U.S. President George Bush has approved more than $32 million in
additional funding to support refugees and victims of conflict in
Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. VOA White House Correspondent Scott
Stearns has the story.
First Lady Laura Bush announced the additional funding at a White House ceremony marking World Refugee Day.
"We
recognize citizens from African nations like Somalia and Sudan, who
were forced to flee their homes by ongoing violence," she said. "We
recognize families from Iraq and Afghanistan, who were terrorized in
their neighborhoods. And, on only one day after Aung San Suu Kyi's
birthday, where she's passed another year under house arrest, we
recognize activists and ethnic populations in Burma, who were pushed
into refugee camps by an oppressive military regime."
The United
Nations says there are currently more than 11 million refugees around
the world and millions more who have are internally displaced by
conflict or persecution.
The United States this year will spend
more than $1 billion for food and shelter to help resettle refugees.
Mrs. Bush says America will take in as many as 70,000 displaced people.
"Many
American families came to this country to escape repressive regimes and
build better futures. We honor this legacy by welcoming more refugees
annually than any other nation," she added.
In the last 30 years, the United States has accepted nearly 3 million refugees.
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