2007年VOA标准英语-Iranian Refugees Trapped on Iraqi-Jordanian Bor

By Reza Allahyari
Iraq-Jordon border
05 March 2007
 
watch Refugee report

The violence in Iraq has displaced thousands of people across the country. For one group of Iranian Kurds, this journey has led them to the Iraqi border with Jordan where they have spent the last two years in hopes of being resettled in a third country. Producer Reza Allahyari recently traveled to their makeshift camp inside Iraq where he learned first hand of their plight¹. Erin Brummett narrates².

 
The al-Karama refugee camp
The al-Karama refugee camp has been home to nearly 200 Iranian Kurdish refugees for almost two years. The refugees -- who have spent more than a quarter century living in Iraqi refugee camps -- arrived at the border between Iraq and Jordan after fleeing the al-Tash refugee camp in Iraq's Anbar province in January 2005 following clashes between insurgents³ and U.S. forces.

They left with hopes of finding a better life, but were stopped just a few hundred meters short of their goal -- denied entrance to Jordan. 

Esmaeil Karimi has been a refugee for nearly three decades. "With the beginning of war between Iran and Iraq in 1979, I left Iran but my father was a fugitive⁴ for political reasons and had left the country before I did,” he told us.

 
Women and girls pass time in a refugee camp shelter near the Jordanian border
Since 2005 the refugees have put pressure on the U.N. Refugee Agency -- UNHCR -- to allow them to enter Jordan and be resettled in a third country, citing the insecurity in Iraq. 

Hassan Safari⁵ has spent most of his life without a home. "I have (lived) three generations as a refugee in Iraq. My father came to Iraq as a young man and died here. I was only a kid. Now I am an old man. This is my son, he has not been schooled. Why should it be this way?" he asks.

Over the past few months the refugees have become more vocal⁶, holding regular demonstrations⁷, including a hunger strike by several Iranian Kurds, to express their discontent with their present situation and bring assistance from the UNHCR and others. But the only help they receive is from the occasional truck driver willing to share a liter or two of water. 

 
This mother is trying to get medicine for her child
Walpurga Englbrecht, a UNHCR official in Amman, Jordan, says the refugee agency can do little to help the group. "We have been in touch with the Jordanian authorities. They were denied entry. And where they are currently, in the no man's land, it is very difficult for (the) UNHCR to actually provide effective protection and assistance. So, we have been in touch with the various representatives for this group in order to see what can be done."

UNHCR officials have offered to relocate the refugees to the Kaveh refugee camp in northern Iraq. But the group has refused, seeing such a move as a step backwards⁸ in their efforts to be resettled.

The Jordanian Interior Ministry⁹ did not respond to VOA's requests for an interview. And the Jordanian Embassy in Washington declined an interview request. According to published reports, the Jordanian government fears a flood of refugees if they offer entry visas to this group of Iranian Kurds.

For refugee So-Aad Javanmiri, the situation is desperate. "Up to now I have had no joy in my life. My life is over; I am a dead woman walking. Please do something for our children."

 
Men in the al-Karama camp
Many countries are sympathetic to the Iranian Kurds’ situation. Sweden has transferred 500 Iranian Kurds from inside Jordan to Sweden. But Per Frykholm, the First Secretary at the Swedish Embassy in Amman, says there is nothing they can do unless the refugees are granted entry into Jordan.

"According to Jordanian authorities, there are no refugees of this nature and there are no camps like this in Jordan at this moment,” he said. “Which means this embassy cannot handle things that are not acknowledged by the Jordanian authorities inside Jordan."

The refugees have crafted a makeshift camp offering rudimentary shelter. But there is nothing they can do to help the sick. Kumar is a toddler who was born in the camp. He is unable to stand and his mother's efforts to help him have failed.

"We took him to the Iraqi forces nearby,” she said. “They have a small and limited (supplies) and they gave him some pills. We also informed the U.N., but we have not heard back from them yet."

The pain Media Azizi lives with is etched in her face.  The only help these children have received is from Prince Rashed Bin¹⁰ Al-Hassan, the head of the Jordanian Relief Agency who sent officials to evaluate their conditions.

Larry Bartlett is Deputy Director of the Asia and Near East Assistance Office at the U.S. State Department. He says, "We are aware of this group and we have been working mostly with UNHCR and both governments to try to resolve this situation."

When asked what the latest information is about the refugees, he said, "The latest on this situation is [we are] trying to find some kind of durable¹¹ solution for this group. The group we know is still caught at the border. The Jordanian government will not let them enter Jordanian territory. And we know they also do not want to go back to the al-Tash camp that has now been closed by UNHCR."

Bartlett says efforts are ongoing¹² to resettle the group in a third country. However, the UNHCR has said before that can happen, the refugees need to move to a protected area such as the Kaveh camp in northern Iraq. There, officials with the UNHCR say they could safely look into their request for resettlement. However, such claims are determined¹³ based on demonstrated need and is provided at the discretion¹⁴ of resettlement countries that have limited quotas¹⁵ to resettle refugees.

But for those who have spent their whole lives as refugees like Gelavijh Noori, they can only dream about a better life. "Any young adult, any girl who turns 18 or 20 years old has her own wishes in life to be fulfilled.  They have their rights and I want to be like them and have a comfortable life."

1 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

4 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

5 safari   

n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队

参考例句：

• When we go on safari we like to cook on an open fire.我们远行狩猎时，喜欢露天生火做饭。
• They went on safari searching for the rare black rhinoceros.他们进行探险旅行，搜寻那稀有的黑犀牛。

6 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

7 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

8 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

11 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

12 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

13 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

14 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

15 quotas   

（正式限定的）定量( quota的名词复数 )； 定额； 指标； 摊派

参考例句：

• In fulfilling the production quotas, John made rings round all his fellow workers. 约翰完成生产定额大大超过他的同事们。
• Quotas of the means of production are allocated by the higher administrative bodies to the lower ones. 物资指标按隶属关系分配。