I wonder about these daily “find haven” articles. Is there some sort of template reporters follow when writing refugee resettlement stories? The stories always start with a heartbreaking tale and as you read down there are little hints that not everything is peachy, but the reporter can’t quite bring him or herself to say it. Almost every story ends with a plea for volunteers, so you know the resettlement agency is struggling even when the community is “welcoming”.
One of two “find haven” stories today is from Florida and involves the Burmese refugees.
Nearly 14,000 Myanmar refugees have found their way to the U.S.during the past year, according to figures from the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. Close to 500 of them came to Florida.
O.K. I know there are Buddhist monks dying as they face-off with the brutal military regime that runs Myanmar, but here is what I really want to know. Why are we scooping up all the pro-democracy advocates who should be standing side by side with the brave monks and instead bringing them to America to wash dishes?
The majority of Myanmar refugees who have made it to Central Florida are single men like Thang.
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Thang places his right hand on his chest when speaking of his homeland. He misses his life as a corn and wheat farmer….. he works as a kitchen helper at a hotel near International Drive.
If anyone has the answer, a real policy answer not some mushy answer, please tell me.