UNHCR reports Angelina Jolie is in Thailand for humanitarian reasons
February 5, 2009 by Sherry
The UNHCR website is reporting that Angelina Jolie is in Thailand for humanitarian purposes, this time to urge their government to support Myanmar (Burmese) refugees who are currently living in camps in the northern part of the country. She hopes that the Thai government will allow for more freedoms for the refugees:
“I was saddened to meet a 21-year-old woman who was born in a refugee camp, who has never even been out of the camp and is now raising her own child in a camp. [...] With no foreseeable chance that these refugees will soon be able to return to Burma (Myanmar), we must find some way to help them work and become self reliant,” she said.
There are currently over 111,000 refugees trying to live in a total of nine camps near the border between Thailand and Myanmar and at the moment none of them have permission to work or attend school outside of the camps.
Angelina has sat down with refugees to talk with them about the hardships they have been facing, attended a boarding school to listen to students express fears that they will have to be sent back to Myanmar as soon as their limited school is finished.
Angelina said:
“I hope we can work with the Thai authorities to speed up the government admissions process and that you will not be forced to go back to Burma if danger remains.”
The entire article is very educational if you’d like to read it.
To me, this current bit of work that Angelina is doing in Thailand to help refugees puts things into a very solid perspective, what with the Oscars looming ahead. Yes, I’m excited to see Angelina and Brad on the red carpet and to see what they wear. Yes, I’m hoping they will both win an Oscar. But when you read about what Angie is doing right now, it’s clear that if she doesn’t win it really doesn’t matter. Winning awards is wonderful, but what she’s doing when she sits in a little shack with someone who had to flee their village without any family or friends is so much more than a little golden award.
(And I’d just like to take a moment to urge you to consider supporting the UNHCR. Even the smallest donation can help someone in need. The hardships that refugees face are all but inconceivable and you really can help. In the past I have raised a great deal of money for the UNHCR through my personal website during charity drives and it’s amazing to know that an accumulation of just $80 buys 20 warm blankets for refugees, only $100 provides survival kits including blankets and a stove, and it can change a refugee family’s life, making it a little more bearable.)
Image used with permission: Newscom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlvRC9FJo2Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrMk4pkQ-nY
here are some links about Angie’s visit in Thailand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlvRC9FJo2Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrMk4pkQ-nY
my previous message was awaiting moderation … so am sending the links again.
hi everyone! here’s a link of Angie’s visit to Ban Mai Nai Soi, Mae Hong Son, Thailand
http://www.youtube.com/user/unhcr
thanks for the link gena.
Take conscious of what Angie is doing, she is an example of life and all her family. Bless Angie!!!
mélody:I’m from France, that’s why my english is so bad, sorry!
I totally agree with what Angie said: Learning about difficult situations in the world (through various media in order to have a better point of view) is the first step. First, it can help others, as she said. Second, it will help you also to live better, to appreciate how lucky you are and to enjoy every minute of your day!
Very well said, neer. I am with you!
I really love ANgie for the work she does for the refugees. She is not one of those Hollywood actresses/actors who are so full of themselves. She cares about those refugees genuinely. I´m sure she would rather be an aid worker among refugees than a well-known Hollywood actress. And now Brad has also joined her in these trips. That truly shows a new side of him. He too cares about these people who have so little. He and Angie are true humanitarians. WTG Brad and Angie! Keep up the good work! God bless you and your family!
http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/celebrity-news/299979/fearne-cotton-angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-are-non-human/1/
Fearne Cotton: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are non-human
TV host is in awe of Hollywood couple
Saturday, 7 February 2009
Fearne Cotton admits she became star-struck when she met Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt last month.
The TV presenter bumped into the couple at the Golden Globe Awards (2009)and was bowled over by their natural beauty.
‘They are like these totally non-human, shiny, beautiful creatures,’ Fearne tells the Daily Mirror.
‘Brad is beyond gorgeous while Angelina is simply a perfect specimen with bright white teeth and eyes and perfectly shiny hair. She’s just not human!’
