We are lobbying the Australian government to increase visa places for Burmese refugees in Thailand, especially Karen refugees.
We are also lobbying the Australian government to increase the annual humanitarian intake to 20,000 places a year.
There is ongoing conflict throughout Burma. Every day villagers in Burma are killed or injured by landmines. War, torture, rape, forced labour, land confiscation, and ethnic cleansing force refugees to flee every day.
There is no likelihood the 150,000 Burmese refugees in Thailand will be able to return home in safety in the foreseeable future.
We are asking the Australian government to bring more refugees to Australia from Thailand.
Refugees from Burma have a good record in Australia: they learn English, get jobs quickly, and integrate into the Australian community.
We are making four requests to the Australian government:
- Give refugee visas to two thousand refugees in camps on the Thai-Burma border (up from one thousand visas each year).
- Ensure the different ethnic and religious groups in refugee camps are fairly and equitably represented in the refugee program.
- Work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to stamp out corruption and religious discrimination in the refugee process.
- Support refugees in Australia to learn English quickly, get paid work quickly, and integrate into the wider Australian community.
You can support our campaign by writing a letter or sending an email to the Minister for Immigration, Peter Dutton – minister@immi.gov.au
Does your church community include Karen refugees? Write a letter and ask your church pastor, deacons, and members of the congregation to sign it. You can download an example letter here.
We support the call by the Refugee Council of Australia for the Australian government to increase the number of refugees coming to Australia each year.
Photo: Karen Human Rights Group. Karen refugees from Burma cross the border into Thailand to escape a Burmese Army offensive.