"It takes courage to be a refugee. Courage to start a new life against daunting odds, eventually to become contributing and enriching members of society once more."
This is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) theme for World Refugee Day this year.
Five years ago, the UN made June 20 the annual World Refugee Day.
National governments and international organizations arrange activities on that day to focus international attention on the situation of the world's 17 million refugees.
In the past, however, Taiwan -- so eager to join the UN -- has not been part of that.
This year, Taiwan has taken a part in this international event.
By organizing a series of events as part of the fifth World Refugee Day and the 25th anniversary of the Taipei Overseas Peace Service (TOPS), Taiwan joined the international community in demonstrating its concern and support for refugees.
Since the 1970s, minorities in Myanmar have engaged in armed opposition to the military junta in order to gain self rule and independence.
This has forced many civilians to leave their homes to escape war and cross the border into Thailand, where they live in refugee camps along the border.
Their numbers have now reached 140,000, and many innocent civilians have already lived in these camps for 20 years.
TOPS has established a team on the Thai-Myanmar border to provide humanitarian aid to the Karen people fleeing the civil war.
Although humanitarian aid is a passive activity, long-term service in refugee camps has made us understand the importance of taking the initiative.
Only through more concern and understanding will it be possible to eliminate the root causes that result in refugees -- war and persecution.
To this end, TOPS invited the Burmese doctor Cynthia Maung, recipient of the 2002 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, an award that has been called the Asian Nobel Prize, to Taiwan.
She delivered a talk on the topic "Self-help for refugees -- creating a more beautiful and secure world."
The aim was to change the general perception that refugees only are passive recipients of aid, when they in fact will make a contribution to the future of all mankind if they only are given a little assistance.
Only someone who has been forced to leave their home and become a refugee understands the true meaning of stability and peace, and can treasure hard-won happiness.
Our Southeast Asian neighbors are not very far away from Taiwan, and yet we are still strangers to the many people fleeing Myanmar's brutal military dictatorship.
Sunday marked the 60th birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the Myanmar's democracy movement.
As someone working with overseas aid development, I hope that Taiwan's government and people will join the international community in demanding that the military junta immediately release Suu Kyi and do their utmost for the democratization of Myanmar and regional peace in South Asia.
I also call on the government to take a serious look at passing the draft refugee and asylum law (
Sam Lai is the leader of the Taipei Overseas Peace Service team in Thailand.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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