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Iraqi refugee family traverses half the globe seeking a new home
27 Dec 2006 For one Iraqi, the search for a better life has taken him half-way around the world and thrown him into the clutches of people smugglers. Now safe in Indonesia, but only allowed to stay temporarily, he and his wife and three daughters dream of making a permanent home in a country like Australia. -
Fingerprints mark new direction in refugee registration
30 Nov 2006 Malaysia has become the first Asian country where UNHCR is using biometric technology to track the identities of refugees and asylum seekers, a measure certain to heighten the credibility of the refugee agency's registration system in the eyes of the Malaysian government. -
In Thai camps, legal centres hold out hope for greater justice
22 Nov 2006 The UN refugee agency has opened the first of seven planned legal assistance centres in refugee camps in Thailand, sparking hopes that tens of thousands of Burmese refugees will get greater justice for the rapes and other violent crimes that plague the closed camps. -
UNHCR concerned about deportation of 53 Lao Hmong from Thailand
16 Nov 2006 The UN refugee agency said Thursday it was seriously concerned about Thailand's deportation to Laos of 53 ethnic Hmong, including a newborn baby. The forced return of the group is tantamount to refoulement, contrary to international humanitarian law. -
In search of freedom, Burmese refugees head for new life in America
13 Oct 2006 Nearly 7,000 Karen refugees from Myanmar have been resettled in the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries as UNHCR's resettlement programme from camps in Thailand moves into high gear. -
UNHCR chief urges rich countries to open doors wider to refugees
29 Aug 2006 UNHCR chief António Guterres called on Tuesday for rich countries to grant significantly more refugees the chance to settle on their shores and enjoy "new opportunities for a new life." Guterres made the call during a tour of a Thai refugee camp with US Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey. -
First Karen refugees swap tropical forest of Thailand for US concrete jungle
18 Aug 2006 A first group of 23 ethnic Karens left a refugee camp in Thailand this week for new lives in the United States. They are among hundreds of Karen refugees who are slated to be resettled in North America. -
Dutch MP calls on Thai government to relax restrictions on refugees
9 Aug 2006 After spending her summer break with Karen refugees from Myanmar in three camps in western Thailand, Dutch MP Corien Jonker says Thailand would benefit if it allowed the 140,000 refugees in the country to work and contribute to the economy and society. -
Refugees from Myanmar get a crash course on Dutch culture, society
31 Jul 2006 When a group of 35 refugees from Myanmar flew to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport earlier this year, they were schooled in how to deal with the culture shock of living in a new and strange country. They had taken part in a special cultural orientation course in two Thai refugee settlements.