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| Kanae Doi - Afghan refugees |
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| Kanae Doi speaking on the rights of refugees
in Japan |
For most people, the word 'Refugee' conjures up
images of dusty camps in distant countries, but Kanae Doi, one of
a group of lawyers who created a network representing refugees in
Japan, presented a very different reality. In her lecture she showed
newsreels of recent cases involving Afghan people who, under threat
from the Taliban regime, fled their country to seek asylum in Japan.
Explaining that, in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist incident, many
were arrested, interrogated and are still being held in detention
centres while under investigation, she demonstrated how they are treated
as criminals. Unable to apply for visas in their home countries, they
are forced to enter Japan illegally and face the risk of being repatriated
due to rigid immigration laws coupled with a poor record of welcoming
refugees. Reading a testimony from one of the detainees expressing
bitter disappointment at his treatment by the Japanese authorities,
Doi revealed that at least one of her clients had committed suicide.
She compared the status of refugees in Japan and some Western countries,
using recent statistics, videos and newspaper articles to illustrate
her arguments, and called for Japan to honour its signing of an international
treaty concerning refugees. In a further event, Kanae Doi spoke of
her experiences as a volunteer creating laws for the new-born country
of Eritrea and how her interest in the plight of refugees was sparked
by visits to camps for people who had fled the conflict. She also
took part in seminars for the Global University, giving students the
benefit of her knowledge of the legal situation regarding both refugees
and migrant workers in Japan. |
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| Kazuo Goto - on U.S. Justice |
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| Kazuo Goto |
After sharing his knowledge and experience in three weeks of lectures on the role of the media in present-day society, journalist Kazuo Goto left the ship in Port Said. Director of investigative TV programme "The Scoop" Mr. Goto donated many videos of his work to the ship so participants could continue to study the issues covered. A range of events covered such topics as America's reaction to the 9-11 terrorist attacks, patriotism, propaganda in the Vietnam war, the power of the media and its influence on public opinion. Furthermore, contributing to the International Student programme as a guest speaker, Mr. Goto assisted with many seminars on independent media and the role and responsibilities of journalists in the field, regardless of country of origin, background and political situation. |
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| Peace Boat's
39th Voyage index |
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PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
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