Melanie:
yes you are totally right about the rivalry between Thai and Burmese because of history and that is only one point which makes the whole situation even worse and more complicated. as long as people can think Thailand and Burma were at war or at least not really friendly towards each other. since i am half Thai i say i don´t really love the burmese either -any other more unbiased person would perhaps see it more fairly than i do. i don´t hate these people – its just mistrust and well…they´ve not proven very trustworthy either in the past.
the crimes (i mentionned above) committed by the burmese side like drug dealing in the border regions have driven people living near the border into drug addiction, the government had to fight hard against the addiction spreading…..Thailand even has to fight the burmese criminals at the border with their military!
of course its unfair that the refugees have to live like this and i pity them very much, but thinking about the whole history and the crime problems the issues concerning the whole situation are a bit more understandable. nobody has deserved to live in a camp like this but i know that the government does all it can to resolve the situation. the mistrust comes from both sides, but i have to say that since Thailand does do much for the refugees, the relationship between Thai and Burmese is getting better…
under mod: my reply to Melanie about the rivalry…
thank you Fan from Vietnam….i didn´t mean to criticise her in any way, its just that i wanted to point out that there is more than the UN is revealing in their reports….:)
i think its great that she is decreasing awareness and i love her for her big heart….
I just want to add to Phoebe’s post that I’m pretty sure she meant to say “increasing awareness”, NOT “decreassing awareness”!
OH MY!
Thank You joliepittfanatic!:D
yes i meant increasing….lol
http://nationmultimedia.com/2009/02/11/nat…al_30095443.php
i kinda saw that coming….sorry.
Thai Prime Minister admits refugees are not being treated as they should?! He’s looking into the situation:
“Thai PM admits boat people pushed out to sea
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) — Thailand’s prime minister suspects there were “some instances” in which Thai authorities pushed Myanmar’s Rohingya boat people out to sea, a frank admittance of a practice drawing worldwide condemnation.
In an exclusive interview with CNN Thursday, Abhisit Vejjajiva said he could not pinpoint who in the government approved the practice, but said he was working on rectifying the problem.
“It’s not exactly clear whose work it is,” Vejjajiva said. “All the authorities say it’s not their policy, but I have reason to believe some instances of this happened, but if I can have the evidence as to who exactly did this I will certainly bring them to account.”
Thousands of Rohingya refugees — a Muslim minority group from Myanmar — have fled to Thailand over the years and many of them have been housed in Thai camps near the Myanmar border.
In some cases, there are charges that many of them have been kicked back out to sea from Thailand.
A recent CNN investigation found evidence of the Thai army towing an apparent boatload of 190 Rohingya refugees out to sea, prompting Thai authorities to launch an investigation.
And a group of the refugees rescued by Indonesian authorities last week told harrowing tales of being captured, beaten and abandoned at sea by the Thai military.
# Actress Angelina Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency, spoke out on the plight of the refugees last week as she visited the area with her husband, Brad Pitt.#
She asked Thailand to permit greater freedom of movement for the roughly 111,000 refugees housed in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border.
Vejjajiva said “at times” there has been “a lot of pressure in terms of the numbers of these people coming in.”
“There are attempts, I think, to let these people drift to other shores. I have asked whether people are aware of such practices. The one thing that is clear is that when these practices do occur, it is done on the understanding that there is enough food and water supplied.”
*The prime minister said he regrets “any losses” that may have occurred from the refugees’ ordeals, but he said he is “doing the best I can do correct the situation.*”
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/12/thailand.refugees.admission/index.html
thanks for posting this – i found that one too….just haven´t had the time to post it yet….
there is one problem though – people think that Thailand does too little and Angie supported this by saying that the government should do “more”. of course she also said that Thailand does alot already and thanked them for the help, but most people do not read her articles further and she should know that there is nothing more the government can do. IMO she should have asked the government of the other neighbour countries to help, not Thailand.as long as no other neighbour country helps too, Thailand can´t resolve the huge amount of refugees….
like i said : the government is doing the best they can. Thailand CAN´T give ALL refugees a home or a place in a camp, where should that go?! no other neighbour country is willing to help as much as Thailand does, although there is that history. now, people who have no clue about what is going on will think that Thailand is the bad bad neighbour who does “nothing” or treats the refugees badly which is not true. its shame really-