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MSF "Refugee Camp in the City" Exhibition Successfully kicked-off Today

"Have you registered to be a refugee?" The opening ceremony of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) "Refugee Camp in the City" Exhibition was successfully held today. Guests from medical, academic and political sectors and NGOs registered to be refugees in the kick-off ceremony and walked into the camp to experience the plight of the displaced.

Dr. Hon. Leong Che-hung, Executive Councillor officiated at the ceremony and called for the public to visit the exhibition and pay more concern on the plight of displaced. "In this exhibition, we not only can walk into different tents, but also touch the daily appliances used by the displaced in the camps and taste the high nutritional value biscuits for malnourished children. All these let us experience their vulnerable life," he said.

The other two officiating guests, Mrs. Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai, Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food and Mr. Anthony Wu Ting-yuk, Chairman of Hospital Authority showed the tyre-made shoes and toys made of rusty iron plates respectively and shared their concerns. "When the children in Hong Kong puzzle over which brand of shoes they should buy, there are many children in refugee camps in Africa don't even have a pair of worn-out shoes and need to make shoes out of tyres. We can have some reflections ourselves through this exhibition," said Mrs Yau. Mr Wu echoed with her and said, "There is such a big contrast that the kids in the refugee camps have to make their own toys out of waste materials while children in HK have so many, or too many, different kinds of toys."

Dr. Tse Tsz-wah, President of MSF Hong Kong, pointed out that having a shelter is something very far-away for the 33 million of refugees and internally displaced persons. MSF tries hard to alleviate the suffering of the displaced by providing medical care, therapeutic feeding treatment, clean drinking water supply to the displaced people. He hoped the refugee camp exhibition can raise more public awareness about the plight of the displaced.

The Officiating Guests then joined with Prof. Lam Shiu-kum, Dean of Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of HKU, Dr. Choi Kin, President of the Hong Kong Medical Association, Dr Tse, Ms Alice Chow, MSF-HK Board Member and Mr Dick van der Tak, MSF-HK Executive Director, to make a "mega registration card" to invite the Hong Kong public to register to be refugees in this exhibition.

The other guests including Hon Sin Chung-kai from Democratic Party, Mr. Ip Kwok-him from DAB, Dr. Hon Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung from Civic Party, Ms. Karine Mirzoyan, Programme Officer of UNHCR, Mr. John Sayer, Director General of Oxfam Hong Kong and Ms. Ho Wai-yang, Refugee Group Coordinator of Amnesty International (HK) also participated in the opening ceremony. After the ceremony, guests were invited to walk into the camp and they tasted the high nutritional value biscuits. Mrs. Yau, Dr Leong, Dr. Choi, Mr Sin, Mr Ip and Dr Cheung worked together to fill the jerry can with water from the water bladder. They also tried to carry a full can of 20 litres of water to experience the life of the displaced in the camps.

In the ceremony, the three political parties' representatives also encouraged Hong Kong people to join MSF Day 2006 tomorrow to donate a day's income as being an MSF volunteer for one day. Representatives from Digital Crown Holdings (H.K) Ltd, United Italian Corp. (HK) Ltd, Sidefame Ltd attended the MSF Day cheque presentation ceremony today. Thanks to them and other companies and organisations for supporting the MSF Day campaign.

The "Refugee Camp in the City" Exhibition was first launched in France in 1995. It has toured in countries like the US, Canada, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Holland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Japan. This is the first time when the exhibition comes to Hong Kong.

© Gary Ma/MSF
Dr. Hon. Leong Che-hung, Executive Councillor, Mrs. Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai, Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Mr. Anthony Wu Ting-yuk, Chairman of Hospital Authority and Dr. Tse Tsz-wah, President of MSF Hong Kong stamped on the mega "refugee registration card" to invite Hong Kong public to register to be refugees in this exhibition.

© Gary Ma/MSF
Dr. Hon. LEONG Che-hung, Executive Councillor, Mrs. Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai, Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Hon Sin Chung-kai from Democratic Party, Mr. Ip Kwok-him from DAB and Dr. Hon Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung from Civic Party had a try of the high nutritional biscuits for malnourished children, to experience the life of being refugees.

 

MSF "Refugee Camp in the City" Exhibition
Date: 27 Sept ¨C 4 Oct
Venue: Piazza, Kowloon Park, Tsim Sha Tsui
Open Hours: 11am ¨C7 pm (4 Oct: Close at 5pm)
Thematic website: http://www.refugeecamp.msf.org.hk/

Special thanks to Kowloon Park to provide the venue.