Jennifer Pagonis Quotations

This really is a race against time and the weather. If we lose, people are going to suffer even more.

There are visible cases of malnutrition among the new arrivals. A toddler died last week on arrival suffering from dehydration and three young children died in January from acute respiratory infection.

Many who flee do not register with the UNHCR and often cross back to their homeland when they feel it is again safe to do so,

She takes her work for us extremely seriously and that means a lot to her and the staff. She's a terrific goodwill ambassador who can help people understand the difficult life of a refugee.

Some areas need to be de-mined and there is a great lack of infrastructure. So far there is only limited capacity to take people back.

Some 3,500 Burundians have crossed the border since the start of the year and the numbers keep growing at an average rate of 100 new arrivals a day.

Some of them were badly injured and are receiving medical assistance. One asylum-seeker died of wounds,

Local Chadian residents throughout the region are now telling our staff on the ground that they are very frightened, and that if humanitarian agencies were ever forced to withdraw from the area, they too would have to move in search of a safer haven.

We would like to be sure that the humanitarian character of the refugee camps is respected.

We certainly hope that good cooperation (over refugees) will continue.

On Thursday, we heard from the Palestinian community in Baghdad that reportedly over 100 families had received written death threats and that many are in a state of shock and panic.

This is even more worrying in the absence of any clear indications as to what might be the nature of the envisaged offshore processing arrangement. If it is not one that meets the same high standards Australia sets for its own processes, this could be tantamount to penalizing for illegal entry.

This is not the opening of the floodgates, but it is a start. It is quite a significant move since some of these people have been out of their country for 20 years.

They said the killings, disappearances, and hostage-taking affecting their families, neighbors and friends had become intolerable.

They are feeling increasingly trapped, and for security reasons, many have stopped going to work and have taken their children out of school.

It's for her own security and the security of the refugees. That's the only way she can have direct contact with people and hear their stories.

That leaves us with a shortfall of $1.45 million. There are no signs that the refugees are intending to return home in the immediate future and it is crucial that donors respond to our request for funds to assist this population.

That leaves us with a shortfall of $1.45 million, ... There are no signs that the refugees are intending to return home in the immediate future and it is crucial that donors respond to our request for funds to assist this population.

They were provided with protection and assistance by the former regime and enjoyed a relatively high standard of treatment that some segments of the Iraqi population considered unfair.

In total, about half a million Angolans are estimated to have repatriated, with or without UNHCR assistance, since the April 2002 cease-fire that brought to an end Angola's 27-year civil war.

Chad has been very generous in accepting the refugees and working with us ... We certainly hope that good cooperation will continue.