December 2008 -January 2009
Review of the past year
Rarely has survival at the year’s end been celebrated as in 2008. Still in the throws of an unprecedented global finan-
cial crisis and with many ongoing conflicts around the globe, the world was keen to move on and to dare hope for better
things in 2009.
Certainly 2008 was a dreadful year for Burma with the devastating Cyclone Nargis in May and renewed political oppression
and human rights abuses as the junta began to prepare for a general election in 2010.
It was also one of the most difficult years ever faced by TBBC with a financial crisis brought on by the Global Food Crisis, ex-
acerbated by donor frustration at the lack of progress in resolving the refugee crisis after 24 years. The conflict continued in
eastern Burma and TBBC recorded at least another 66,000 people internally displaced during the year and an ongoing influx of
new refugees who, together with new born in the camps, largely balanced out the 17,000 leaving to start new lives in third
countries. A major concern was the growing number of unregistered people in the camps and the lack of an effective screening
procedure to determine genuine asylum seekers.
Despite the difficulties, all essential refugee services were sustained. Under such circumstances, this should be considered a
major achievement.
During 2009 TBBC will have been working with Burmese refugees for 25 years but of course continues to hope that the day
will come before too long when the situation changes and they can go home. Until that day it will remain a huge challenge to
sustain interest, support and funding with so many other competing demands elsewhere. The key to this will be establishing
effective refugee screening procedures and finding ways forward to help refugees become more self-reliant.
On behalf of the Burmese refugees and displaced people we would like to thank all of our supporters and do-
nors for your generosity and encouragement.
read all http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LSGZ-7NPHN2/$File/full_report.pdf
http://www.tbbc.org/
democracy for burma 