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THAILAND, SOUTH AFRICA, GAZA AMONG WORST PLACES FOR REFUGEES; BRAZIL, ECUADOR, COSTA RICA AMONG BEST; WORLD REFUGEE SURVEY GOES WIKI

The Thai navy dragged disabled boats full of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar out to sea and abandoned them to the sun and sea. Xenophobic mob attacks in South Africa killed dozens of foreigners and drove tens of thousands from their homes. Hamas rocket attacks launched from Gaza provoked an Israeli invasion, including indiscriminate attacks, that killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.

Thailand, South Africa, and Gaza were among the worst places for refugees during 2008, according to a new report from the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). The report, World Refugee Survey 2009 also highlighted countries that honored refugees' rights under international law and civil society activism in solidarity with refugees. USCRI also launched an interactive, wiki version of the Survey on line in which protection workers, humanitarian aid staff, activists, and refugees themselves keep the reports up to the minute in real time.

Also on USCRI's list of worst places for refugees were Malaysia, Kenya, Egypt, and Turkey. Malaysian officials continued to sell deported refugees into slavery. Egyptian border guards shot and killed more than 30 African migrants trying to cross into Israel. Kenya continued its attempts to stem the flow of Somali refugees by forcing hundreds back across the border, beating many and demanding bribes from them. Turkey continued to deport hundreds of asylum seekers back to their countries of origin without any chance at protection, and in one incident drowned four people by forcing them to try to swim across a swift river into Iraq.

Other refugees simply remained trapped in limbo. Nearly 8.5 million refugees have been trapped in camps or otherwise denied their rights for more than 10 years. Eritrean refugees have been stuck in camps in Sudan for 40 years, Tibetans stranded in Nepal for 50, and Palestinians warehoused in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank for 60.

Among the best countries for refugees, Brazil's refugee system provides excellent protection to those seeking it, and even resettles many Palestinian refugees fleeing the violence in Iraq. Costa Rica has an excellent record of integrating refugees into the economic life of the country. Ecuador launched a massive registration program to try to register and protect Colombian refugees, allowing them to work legally and travel the country without fear of arrest and deportation.

Lavinia Limón, USCRI's President and CEO, also praised the recent initiatives of UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres at addressing the plight of warehoused refugees dependent on international aid for years or decades at a time.

"Suddenly a consensus had emerged that long term aid without rights was more of a problem than a solution" she wrote.

USCRI also announce the launch of www.worldrefugeesurvey.org, a new website which will work with refugee rights advocates around the world to provide real-time updates on refugee situations.

Overall, the number of refugees declined slightly in 2008, to 13.6 million, from 14 million at the end of 2007. The flow of refugees from Iraq slowed greatly, but nearly 2 million remained in exile. Somalis fled their country in the greatest numbers during 2008, with 60,000 fleeing to Kenya and 20,000 crossing the Gulf of Aden to Yemen.

Despite the ongoing insecurity in Afghanistan, nearly a quarter million Afghan refugees returned to their homeland from Pakistan.




FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Alison Seiler, aseiler [at] uscridc.org, or 703-310-1140.