Conflict and Refugees Main Focus of Inaugural Film Showcase

9 December 2006 - Beyond the armed conflict, the widespread violence or serious public disturbances that befall any nation, are the images and stories of the millions who survive it against all odds.

For the first time in Malaysia, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), will showcase this theme in their Film Showcase entitled “War and Flight: The Need for Humanitarian Action”. This will run from 9 - 11 December 2005, at the Asia Europe Institute, University Malaya.

While selected award-winning movies such as the critically acclaimed Hotel Rwanda, Marooned in Iraq, Molly and Mobarak and The Boy Who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan, provoke the senses, UNHCR and ICRC have arranged special dialogue sessions on Conflict and Refugees to stimulate the minds.

Discussion on Conflict
On Saturday, 10 December 2005 at 2pm, there will be a screening of Academy-Award winning The Killing Fields, followed by an open platform for discussion with ICRC expert Prof. Umesh Kadam, the ICRC’s Regional Legal Adviser, on various humanitarian issues relating to today’s conflicts in the world.

Discussion on Refugees
On Sunday, 11 December 2005 at 2pm, there will be a screening of “The Lost Boys of Sudan”, followed by a rare opportunity to dialogue with a refugee woman on her real-life experiences fleeing from armed conflict, the journey she took for survival and her will to survive in Malaysia as a refugee. UNHCR Representative, Dr Volker Türk will also be present to take questions on the situation of refugees in Malaysia and around the world.

UNHCR and ICRC hope that this film showcase will help sensitise and enhance understanding amongst the Malaysian general public, particularly young people, of the communities and individuals that have suffered because of armed conflict and war.

This Film Showcase is being held in conjunction with Human Rights Day 2005, and is supported by the Asia Europe Institute, University of Malaya.

The Film Showcase is open to public. Admission is Free.

Note to Editor:
There are some 40,000 refugees now registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia. Some 20,000 of them are Indonesians from the Province of Aceh, 10,000 are Rohingyas from the Northern Rakhine State of Myanmar, while the remaining 10,000 include other ethnic minorities from Myanmar such as the Chins, as well as other asylum-seekers from other countries.

In Malaysia, 81% of refugees and asylum-seekers are men, while 19% or some 7,400 are women. There are more than 5,500 refugee children below the age of 18, mostly living with their families, but almost 200 of them are here not accompanied by an adult.

A refugee is a person who has a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. When they leave their country of nationality due to any of these reasons, they become refugees.

The UN Refugee Agency
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and find long-term solutions for refugees worldwide. UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another state, and to return home voluntarily

In Malaysia, UNHCR works with Malaysian partners to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. UNHCR now looks to broadening its scope of work, with Malaysian partners, to include provision of education, employment, medical and legal aid as well as other social services to refugees and asylum-seekers.

International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of war and internal violence and to provide them with assistance. It also endeavours to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.

In Malaysia, the ICRC cooperates and supports the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS), and is promoting international humanitarian law (IHL) with the armed forces, university students and young people in secondary schools. It also acts as a regional support centre for the greater Asia region on issues relating to IHL.

For further information, contact:
UNHCR: Yante Ismail, External Relations Officer. Tel: 013 352 6286, email: ismaily@unhcr.org ICRC: Chin Li Li, Assistant Communications Officer. Tel : 016 379 0600, email: Li_Li_Chin.KUA@icrc.org