issue 91
22/7/10
14:56
Page 32
magnet Autumn 2010
➦My own education was in mobile schools which had to continually be on alert but in the camps, the American and Dutch NGOs supported the Karen Community Department schools with training and resources. Even though this sounds as if all our basic needs
As soon as the soldiers of the military regime found us we had to be ready to flee
CHINA BURMA Shan State
MaeFaLuang
LAOS
DoiSanJu DoiTaiLeng DoiDam Karenni WH State Site 1 Karen State
Site 2
Pegu Division
EeTuHta
were met, the Burmese army still found the time to bomb the camps from time to time. Although I was physically alive I felt I had little or no future for myself and my family. There was no freedom to come and go as we wished and I became increasingly concerned about my children’s future and their education. In 1995 the United Nations began a registration of all the camp occupants, who noted why we were there and what would happen if we returned home. Any previous time spent in the camps was shockingly disregarded, presumably because there was no proof. There was some effort on the part of the UN to negotiate a return to Burma with no success. But in 2005, ten years on, the UN Gateway Protection Programme initiated the placing of refugees in other parts of the world: the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
K1&2
Mon State
K3
K4 K5
THAILAND
K6
Halockhani BeeRee Tavoy
Tenasserim Division
K7
ANDAMAN SEA
SuPaKhee
I remember writing a short biography, posting it in a special post box, praying a lot and hoping. Even if we were chosen there would be no choice given as to our destination. When the acceptance letter arrived there was still a proviso that this could change, right up to the last minute. Finally, in 2006, we arrived in Sheffield to what a friend describes as “a second heaven” for his family. It was exciting and delightful. The life we have now is a fear-free life although there are many challenges. The children are in education and there is much support from the Local Authority, Citizen’s Advice Bureaux and some church communities. The main challenge is the language barrier
which inhibits work opportunities as English is obviously required, but needs more than the three or six months of job-seeker’s allowance to acquire it. The older members of the community find it hard to acquire this skill and some feel isolated. The local Asian food shops provide familiar and similar ingredients for our diet and of course we have a choice now. My husband loves the changeable weather in this country and the freedom to walk and explore and I relish travelling on public transport, meeting new people as I go. The need to keep a sense of identity has led to the formation of the Karen Community Association for which I was the local chairperson for two years. Now I am the spokesperson for Karen Community UK, raising awareness of the plight of our people. I continue to work locally as an interpreter in hospitals and schools, run language classes and fundraise for those still living in the camps. I could be called a “Jill of all trades”!
City of Sanctuary When Sheffield was declared the first City of Sanctuary in 2007 by the Lord Major with the support of seventy local organisations, Htoo Ku was delighted. She just loves Sheffield! This movement has now spread across the UK, with thirteen cities from Glasgow in the north to Bristol and Swansea in the south, all declaring that their city offers a place of safety and welcome for people whose lives are in danger in their own. More information about its principles and aims and about how to start such a campaign can be found at www.cityofsanctuary.org or write to City of Sanctuary, Victoria Hall, Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 2JB.
Site for Internally Displaced Persons Wieng Heng: Camp Committee Karenni Refugee Committee (KnRC) Karen Refugee Committee (KRC)
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When Htoo Ku was asked what she would do if the political situation in Burma changed, she replied that she would return.