World Video | Defence | Fiji | Foreign Affairs | Natural Events | Trade | NZ in World News | NZ National News Video | NZ Regional News | More Categories

 


UN And Thailand Re-Register Myanmar Refugees


In Move To Boost Protection, UN And Thailand Re-Register Myanmar Refugees

In an effort to provide protection for some 140,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand and assist in any solution to the decade-old problem, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Government have begun a massive five-month-long operation to re-register the entire population of nine camps sheltering them.

The 47-member registration team will move from camp to camp, from south to north, using UNHCR’s newly-developed ProGres software to provide an accurate record of the number of refugees and to collect additional bio-data such as digital photographs and fingerprints required by the Government.

All of the nine camps, strung along Thailand's western border with Myanmar, are run by the Government with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing assistance. The exercise began on 2 December and is expected to end in April.

The re-registration began in the densely-populated Tham Hin camp in Ratchaburi province which hosts in a 16-hectare site some 9,000 refugees from the Karen ethnic group who sought asylum during a military offensive in early 1997.

The information will help UNHCR provide protection for the refugees and also assist with requirements for any eventual durable solution, the agency said in Bangkok, the Thai capital. It will also help NGOs provide better assistance to the refugees, many of whom have been living in the camps for nearly a decade. The camp population was first registered in 1999, but only very limited data was collected at that time.

 
 
World Headlines

 

Climate Change: Copenhagen Spoof Shames Canada; No Joke!

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - ''Canada is 'red-faced'!'' ( Globe and Mail ) ''Copenhagen spoof shames Canada!'' ( Guardian) ''Hoax slices through Canadian spin on warming!'' ( The Toronto Star ) ''A childish prank!'' ( Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada ) More >>

ALSO:


West Papua: Rebel Leader Shot In Raid, Dead: Police

Kelly Kwalik, a leader of separatist Free Papua Organization (OPM), died on early Wednesday after being shot in a raid by security authority. More >>

Indigenous Land: Samling Global Under Pressure Over Land Claims

Timber giant, Samling Global, which is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange (HK 3938), is meeting with increasing resistance from native communities over its tropical forest logging operations in Sarawak, East Malaysia. More >>

Foreign Aid: Boosting The Agricultural Sector In Myanmar

United Nations development officials held talks with Government ministers in Myanmar today aimed at boosting the impoverished country’s agricultural sector to help it reclaim its status as the rice bowl of Asia. More >>

Humanitarianism: Malaria: Funding Is Making An Impact

Manila, 15 December 2009— Significant progress has been made in delivering life-saving malaria nets and treatments over the last few years, but the coverage of malaria programmes needs to be stepped up drastically. More >>

ALSO:

Europe: Norway Campuses Reject Coca-Cola

December 14, 2009: In another major victory for the international campaign against Coca-Cola, colleges and universities in Norway have decided not to renew the exclusive contract with Coca-Cola. More >>

International Law: Attack On West Bank Mosque Draws Condemnation

The senior United Nations envoy to the Middle East has condemned the burning and desecration of a mosque in the West Bank, describing the attack as part of a worrying wider pattern of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. More >>

Mining Ethics: Scare Tactics Against Human Rights

There have been repeated protests against Vedanta's planned mine. Metals giant Vedanta Resources’ Indian subsidiary has launched an unprecedented attack on Survival International, apparently to drive its researchers out of an area. More >>

Intellectual Property: EU Approval Of Internet Copyright Treaties

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with safeguarding intellectual property rights today welcomed the European Union’s ratification of the so-called Internet Treaties. More >>

LATEST HEADLINES

More RSS  RSS

MOST READ HEADLINES

More RSS  RSS
 
 
 
powered by newsagent
NZ independent news