Day: January 16, 2009

CNN gets in on the Rohingya story today

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update Jan. 17th:   The story is growing like a cancer.

While I was out today, I happened to notice a TV tuned to CNN with a trailer that said something like ‘Thailand denies whipping refugees on beach.’   Here is the story CNN has reported today on the alleged mistreatment by the Thai military of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladesh arriving illegally in Thailand.

This is what a representative of Refugees International told CNN:

“The Thai government is taking highly vulnerable people and risking their lives for political gain,” says Refugee International’s Sean Garcia says.

“It should be engaging the Burmese government on improving conditions at home for the Rohingya if it wants to stem these flows.

I don’t get it, Mr. Garcia, what political gain is Thailand getting out of this?  And, what the heck is “engaging the Burmese government”.     I hate it when these yakkers tell other people (or countries) to start “engaging!”   Engaging how?   More talking?   

And, I noticed too that CNN never mentions that the Thai government is afraid this latest huge influx of Rohingya men (they have not brought women and children) have actually come to Thailand to join the Islamic insurgency in the south of that country.  Oh no, it’s all about the immigrants, never about a country protecting its sovereignty or the safety of its citizens.

I don’t mean to suggest that Thailand shouldn’t treat the Rohingya humanely, they should.    Detain them, treat them well, and deport them back to where they came from.    But, I can just see it coming….actually I hear the drumbeats.

The US will have to airlift them to a town near you, just as the Maltese boat people are being brought to America or the Iraqis by the tens of thousands.

For more on the Rohingya, see our category here, including all of our recent posts on the Rohingya boat men.

Movin’ ’em out in Malta: US will take a bunch more illegals

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has set up an office in Malta to help move the illegal aliens, mostly Africans, (we told you about their rioting the other day), that arrive there by the boatload, to countries willing to take them.   This article says they don’t have enough case workers to process the boat people, so  not wanting to slow the process, Malta is seeking to hire more.

Several countries have pledged themselves to resettle a number of people given refugee status in Malta, but this can only be done once their case is fully processed.

They are pinning hopes on the new EU Immigration pact, however…..

The spokesman denied that there were any current bottlenecks in the processing of refugee status, noting that less than 100 places have been pledged within the EU.

It is really O.K. though because we, the United States, will take more and probably give them tea parties too!

On April 2008, however, the United States Embassy pledged its intention to continue its resettlement program, which it said would allow “hundreds more refugees living in Malta to be resettled in the US”.

By the way, Malta Molly, aka Ambassador Tea Party,  is returning to the US soon and cites her work in helping Malta’s illegal aliens get to your neighborhood as one of her accomplishments.

A report on Iraq’s Internally Displaced people worth checking out

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) released a report this month on the situation in Iraq regarding its internally displaced people.  ‘Refugees’ are returning to their homes but often face problems when they do so.

IRAQ – Growing Numbers of Displaced Returning Home Continue to Face Basic Needs – Although there are growing numbers of internally displaced people (IDPs) returning to their homes within Iraq, many are coming back home to be faced again with basic needs including shelter, health care or water and sanitation.

In the latest IOM needs assessment of Iraq’s internally displaced people, the report highlights Baghdad as the main destination for returnees but that often people are going back to find their homes destroyed and key infrastructure in disrepair. Many homes need to be rebuilt and buildings, water pipes, electrical networks and basic public services such as health centres are cited as in need of repair and rehabilitation to meet the needs of returning IDPs or refugees.

Note that fears of sectarian violence, not US military action, is primarily responsible for the shifting population.  290,000 have returned home so far.

There are an estimated number 2.8 million IDPs in Iraq, of which 1.6 million have been displaced since February 2006 when the bombing of the Al-Askari mosque in Samarra triggered a new upsurge in violence. A further 2.4 million Iraqis are refugees, living predominantly in Iraq’s neighbouring countries. Since 2006, IOM has identified more than 290,000 people who were internally displaced or who left Iraq as refugees as having returned to their homes.

When you look at the IOM report note that the largest majority were displaced from Baghdad (63.9%).  Then these numbers I found surprising.  A smaller percentage of the population, the Sunnis, controlled Iraq under Saddam.  So, I was under the impression from news reports that the Shia majority was now getting even and causing Sunni displacement, but these numbers show the opposite story.   Displacement breaks down as follows:

Arab Shia Muslim 57.7 %

Arab Sunni Muslim 30.7%

Kurd Sunni Muslim 3.7%

Assyrian Christian 2.8%

Chaldean Christian 1.7%

As Judy reported on many occasions, the Iraqi government must get on the ball and make the transition home as easy as possible.  It will be a key to Iraq’s future.  Right now US NGO’s are happy to drain Iraq of its best and brightest by airlifting them to the US to compete with increasingly out of work US workers!