VOCR

21st Monday, 2010
Kuala Lumpur

by Simon

KUALA LUMPUR: On June 19 and 20, the 9th World Refugee Day event was remarkably celebrated in the main lobby of KL center where is the main meeting-point of several train routes and bus lines. It is a big centre where there’re dozens of hundreds of people commuting, travelling and visiting a day.

World Refugee Day was coined by the defining decision of the Organization of African Unity in 2001, which was turned the 50thanniversary of the 1951 Convention connecting to the position of refugee, which happened together with Africa Refugee Day on June 20. The Assembly consequently decided that June 20 would be observed as World Refugee Day from 2001 onwards. This day was chosen by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to bring concentration to the dilemma of around 14 million refugees around the world according to the World Refugee Day history in ALTIUS DIRECTORY.

The two days program mainly chaired by UNHCR was the whole day line-ups of traditional and cultural dances and performances represented by the UNHCR (Malaysia)recognised communities such as ACR, Arakan, CRC, Kachin, Karen, Mon, Shan, Afghanistan and Iraq. In a scene, many young and youths were indeed seen bravely portraying each of their cultural performances as they are proudly of the representatives from their ethnicity and nation.

Over 20 refugee community groups comprising refugees from Myanmar, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Somalia showcase and sell traditional handicrafts that are indigenous to their own community, quoted UNHCR as posting on its website.

Well-prepared though it wasn’t, CRC-cum-CWO (Chin Women Organization) around 20 in person could attend in the first day of WRD’s celebration on June 19 in order to present “the Beautiful Chin Hills” towards promoting the spirit of refugees as also was invited by the UNHCR.

Representatives from CRC and ACR posting a photo

at World Refugee Day Celebration (Photo-VOCR)


“It was unusual setup unlike last year, people going in and out annoying us, to some extent despite the idea being sound good in terms of making awareness in public sight, locally and internationally” said one of the leaders from Chin Women Organization.

So peculiar has been made by volunteer locals who came to entertain refugees and helped staffs of UNHCR, who are working tirelessly and valuably for refugees, strive in a wake of refugee awareness at the same time.