More than 13 000 people who have fled war, persecution or political strife in their troubled homelands have begun new lives in Australia. Burmese people who had been living in camps on the Thai-Burma border and in Malaysia and India were among the major groups assisted last year.
The Mae La camp started in 1984 as a small settlement for ethnic Karen fleeing violence in Burma. It has grown to be the largest of the nine refugee camps in the region. More than 9000 people from the camp have been resettled since then and a further 10 000 are expected to leave during 2008.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates there are currently about 116 000 registered Burmese refugees and about 3700 unregistered refugees in nine camps along the Thai-Burma border.
As we reach out to all people of Bendigo, we are particularly focussed in 2010 on assisting the Karen refugees due to the large numbers that have settled here since 2007.
Click here to download the BBC Newsletter 05-02-2012