Even before tsunamis, Asia was home to millions of displaced people

Published: 2005-01-07

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Before the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunamis, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India already had several million people living as refugees. With the world's attention now focused on aiding survivors of one of the most widespread natural disasters in recent history, refugee assistance organizations are concerned about protecting vulnerable populations of people, including millions who had been displaced from their homes since long before December, and groups such as orphaned children. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, which serves as a sort of global clearinghouse for the protection and resettlement of refugees, has taken the unprecedented step of jumping into disaster relief after the tsunamis. The organization's mandate is to aid refugees, defined as people who have fled their home countries due to war or persecution. The UNHCR has never before handled a major relief operation in response to a natural disaster. "The enormity of this crisis requires all of us to contribute our expertise and resources," said a statement from Janet Lim, director of the agency's Bureau for Asia and the Pacific. "UNHCR has long experience in Somalia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, so it is logical for us to use our knowledge, means and expertise to help."

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