MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Downer
I am pleased to announce the Australian Government will provide $1.8 million
to help Burmese refugees.
$1.3 million will be used to assist with the voluntary repatriation of
Rohingyan refugees returning to Burma after many years in camps along the
Burma/Bangladesh border. Assistance will be channelled through:
The World Food Programme ($1 million) for relief and rehabilitation
activities, such as food-for-work programs, education and health initiatives
andUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ($300 000) for monitoring
activities to ensure the safety of the returning refugees.
The Australian Government has provided over $6.6 million to Rohingyan
refugees since 1991. We currently rank fifth on the list of donors from around
the world.
$500 000 will be given to the Australian non-government organisation,
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) for relief and rehabilitation assistance to
refugees in camps along the Thai/Burma border.
This grant comes after recent raids along the border by forces sympathetic to
Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council. The raids left three camps
virtually destroyed. MSF, which has responsibility for health and sanitation in
most of the camps in the region, lost all their medical supplies and equipment
in the attacks. Australia will assist with the restocking of crucial medical
supplies and the rebuilding of clinics to meet the health needs of the
refugees.
Media contact: Peter Collins 06 277 7500 Jane
Castles (AusAID) 06 206 4968