REFUGEES
Why are the refugee’s running? Religion, power, freedom or is the media portraying the refugees in real light over populating and dodging our laws. When researching into events and human rights the truth was reveled on why and the extends that refugees encounter.
Your legs pounding against the ground as your best friend chases you, your heart beating so fast as you don’t want to be “it” next.. your lungs filled with air and when the game is over your still as free as when the game was being played. Your sitting at catholic college in the church watching the “losers” pray while you think of when you can next suck the smoke in of your friends cigarette and laugh at the “pathetic” class you have just skipped. One day in many Australians lives begin and finish this way, when so close there is an eleven year old running across a boarder bullet’s fired for that freedom and education we don’t think about much here at home.
Kunchog a young monk attempted to run from Tibet in 2001, he in a group of 28 believed they would be safe once reaching Nepal, proven wrong. Believed that once crossing into Nepal meant escaping the Chinese border guards equaled safety though found that the Nepalese government is under increasing pressure from China to capture and return any fleeing Tibetans. Once reaching Nepal the group was arrested by the Nepalese soldiers, imprisoned for two days with all their belonging taken, once released attacked by the Nepalese soldiers being sprayed by bullets many of the group were shot. Being thrown into a truck by a soldier wounded and still being beaten the young monk was driven to a hospital in Kathmandu, here he was treated back to health though informed of his friends death, finally making it to India a changed man, thin and lost. When reading deep into this article the reasons behind why Kunchog was running was revealed, in an attempt to further his education and then pursue a dreamed career.
25 August 2012, a 17 year old girl was arrested and sentenced to a three year impressment for “splitting China” by the Kandzi County people Court. On the 28th of August the girl was transferred into another prison her family having no clue of her where abouts currently. The protest the girl was involved in consisted of her handing out Buddhist cards and yelling out slogans, after a short time Chinese surrounded her and beat her and placed in detention. These are two examples of why people are running from Tibet its prominent that there is no freedom of speech nor freedom in general, human rights, its clear from reading these two examples that China is powering and curl to the Tibetan people and it gives a reason to run and demonstrates the media perception in a negative light.
When arriving to Australia via boat the options becomes slim for refugees due to the only permanent visa available for this instance is a protection visa, which may not be granted even if one comes from a country where there is violence and lack of security. In 2010- 2011 its estimated 24 000 applications for the Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) visas were applied though only 3000 visas were granted. Sadly many are running from violence due to power, land, money and religion. In many of these counties people are fleeing from there is no human rights, and no freedom of speech there are strict laws on education shattering dreams and a way of life which must be obeyed. While we attend class five days a week for six hours and complain the young men and women run for lives to gain what we take for granted. Families are broken risks are taken and lives are lost all for the freedom we take in like its owned to us. Hearing the stories shock me as the media portray the refugees as “more boat people” or “sink there boats send them back” Yes I agree its over populating and some methods are wrong but its amazing how children strive for education, how family risk all to give their children and their selves a better live. If our media put less money towards writing stats and slaga about this important issue and raised more money to shame the countries and push for human rights the amount of violence may decrease, and a change may begin.
Bibliography
http://www.freetibet.org/newsmedia/teenage-protester-gets-three-years-prison
http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/sca/154477.htm