BANGKOK —

The Japanese government will allow 32 ethnic minority Myanmar refugees living in Thailand to resettle in Japan, sources told Kyodo News on Monday. The 32 Myanmar nationals, consisting of six ethnic Karen families, will be the first refugees to resettle in Japan under its ‘‘third country’’ refugee resettlement program.

The sources said the 32 Myanmar nationals are due to travel to Japan after taking a monthlong Japanese language and culture acclimatization program at the Mera refugee camp in northeastern Thailand near the Myanmar border. The 32 were selected from among 50 Myanmar refugees at camp Mera who have expressed the hope of settling in Japan.

The Japanese government plans to take in 90 Myanmar refugees under the third-country refugee resettlement program over the next three years. After arriving in Japan, the 32 Myanmar refugees are expected to stay initially in Tokyo for six months to learn the Japanese language and local customs. There is no decision yet on where in Japan they will eventually resettle, the sources said.

Camp Mera, the biggest refugee camp in Thailand, is home to about 50,000 Myanmar refugees who have fled their country, mainly due to armed conflicts between the Myanmar military and Karen National Union rebels.

© 2010 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission.

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8 Comments

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  american_bengoshi at 07:47 AM JST - 27th July

  This is nothing more than window dressing. The Japanese govt. has yet to live up to it's UN commitment on accepting refugees and asylum seekers in earnest. Over the past 30 years, Japan has accepted a total of around 200 refugees and asylum seekers. Compare that with countries like Germany and the US which accept about 40,000 or more per year.

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  noirgaijin at 09:18 AM JST - 27th July

  Where they will find themselves working on some road crew in the blazing sun for several years then deported back to Burma (Myanmar) once their services are no longer required.

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  Pukey2 at 09:35 AM JST - 27th July

  How generous. The Japanese government must have used up their quota for the next 10 years.

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  Foggia at 09:55 AM JST - 27th July

  Well, they are most likely being relocated to Japan because the Thai government wants to get rid of them, threatening to send a lot back to Myanmar, where the junta is waiting for those "dangerous terrorists" of course.

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  yabusama at 11:06 AM JST - 27th July

  Although we don't know the process Japan has for picking and choosing the miniscule amount of refugees they do, was it really that difficult to take in all 50?

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  herefornow at 01:00 PM JST - 27th July

  Once again Japan demonstrates the unqualified moral leadership befitting the world's second largest economy and a would-be UNSC permanent member. 90 folks spread over three years -- out of 50,000 who have fled! Why bother? Good thing these 90 won't be able to vote anytime soon. They might upset the apple cart.

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  Okikibi at 06:54 PM JST - 28th July

  Wow a whole 32. My hometown, a city of 250,000, in America has taken in nearly 10,000. I guess Japan is better at throwing money (money they don't have) at a situation instead of doing the right thing.

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