Dear all,
Sept. 12:When the tsunami strikes, millions are displaced and they seek shelter. But for the people fleeing a country their existence is threatened by a socio-political threat. Its just two ways of saying the same thing. The latter is called a refugee but the former is awaiting a terminology.
This is what the winning team of the inter-school debate succeeded in pointing out today evening. The debate on ‘People displaced due to environmental reasons are not refugees’ was organised by the West Bengal Federation of United Nations Associations in association with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and The Statesman Voices.
Students speaking against the motion won the debate. Ankit Parekh of Birla High School for Boys, who was adjudged the best speaker of the evening emphasised that “A natural calamity is as big a threat as a political or a social one. How can people displaced due to socio-political reasons and people displaced due to environmental reasons be categorised as different. On the other hand, people displaced due to environmental reasons should be considered as refugees so that they can at least be given rights enjoyed by refugees.”
Soumik Sarkar of Don Bosco Park Circus, supporting the motion, said: “A person merely seeking refuge is not a refugee. Thus, people displaced due to environmental reasons cannot be considered refugees. Given a choice, they prefer to go back to their country but a refugee does not want to return to his/her country.” Speaking at the event, Mr MA Halim, Speaker, West Bengal Legislative Assembly, said: “This is a recent international problem and we have to find a legal solution to this problem.”
Editor-in-chief, The Statesman, Mr Ravindra Kumar, said: "The Statesman believes that debates on the refugee or any other issue should be resolved through public discourse."
“The subject is complex as the lines between refugees, as known today, and people displaced due to environmental reasons is becoming blurred. Statistics reveal by the year 2010, 50 million people will be displaced due to environmental hazards. Therefore, the need is immediate discussion on the subject,” said Ms Nayana Bose, member, UNHCR.
Regards,
Rashedul Hasan Stalin
Source: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=22&theme=&usrsess=1&id=169729
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