VOA常速英语2008年-Last Vietnamese Refugees Leave Philippines for

By Douglas Bakshian
Manila
08 April 2008

A chapter of history is closing in the Philippines as the last Vietnamese refugees in the country head for Canada in a humanitarian¹ program called Freedom At Last. They are the last of an estimated 2,500 Vietnamese refugees who fled to the Philippines over the decades following the fall of Saigon to the Communists in 1975. Douglas Bakshian reports from Manila.

Hoan Le was 12 years old when he came to the Philippines by boat with his 19-year-old brother in 1989. His father had served in the South Vietnamese military, which fought the Communists from North Vietnam. After the North won the war, the family suffered discrimination in employment, education and other areas so Le and his brother fled the country.

Initially² Le was in a refugee camp on the Philippine island of Palawan, which he fled in 1996. He was able to get an education as a computer technician, but he was not allowed to get formal employment because of his refugee status. Like most Vietnamese here he made a living selling products such as Vietnamese perfume and ointment³ door-to-door, and worked with community groups that help Vietnamese refugees.

For almost two decades Le has lived in the shadows, waiting for a chance to settle permanently⁴ overseas. No job, no country, no legal status, no future and almost no hope.

 

But, while life was difficult, the Philippines gave him a temporary home. Aside from initial difficult times at the refugee camp, where he says the staff fought with and cheated refugees, Le has warm feelings for the country where he grew up.

"After the camp I was able to study in school and then I got some friends. We talk to them, we share to [with] them and we come to their families. ….so we more understand them, and the culture and themselves individually," he said. "And we are getting more close to the Filipinos … the Filipinos are very friendly and they are hospitable⁵."

Le notes there are big differences between the Filipino and Vietnamese cultures. He appreciates the carefree and accepting attitude of the Filipino people.

"The Filipinos are more open-minded. The Vietnamese [are] more traditional," he said. "And the Filipinos are not working hard. They are not patient. They love to enjoy, even if they don't have money."

Le is among 139 Vietnamese refugees, along with 177 of their children and non-Vietnamese spouses⁶ that Canada has pledged to take. They are leaving with the help of a program the Vietnamese call Freedom At Last. The first refugees went to Canada in March. By the end of the year, all will be gone.

Organizers of Freedom at Last say a few Vietnamese with businesses have chosen to stay in the Philippines, and there may be others in remote areas the resettlement program has not been able to contact. But otherwise, this program will end the refugee saga⁷ in the Philippines.

Many of this group were not accepted by previous resettlement programs because they had Filipino family ties, and were seen as less in need. Others were not classified as refugees, which made them ineligible⁸ for resettlement.

Le's brother was resettled in the United States in 2005, but Le was not accepted. His brother was seen as a political case because he left Vietnam at age 19 and had suffered discrimination. But Le was a minor⁹ when he fled Vietnam, and he says it was ruled that he should be with his parents.

Le hopes to go to Canada later this year. He plans to get more computer education there and go to work setting up computer networks. He also wants to lobby for political change in Communist-ruled Vietnam.

The Freedom at Last program comes after years of lobbying by the Vietnamese-Canadian community. A U.S. group called VOICE, Vietnamese Overseas Initiative for Conscience Empowerment, also sponsors the program. VOICE country director Thi Nguyen says the refugees have faced quite a struggle.

"It's a hard life. But we are really resilient, as you can tell," said Nguyen. "This is the last remaining program that they can go into. So, if for any reason, they miss this boat, then they are stuck here in the Philippines."

Nguyen says the effort has gotten strong support from the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines, and the Philippine Red Cross. She says, however, money to get the final refugees to Canada is tight. She estimates it will take $500,000 to $1 miilion to end their long wait for a new home and she is not sure where that money will come from.

1 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

2 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

3 ointment   

n.药膏，油膏，软膏

参考例句：

• Your foot will feel better after the application of this ointment.敷用这药膏后，你的脚会感到舒服些。
• This herbal ointment will help to close up your wound quickly.这种中草药膏会帮助你的伤口很快愈合。

4 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

5 hospitable   

adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的

参考例句：

• The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
• The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。

6 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

7 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

8 ineligible   

adj.无资格的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The new rules have made thousands more people ineligible for legal aid.新规定使另外数千人不符合接受法律援助的资格。
• The country had been declared ineligible for World Bank lending.这个国家已被宣布没有资格获得世界银行的贷款。

9 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。