Prague - A group of sixteen Burma refugees arrived in cold Prague Thursday morning. Dressed warmly to face the 30 degree drop of temperature between Malaysia and Prague, they said that they were happy to be here and looking forward to joining their friends who arrived a few months earlier.
Last October saw 23 Burmese refugees arrive in the country. They came as part of the refugee resettlement program that the Czech government adopted in June 2008.
The Czechs thus joined the international communities in "solving the global refugee problems not only at a national level but also in the international context", as said by the interior ministry's spokesperson Jana Malíková.
Strong motivation
The Burmese refugees who have been assigned an "asylum status" are put in an integration centre where they attend integration courses, such as Czech language and basic information about the country. According to Marta Miklušáková from Prague's UNHCR all the refugees in the first group are doing fine.
"They are slowly learning how to speak Czech," said Miklušáková.
After they finish the integration program, they will start living among Czechs. Towns that cooperate with the interior ministry on integration programs will find "integration apartments" for them, which the refugees will have to pay for themselves.
"They will have to find a job, which may not be easy but they are strongly motivated," Sabe Soe of Burmese Centre Praha told Aktuálně.cz.
Brand new life
Not fearing lack of jobs for the Burmese refugees amid the economic crisis, Miklušáková agrees with the strong motivation factor. "They went through horrible things and they are motivated very much to integrate in the Czech society," added Miklušáková.
All the Burmese refugees come from Chin State which is located in the north-west of Burma. The Chin are of Sino-Tibetan race and they practice Christianity. They fled Burma for Malaysia, a popular destination for Burmese refugees. However, Malaysia does not recognise the status of refugee and therefore does not guarantee the fundamental human, social, cultural and economic rights.
Among the new arrivals were two small babies who will start a brand new life in the Czech Republic. "We are very much looking forward to give our babies the opportunity to have a new life in a safe and friendly place", their mothers said.
