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* Zeliha Kazankiran
This 21-year-old Kurd feels trapped. Because her
application for refugee status is in limbo, she
can't work or go to school. She, along with four
siblings and her parents, came to Japan from Turkey
two years ago.
Her family, and another Kurdish family in a similar
situation, staged a two-month sit-in this summer in
front of the Tokyo Office of the U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees to demand a resolution to
their status dilemma.
``My plan was to attend a college in Japan this
year. But because I have no visa, it is difficult. I
never wanted to be lazy, but it seems like I have
almost no chance of landing a job or going to
college in this country.
``I am very disappointed the (sit-in) action didn't
succeed. We tried so hard. All we want is to live
like everyone else. I still hope our desperate
plight will push the Japanese government to grant
refugee status to us and others like us seeking
asylum.
``I have no idea what will happen next year. If we
were able to get refugee status, I would have
thought about going to a university here.
But because the Japanese government has not shown
any willingness to help us, we have been trying to
apply for refugee status with nations such as Canada
and Australia. I am now thinking of going to an
English-language university.''
http://www.asahi.com
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