DOHA: The Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) hosts a public lecture by Fr. Bambang A Sipayung S J (pictured) at its auditorium in Education City today at 6.30pm.
Sipayung is the Regional Director of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Asia Pacific and will speak about the nearly five million refugees in East Asia.
“Looking at the current trend of displaced people, asylum-seekers and refugees, it is unfortunate to see unfriendly immigration policies continue to limit the protection of these people,” he said.
“Unfortunately, war and violence do not stop. And, we see differences and disagreements that unfailingly persist. Add climate change and we see people pushed out of their homes because of floods, landslides and tropical storms, such as Typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda, as it is locally known, that recently hit the Philippines and left so much damage.
“In short, displacement can occur under a variety of circumstances.”
The JRS Asia Pacific office serves refugees and other displaced people in Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste.
Worldwide, 51 countries have JRS programmes that function under the umbrella of 10 regional offices, led by an international office in Rome.
Fr. Sipayung is visiting GU-Q as a special guest during Georgetown’s Jesuit Heritage Week celebration.
The week is a traditional event that celebrates Georgetown’s Jesuit identity with special programmes highlighting Georgetown’s Jesuit values, a press statement said yesterday.
The Peninsula
