and went into the house, and he didn’t re-cover,” one neighbour said.

With permission from the community JRSdecided to use the remaining construction ma-terials to build his grave. Members of the com-munity who were helping João build his homestopped and helped complete one final projectfor their neighbour.

“João was a great worker in the village be-fore he went blind; he never tired from helpingothers,” one neighbour remembered.

Mario, JRS’ Timor-Leste field o fficer

Choosing to live with hope

during his two years as country director of JRS Australia.

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Diakonia | April, 2011 April, 2011 S Diakonia !C

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Aer the initial shock of more than 100,000 people losing theirmes, JRS responded to the aershock: cold lava.

Aer the Mt Merapi eruptions, more and more people along thees of the volcano lost their houses due to the destructive force calledd lava” where rivers wash down volcanic ash, stones and other mate-

rial. JRS continued to provide support to 3,752 of these newly displacedin some of the 13 government-managed camps.

JRS has been working with those displaced from the Mt Merapidisaster since November 2010, shortly aer the volcano erupted in lateOctober. Mt Merapi is the most active of 129 volcanoes in Indonesia andduring its latest eruption initially caused over 136,585 people to leavetheir homes and killed 322 others.

JRS responded to the crisis, providing support where it was aware ofgaps in the government and NGOs programmes.

JRS provided food, medicine, sleeping mats, s anitary products andclothing through distribution points for displaced living outside of theofficial camps and directly to people sheltered in surrounding villages.

With the help of 177 volunteers JRS assisted 75,957 IDPs and returneesduring the initial four months.

e government set up temporary shelters away from the evacua-tion radius from the volcano, but thousands of people instead went tosurrounding villages and were taken in by local villagers. While many villagers said they were happy to assist those displaced, they did not havethe capacity or income to care for them.

JRS Indonesia finished its emergency response but continues to stayin contact with the displaced and shares information on their needs andconcerns in local coordination meetings with authorities.

Lars Stenger, communications and advocacy o fficer, JRS Indonesia

Unable to rebuildx months after the initial eruption,

onesia’s most active volcano still prevents

ople from returning to rebuild their homes

d lives on its dangerous slopes.

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Starting over

e Zaman family have seen a lot over the11 years.eir home in a border village of Munai,

ao del Norte became one of many war zones000, when then President Estrada declaredall out war” on the Moro Islamic Liberation

nt. e Moro people, around 20 percent ofPhilippines’ population, have been seekingdetermination for decades. ere has beeneaceful resolution and in 2000 the violencelaced the Zaman family and close to a millionple in Mindanao.Taralbi Zaman, his wife and three children

sed the provincial border to safety. ey triedeturn home but violence continues to breakover the years, and they decided to remains in a safe community rather than riskingr lives at home.Although their dream to return home has

yet been realised, their wish to be self-suffi-t again has. “is is my dream; to own a cow,”

Taralbi said.In July 2010, the couple were one of the 120

household recipients of a JRS livelihood programfor IDPs in Lanao facilitated by the JRS local part-ner, the Muslim-Christian Agency for Advocacy,Relief and Development, Inc.e couple used thecash grant to plant corn on the 1.25 hectares ofland they leased.

“I am grateful for the grant from JRS andMuCARRD,” Taralbi said.

Under normal circumstances, he would haveto take a loan with high interest in order to farm.By a stroke of luck the corn price rose duringharvest time and Taralbi and Dayano were ableto purchase a calf from their corn produce.eyare looking forward to sharing this blessing withother IDPs in the community.

JRS has been working to create livelihoodprojects for IDPs since last year, focusing exten-sively on providing opportunities to householdswith mothers as the head, since they are most vulnerable.

While there are thousands of families stillwithout a livelihood, this is just the beginning ofJRS’ work in the area.

And this is also just the beginning for IDPsincluding the Zamans to rebuild their lives andhelp others. Because aer receiving assistance,they are determined to assist other Moro IDPs.

“When this cow begets an off spring, I wantto share it with others,” he said.

Naidz Gauraki, Panginam O Masa-Mu-CARRD with Louie Bacomo, programme o fficer, JRS Asia Paci fic

e JRS livelihoods project in the Philippines inspires hope to

ds for farming, some are able to start their lives over.


13/13

Return address: Bangkok, 10406, Thailand

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diakonia

JRS Asia Pacific has relaunched its

website with a new design and newfeatures to help you better accessnews updates about displaced peoplein the region. You can read backissues of Diakonia, get informationabout specific projects and readcontent as soon as it is written.

You can still access the site at www.jrsap.org

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