Karen refugees & Their Resettlement in Georgia
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Transcript Karen refugees & Their Resettlement in Georgia
Karen refugees & Their Resettlement
in Georgia
Daniel Gilhooly
September 2010
Myanmar (Burma)
“Burmese” Resettlement in Georgia
Year
Georgia
United States
2002
0
128
2003
3
200
2004
14
1054
2005
16
1447
2006
23
1323
2007
401
9776
2008
574
12,852
2009
875
18,275
History of Burma and the Karen
Burma is the first destination of American Missionaries
The Story of Toh Meh Pah
Karen Conversion to christianity
British Coloninization 1870s-1948
Since Independence the country has been at civil war
Miltary Junta (ethnic Burmans) have ruled
8-8-88- The 45 kyat and 90 kyat policy
The Karen Diaspora
Over a million ethnic minorities flee
Refugee Crisis in Thailand
Who are the “Burmese” refugees in the
USA?
The majority of refugees listed as “Burmese” are ethnic
Karen, many of whom had lived for extensive periods in Thai
refugee camps. Many school aged children were born in the
camps.
Karen represent 90% of the refugees listed from Burma
Most Georgian refugees are Sgkaw (Saw) Karen, 95% of
whom are Christians.
Other ethnic groups include:
Chin, Po Karen, Shan, Mon and ethnic Burmese
Faces of the Karen in Georgia
Karen names
Per He Lu- Mountain of Teak
Bwa Bwa-White-White
Tee Ser Paw- Sweet Water flower
Mahn Phan Shaung- Mr. Bright Unity
Mular Moo- Hope Life
Eh Phyo Paw- Collective Love Flower
Sah Moo Dah-Star in the Sky
Eh Ker Ter- Loved the Most
Moo Moo- Life-Life
Who is a refugee?
According to Article One of the 1951 Geneva
Convention, a refugee is a person who:
is outside his or her country of nationality or habitual
residence;
has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his or her
race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social
group or political opinion;
and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the
protection of that country, or to return there for fear of
prosecution.
Karen refugees
Karen is a term that refers to multiple ethnic hill groups.
Refugees have been crossing the Thai-Burmese border since
1975
Prior to 2006 most Karen refugees residing in Thai refugee
camps were ineligible for resettlement due to the presence of
KNU forces in and around Thai refugee camps.
Approx. 140,000 refugees live in Thai camps.
Karen have been resettled in Sweden, Great Britain, Finland,
Canada, the USA, and Australia
It is estimated that over 1 million Karen live illegally in
Thailand
Thai refugees camps
Three major Refugee Camps in Tak District, western Thailand
Nupo Camp
Mae La
Umpiem Mai
UNHCR, http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/47b997fe1e.html
Karen Resettlement in Georgia
Case assurance
Sponsorship arrangement
Setting up of apartment
Welcoming family at airport
Cultural orientation
School registration
ESL registration- to date only 4% of all GA minorities receive ESOL support.
Social Security application
Georgia State I.D. application
Minimal financial support designed by U.S. government standards
Employment counseling and job placement
Health care referrals and treatment if necessary.
http://www.rrisa.org/resettlement.html
Criteria for Resettlement
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Criteria
1. Medical check-up
2. Credible fear of persecution
3. Criminal background check
4. Not providing “material support” to Karen National Union
(KNU)
*5. Although religion is not an “official” requirement 90% of
Karen resettled are Christian despite the fact that they represent
only 30-40% of the total Karen population.
The Status of Three Families
Very little data on Karen Resettlement nationally.
Out of the 3 families I work with ( 13 students) all are in danger of
failing their respective grade level except 1 first grader.
No way to test for learning disabilities
Difficulties communicating with parents
Health Issues related to diet and hygiene
No additional language support.
Lack of awareness, preparedness, resources
Lack of socialization, cultural isolation.
Age of Onset with English as major factor in success.
The “Shy,” and “fearful” people
Karen in Popular Culture
Little Daughter (Undaunted) by Zoya Phan
Burma VJ-Documentary
Sacrafice-Documentary
Inside Burma: Land of Fear-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L48BW_Z-FNs
Prisoners of Conscience- Documentary
Beyond Rangoon-film
Rambo IV-film
The Burmese Harp-film
Aung San Suu Kyi- Noble PrizeWinner , 1991
Who are the Karen?
By “Sam”ber Htoo and Hser Htoo
Where are the Karen from?
The Karen state is located in
Burma.
Karen people also live in
northwest Thailand.
Many Karen people live in the
mountains.
Karen Culture
Foods
Language
Religions
Clothes
Sports
Music
History
Karen flag
There are meaning to
some colors on Karen
flag.
Red- for instance,
signifies braveness.
blue- faithfulness.
White- purity.
Food
The Karen people usually eat
rice, meat and vegetables.
Such as beans, cucumbers,
pumpkins, water greens,
peppers, tomatoes, and
mangos.
Fish, chicken, pig, cow, duck,
goat, and egg.
Fish paste is eaten with most
meals
Karen script
Karen language has 14 tones.
Karen has 25 letters
No final consonant sounds
No Verbs tenses
Religion
Buddhist
Christianity
Animist
My family is Baptist
Women clothes
There are a lot of Karen dresses for
Karen women. People weave white,
green, blue, red, yellow, black long and
short dresses with many different
colors.
Karen people have many different types
of traditions regarding dress.
Sports
Soccer
Caneball
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m7Wtvd00Yw
Volleyball
Music
Traditional music
Classic rock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LItAdRGbEHs
Christian
Rap, hip-hop
Karen History and our Family History
19th century-British colonize Burma, arrival of American missionaries.
During World War II Burmese support Japanese while Karen support British
1948-Burma Independence
Burma Independence leads to civil war
1970s Burmese government establishes the four cuts policy
By 1975 Karen begin to escape to Thailand
My family arrives in Thailand in 1990
1990 Samber is born in Bownow camp
1992 Hser Gay is born in Tha Law Thaw camp
In 1995 my family found safety at Mae la camp run by the UN
In 2007 we left for the United States
In January 2009 we resettled in Oglethorpe, Georgia
Girl shirt
. This is the girl long shirt.
Woman
This is woman shirt. They usually wearing
like this.
The majority of refugees listed as “Burmese” refugees
are ethnic Karen, many of whom had lived for
extensive periods in Thai refugee camps. Many
school aged children were born in the camps.
Karen represent 90% of the refugees resettling in the
USA listed from Burma
Most Georgian refugees are Sgkaw (Saw) Karen,
95% of whom are Christians.
Other ethnic groups include:
Chin, Po Karen, Pa’O, Karenni, Shan, Mon and
ethnic Burmese