Bangkok--25 Jun--USCRI
On June 19, The US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)Thailand organized Press Conference at Foreign Correspondent Club of Thailand (FCCT) at 4 PM. In order to launch World Refugee Survey 2009 publication and introduced the 1st Thai Refugee Ambassador, Miss Diana (Di) Chungjintanakarn, who volunteers to work with USCRI to provide "opportunity" to the refugees in Thailand on the occasion of celebration for World Refugee Day 2009 on June 20th.
While making a speech on the panel, Miss. Diana spoke impressive statements about her newly appointed role as, "Everyday of our daily lives, we wake up, go to work and get money, go to the salon or go to spa. There actually are people who wait for nothing, sitting and wait for nothing. The truth that's really shocked me, while my tummy cried for hungry or I feel moody because I couldn't find the right colors for my lips, there still are some group of people, who are waiting for their entire lives for nothing, Or while I am out of the weekend on the long island like Samui, there are the group of people who are waiting for the miracle happen in their lives, opportunity that they seek for, they've never known when will they're going to get, as right now, everyday of their lives have been passed by day by day without meaning at all."
When she becomes the Refugee Ambassador, she said she did not hope to make everyone to love the refugees; she did not even try to convince anyone to love them. Her expectation is just to make the differences happen to the refugees' lives in the better way. Diana told everyone at the Press Conference, "I know that I might not make the big wave of change but I am sure that I and USCRI staff will work very hard to make something better and different for the refugees' lives in Thailand in the future." By the end of her speech, Diana said to us with her shaking voices, "I think everyone might hear about this sentence, 'House is made of brick and stone, or might be bamboo for the refugees, but home is made of love alone.' As tomorrow (June 20th) will be the World Refugee Day, the day that honor to the courage and surveillance of refugees to live their lives and rebuild their lives outside their homeland. May be by the end, most of them might not be able to return to their hometown, but with the helps from all of us, you can make Thailand to be closed the place called 'home' for them."
Another speaker on the panel is Ms. Chatchanit Musigchai Mahaguna "Ajarn Ann" whose life involves in both academic and business world. Ann is also known to radio audiences for her love language programme.
An had a direct experience with the refugees who resettled to USA, whilst she was an expat for Thai company's subsidiary in Columbia, Maryland, in 1995. She was alone in the US during that time so after she finished her work everyday, she got plenty of spare time, as an energetic person, she started to search for the volunteer work to do after work, until she found the organization named FIRN or Foreign Born Information and Referral Network, which is a non-profit organization in Howard County, Maryland. This organization empowers immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and other foreign-born individuals by helping them to access community resources and opportunities. Chatchanit volunteered to be a consultant as well as English l teacher for the Chinese Immigrants from the mainland, who just recently moved and resettled in USA. She told us "Most of them lived in the rural areas; they therefore are not able to communicate in other language besides their native language. Because o f the language barrier, it makes it hard for them to blend in the new community and live their lives comfortably."
A few nights of every week, Ann would go to visit the Chinese immigrants in their homes in order to provide language support to them and also sometimes help them to prepare documents to be granted permanent residence or citizenship. She told the audience, "Though working with FIRN helping the refugees was a short period of time for me, but it was an unforgettable and meaningful memory to cherish. I am happy in doing this and am happier to share this story with you all here today."
About World Refugee Survey 2009 publication, this was also launched in this event. Veerawit Tianchainan, USCRI's CD introduced this book as "This is a publication produced by USCRI in Washington DC, it advocates for the freedom and livelihood of refugees and IDPs, and continues the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants' (USCRI) campaign to end the warehousing of refugees - The practice of keeping refugees in camps or segregated settlement, deprived for years of the basic rights generated in the Un Refugee Conventions. The 2009 edition includes statistics, country reports, and updated grades of the worst and the best countries for refugees."
In the same event, USCRI staff had distributed "Open letter" to all participants, in order to request for their endorsement to support them to request all foreign donors who have been supporting and contributing funds to continuously support projects that helping refugees in Thailand, particularly the sustainable projects which enable to make the refugee to be a self-reliance people. And this small project had got the good feedback from all participants.
Photo in group from left: Mr. Thanong Buranont, Veerawit Tianchainan, USCRI Director, Thai Refugee Ambassador - Miss. Diana Chungjintanakarn Ms. Chatchanit Musigchai Mahaguna, Ms. Yajitr Yuwaboon, and Mr. Albert