Refugees

=**__ Refugees __**=

Refugee means: People who are forced to leave the country because of war, natural disaster, famine or conflict.

a) Those fleeing wars in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in the 1970s and 1980s:
The Vietnam war was from (1964 - 1973). These years refer to the period of “official”fighting when the troops were sent to Vietnam to fight. The Cambodian Civil war (1967 - 1975) and the Laotian Civil war was from (1959 - 1975). The wars in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos all considered to be part of what is called the larger “second Indochina war”. The so called “Vietnam War” was really a regional and international conflict involving not just North and South Vietnam and the USA but also Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.



b) Asians fleeing Uganda in the 1970s:
Thirty years ago, Idi Amin, the President of Uganda gave Asians 90 days to leave country. Idi was losing control over his country and decided the best way to recover was to expel the Asians in a strong move. What most Ugandan Asians and the British Government thought was just another threat, turned out to be extremely serious. He wanted to have an all black country and no asians. They lost their homes, their businesses and their freedom.



c) Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan arrive in 1990s:
The Iran–Iraq War from 1980 to 1988, the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the first Gulf War and later conflicts all generated hundreds of thousands even millions of refugees. About 2 million refugees in iran have gone to other countries & about 2.7 million are refugees inside iran. The current Iraq war has lead to millions of refugees and, as of 2007 more Iraqis have lost their homes and become refugees than the population of any other country. Over 4,700,000 people, (16% of the Iraqi population,) have been driven out of their homeland. About 2 million of these people have left Iraq and gone to other countries, and about 2.7 million are refugees inside Iraq.

**__Monday 12th June 1975__**
I am writing this diary so in future years my family will understand why I chose to leave Vietnam and start a new life in New Zealand. Although it is usually called the Vietnam War it did in fact actually involve 3 primary countries, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. (These were known as Indochina.) The U.S. troops have just left and thousands of people are suffering from persecution, imprisonment and even genocide (which is the deliberate destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group). For example, over 2 million Cambodians (one-third of the country’s population) died from torture, execution or starvation, and over 4 million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians lost their lives.

__**Thursday 15th June 1975**__
When the Indochinese left their country we had very little, if any possessions. Most of us did not even know where we would land after escaping from our homelands and often ended up in a place we did not choose and where we did not know anyone at all. When we arrive in New Zealand we are hoping to be able to find a job quickly, to learn or improve our English language skills and most importantly to give our families a better quality of life than they have had back in our homelands. I am looking for a NEW start away from the wars and the violence of home. Life on the boat is very hard. We are all cramped in very small spaces, there is very little food and water and no one seems to know how much longer the journey will take. I imagine and dream of the wonderful and different life that lies ahead of me. Although I am extremely excited about arriving in New Zealand but I am also very scared and nervous.

__**Wednesday 21st July 1975**__
After another 4 weeks on the boat, where many more people have died of dehydration, starvation and drowning we finally arrived in Auckland New Zealand after nearly 2 months at sea. My first impression of NZ was that big, beautiful and green. We were given clean clothes and were overwhelmed by the amount of food people had to eat and for many of us it was the first time in our lives that we got to eat 3 meals in a day. We were able to watch movies on TV and to have time to play and have fun, something that we never dreamed possible when we were living in Vietnam. I thought straight away that New Zealanders were very kind and friendly people. The main thing I found the hardest was being separated from other members of my family and the colder weather of the New Zealand climate. I hope more of my family will join me here in NZ very soon because I am sure they will love it too.



Response:
As New Zealanders we should try to understand the hardship and difficulties that these refugees are faced with. Some of them come to New Zealand from countries that are involved in violent conflict or from countries that are struggling from extreme poverty. I think we should accept a limited number of refugees to show our humanity to the rest of the world. Hopefully through this act of generosity and kindness, we will encourage and influence other counties to do the same. However, our full amount of immigrants should also include a significant number of skilled workers. The ability of these skilled immigrants who come to New Zealand should help contribute to the growth of our country.