Refugees

[rcgreen]

For as long as I can remember, refugees have been
treated with cruelty, hypocrisy, and contempt.

Imagine a terrible war or genocide happening in
your own home town. Imagine gangs of lawless
thugs prowling the streets robbing raping and
killing.

Imagine a government unable or unwilling to
protect you, or, even worse, being the perpetrator
of the violence.

Let's imagine that you and your family must flee
for your lives. You reach the nearest international
border and meet soldiers with bayonets.

"Go home, we don't want you here"

"We can't afford to feed all of our own."

You would think, after all these years of strife, that
there would be an international agreement on refugees,
but there are people who were born in "refugee camps"
who are now adults and have never been welcome anywhere.

[CyberSpyder]

it's sad that it happens but we as single people are pretty much powerless to change it except for writing letters and emails.

[gold eagle]

The refugee issue has never been dealt with completely. Some say that each case should be weighed on its own. Each govt has different methods of handling it. Is there a one fits all solution....

[niboreon]

I was kinda saddened by the globalization and dim view of things.

I have to wonder if you, yourself, have somehow fallen through the cracks or what it was that prompted your post Because there certainly are policies for dealing with refugees not only in our nation as a whole I notice that you hail from TN but also at the individual state's levels and internationally, both with the League of Nations, the UN and most other "conglomerates". Or perhaps your world view just needs to be extended...perhaps you have not experienced too much of life yet .... or perhaps a particular news show or documentary hit you hard.

The global community is very much concerned with the plight of refugees.
http://www.llrx.com/features/refugee.htm

For as long as I can remember, refugees have been treated with cruelty, hypocrisy, and contempt.

This is certainly not true everywhere. Billions and billions of monetary funds are plowed into refugee housing, feeding, repatriation, re-education and societal integration issues by the US and many other countries every year.

Certainly, war is a fact of the human existance...there always has been war and there always will be war....it may not always be between the same peoples but it will always exist. That's part of the Yin & Yang of humanity.

Granted, there will be those doomed by the forces of the universe, to serve as sacrificial lambs and be strung out for a life of misery...but may their suffering be towards the purpose of maintaining the humanity in the rest of us who aren't so misfortunate.

[rcgreen]

In the recent Yugoslav civil wars, people seemed very
anxious to send people "back to their homes" even
before security could be reasonably assured.
If people preferred not to go home, they weren't
welcome to permanently relocate.

Do you remember the Vietnamese "boat people"?
They weren't welcome anywhere either.

Yes, money is spent, and many brave relief
workers do their best, but their needs to
be a comprehensive change of attitude.

Going where you choose should be recognized
as a basic human right. Borders should be open
when despreate people need safety and shelter.

[Tedob1]

Now change the scenerio:

You are the town father of a poor mining town, unimployment is fairly high, but everyone is managing to stay marginally healthy. Tables don't have an overabundace of food, the soil is pretty much farmed out.
The next town over, experiences what you discribed, and the population of that town starts pouring into yours. Theres no jobs for them, you can't spare the food to feed them and you certanly can't afford their health care. You have to do whats best for your people. knowing, full well, that the people in your town are good and will try their best to take care of these refugees, at a terrible cost to themselves. You do what you must, your responsibility is to take care of your own.

Man, thats a sad position to be in and it shouldn't be placed on people who can barely take care of themselves. Its should be up to the nations who have, too jump in and help these refugees. The united nations needs too protect them, send in troops and secure a place for them. isnt that its purpose, too stop mans inhumanity to man.

I see whats happening in africa right now and it makes me sick. The army in power commiting genocide. Rapping and plundering at will.

Your right, something needs to be done.

[Focmaester]

you have to take the whole refugee question under a loop, 150 of the 1000 people who seek asylum in Holland aren´t being persecuted or anything.
They know that Holland provides everything, money/house etc.
Now tell em this, how can you(being a political refugee) still travel back to your homeland twice a year AND have a house there if you are so called in danger by your government?

[Negative]

I'd like to see a source for those numbers, Focmaester...

I don't think you fully understand the meaning of the words 'asylum' and 'political refugee'...
The people you are referring to, aren't political refugees....
Of course, there are always people who abuse the system, but you should get at least your facts straight before you go criticizing entire population-groups...

http://www.thehollandring.com/toen-nu.htm
Some 500 to 600 refugees are invited to enter the country each year. This is part of the country's contribution towards housing refugees unable to return to their country of origin or settle in a neighboring country. Since the Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, it has to pursue a restrained admissions policy. Foreign nationals are admitted if they require protection, as in the case of refugees, have the right of entry on the basis of international treaties, or when their admission is deemed genuinely to serve the national interest. Active integration policies mean that any foreign national admitted has the chance to play a full part in Dutch society.

[Ennis]

Over here we have a case where a Nigerian male (40) was on his way to marry an Irish girl (18). On his way to the church he was arrested and it hit papers everywhere that day!
It is even all over the radio?

Why because the girl said she was in love and spent £8,000 appealing the case, it is now a week later and she has accepted that she was conned and must now pay the price for her own foolishness.

Now I just want to say that he was over here to gain nothing but an EU passport so he could get work yet he is classed as a refugee. Now I know the majority of refugees are for want of a better word 'legitimate' but please realise that we must be a little careful at times.

Just a little thought, it has no reflection on my views, I am not rascist etc.


Ennis.