Former refugee shares struggle, journey on World Refugee Day

Hundreds of people gathered under a small atrium in downtown Saskatoon to celebrate World Refugee Day on Thursday.

While it was the rain forcing people to huddle together after a change of venue, the atmosphere couldn’t have been more fitting for unity as people carried signs reading: “Be Human!” “Refugees make a stronger Canada.”

Front and centre during the two-hour event were Bwe Goh Soe and his family.

As members of the Karen ethnic group (an indigenous population in southern and eastern regions of Myanmar), the family fled Myanmar during the country’s long-lasting civil war as threats of ethnic cleansing increased.

The family landed in a refugee camp along the Myanmar-Thailand border where Soe was born in 1991.

“We were numbers there,” he said of his family’s experience as refugees.
“We were not allowed to go outside, or find work outside of the camp.”

Soe spent the first 16 years of his life in the refugee camp without a country to call home, only existing on records held within the camp.

Most of his memories are foggy due to his age, but he’ll never forget living in constant fear of breaking refugee camp rules.

“I remember one time when the soldiers came into the village. All I remember was my mom grabbing my hand and telling me to run. Later that day, we were spending our time in the jungle — we were told we were not allowed to cry or yell, we had to stay and hide in the jungle,” Soe said.

“I know one of my close friends passed away because (his) house was burned down by the Myanmar military.”

Getting away from Myanmar and landing in Canada in 2007 was a very different experience for his entire family. Learning about the country and its various cultures changed everything he learned growing up.

“It feels like you’re on a different world,” Soe said. “You see a lot of people here from different countries. And one of the main things is freedom, how to get used to living with freedom. For my mother, it’s mainly hoping for her children to be free and not go through the same thing. Finally, the dream has come true.”

Soe was able to call a country home for the first time in his life when he shed his refugee status, becoming a Canadian citizen in 2016.

He urges other refugees to share their experiences.

“Don’t be afraid to share your stories,” he said. “There’s a lot of people here that want to hear your story, and maybe the story will affect people some of the people who have no clue what it’s like being a refugee.”

“Your story can be very powerful to other people.”