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Surge in violence displaces thousands in Sri Lanka's Mannar district
7 Sep 2007 More than 3,000 have fled their homes in northern Sri Lanka's district of Mannar over the past week to escape fresh fighting between government troops and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). -
Sri Lankan singer rises from displaced person to superstar
27 Aug 2007 Sasiskaran's face has beamed down from posters all over the Sri Lankan capital Colombo since his win in a nationwide talent show made him a superstar. But few people know that the young singing sensation was an internally displaced person when he became a music idol. -
More than 4,500 Sri Lankan IDPs return home in Trincomalee district
6 Aug 2007 In eastern Sri Lanka, internally displaced people have been returning home to their villages in groups of several hundred during June and July. They say living in their own homes is preferable to being displaced, and are grateful for support from the UN refugee agency, but say they will still face a struggle to rebuild their lives. -
10,000 refugees leave Thailand in biggest resettlement programme
27 Jul 2007 More than 10,000 refugees - mostly from Myanmar - have left their temporary homes in Thailand to start new lives in third countries, as the world's largest resettlement programme picks up steam. -
Myanmar: UNHCR promotes first significant steps towards citizenship for disenfranchised minority
23 Jul 2007 With the issuance of the first of 35,000 identity cards for Muslims in northern Rakhine state, the Myanmar government has taken the first steps towards regularizing the status of one of Asia's largest groups of stateless people. UNHCR, with U.S. funding, spearheaded the documentation campaign. -
UNHCR official calls on Sri Lanka to double its efforts to assist IDPs
13 Jul 2007 Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Judy Cheng-Hopkins has called on the Sri Lankan government to double its efforts to allocate land to displaced people and allow them to move out of the welfare centres they have been living in for more than two decades. -
Resettlement of Myanmar refugees under way from northern Thai camp
23 May 2007 A group of more than 30 ethnic Karen refugees from Myanmar has left the northern Thai camp of Mae La to start a new life in the United States as the second phase of a huge resettlement operation gets under way. -
UNHCR helps government start return of 90,000 IDPs to Batticaloa district
15 May 2007 The government has launched a programme to return tens of thousands of displaced people to their homes in an area of eastern Sri Lanka that was under rebel control until recently. The first 3,000 people were bussed to their homes in West Batticaloa district on Monday. -
Business leaders find innovative ways to help refugees in Thailand
4 May 2007 Visiting two refugee camps in Thailand, four top business leaders have been working with UNHCR to develop innovative ways to help refugees contribute to society rather than languish in refugee camps for decades.