Refugees share stories of life amid the loss

Mohammed Khasim, a refugee from Myanmar, has been living in Chennai for the last three years. Of Rohingya descent, Khasim prefers the lanes of Kelambakkam to the violence and uncertainty they face back home. “I really like living in Chennai, especially when you consider the situation of my people back in Burma (Myanmar). 

My wife and I are happy living here with our six children in Kelambakkam, with other Rohingya refugees. There are 15 odd families living here. I work as a waste picker to make ends meet,” said this 37-year-old refugee. For K P Ndjacho, a 39-yearold teacher living in Bengaluru, the conflict in his country Democratic Republic of the Congo, led him to seek asylum in India. 

Having travelled to Chennai to participate in the event and share his story, Ndjacho recalled, “I came to India in 2001 to study and soon, the conflict between two ethnic groups – Lendu and Hema — broke out in my province Ituri, the north-eastern part of the country. 

My parents were forced to flee to the neighbouring country of Uganda and they said they couldn’t afford my expenses. I was had no idea what to do — my visa was not getting extended and I couldn’t go back to my country. A kind police officer suggested that I apply to UNHCR and get recognised as a refugee. I did that and after a long time, I got my refugee card, which I use to get around. But it is not easy. 

While opening a bank account or accessing any service, most people don’t understand my refugee status.” Shuchita Mehta, Public Information Assistant, UNHCR, which is helping voluntary repatriation of Sri Lankan refugees, said the number of people opting to go back is rising. 

“In Tamil Nadu, there are more than 62,000 Sri Lankan refugees apart from a small number of Rohingya people, Sudanese and Somalian population. We have certainly seen a rise in the number of voluntary repatriation of Sri Lankan refugees. Last year, we helped 350 people repatriate and this year, until now, 300 Sri Lankans have returned home. 

On World Refugee Day, we wanted to show our solidarity with the refugees and organised a lunch for them, followed by a cultural program in the presence of government officials and members from various embassies,” she concluded.