Stories about Refugees from August, 2007
All out war in southern Philippines
War is raging in the island of Basilan, located in the southernmost part of the Philippines. An all-out war was recently declared by the government against the Abu Sayyaf bandit group accused of beheading 14 Marines last month. The military offensives have displaced thousands of families and imperiled the peace negotiations between the government and other Muslim rebel forces.
Japan: Life out of a Manga Kissa
Results of a survey just released by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has found that thousands of people across Japan bordering on poverty live their lives out of Internet cafes or "manga kissa". Bloggers this week reflected on the significance of the results.
Croatia: Gračac
Balkan Anarchist writes about his familial ties to and the recent history of Gračac, “a town and municipality located in the south of Lika,” which, before the war, had “a...
Sudanese Refugees in Israel
The Cutter, who is based in Italy, discusses the situation of Sudanese refugees in Israel – from another perspective – in this post.
Syria: Iraqi Refugee Crisis
Alive in Baghdad brings us yet another heartbreaking story about the suffering of Iraqi refugees in Syria and suggests ways of helping them in this post.
Iran:Expulsion of Afghan refugees
Hooghoghe Bashar (means human rights) blog says[Fa] that mass expulsion of Afghan refugees is not a solution for Iranian high unemployment.The blog explains that Afghans always did very difficult jobs...
Syria: On Lebanon and Motorcycles
Just as the heat is cooling from an inter-Arab spat involving Jordanians and Iraqis, we move on to the Syrian blogosphere where bloggers are fanning the flames of a Palestinian-Lebanese virtual stand-off. Read Yazan's Badran round up to learn more.
Palestine: Boycotting Israel, Excluding Handala and More
This week in the Palestinian blogosphere, bloggers tackled serious issues such as the academical boycott of Israel, checkpoints and Edward Said’s mural in San Francisco as well as lighter topics such as a Palestinian swimmer participating in a regional competition in Beit Sahour and other personal stories.
Jordan: Where's the Applause?
Natasha Tynes from Jordan writes that her country will be accepting 50,000 Iraqi children in schools and wonders: “Where's the applause?”
Beyond Borders: Bloggers Face off over Jordanian Treatment of Iraqi Travellers
The treatment of Iraqis at the Jordan's Queen Alia Airport has triggered a storm in the Middle Eastern blogosphere. What at first seemed to be a straight forward story of refugees being ill-treated by their neighbour's security guards has spawned into a Pan-Arab spat (the type of which is normally reserved for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict), writes Mohamed Nanabhay, who sifts through blogs to bring us what the uproar is all about.
Israel: Sudanese Refugees
Stephanie from Israel discusses the problems facing Sudanese refugees in Israel in this post.
Baltic States: Refugees
Lituanica writes about refugees seeking shelter in the Baltic states: “Lithuania received 312, Latvia – 19 and Estonia 8 refugees this year so far.”
Israel: Sudanese Refugees – like Darfur, as Auschwitz
Over the past several months, a growing number of Sudanese refugees have been crossing into Israeli territory through the Egyptian desert. The Israeli government has reacted by placing many in...
