Students talk migrants and refugees on radio

The second Chat Room session held on Wednesday and broadcast live on Tribe FM 92.0 had five dynamic students from Marianville Catholic Secondary School, Bomana, discussing refugees and migrants.
Panellists Annabelle Morea, Sheryna Tarura, Bethany Tapoli, Soniya Kombeo and Alabas Nathan shared their views on a topic seldom spoken of by young people.
The panellists were able to discuss the topic from different angles and present their different viewpoints.
“In our conversations we normally speak on music, movies, relationships and the like,” Kombeo said. “Refugees are not something we speak about.”
Morea said: “The more we discuss these issues, the more we are aware of them, the better we can think positively and search for ways to be productive.”
Tarura said: “We need to learn a lot about refugees and migration in Papua New Guinea, and share
with the nation on how we can welcome them and make them feel at home.
“We have helped our neighbours, the West Papuans.
“It is now up to the people in power, our government leaders, and above all the Australia government, to ensure that their human rights are respected.”
Callers also shared their views on the presence of the refugees and their effect on the social fabric of society.
International Organisation for Migration chief-of-mission Lance Bonneau applauded the ability of the students to think critically and share on a difficult issue.
He invited them to reflect on how fortunate they were to have their freedom.
Bonneau reminded them that refugees were not criminals. “We need to work together and seek pathways for the good of all,” he said. The students were happy to have been given space and time to share their views.
It has been an opportunity for them to raise their self-confidence and self-worth.
“In a male-dominated country, this platform has given a voice to the voiceless”, said Fr Ambrose Pereira, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference youth secretary.
Media animator Anastasia Wiau Hasola, and Tribe FM presenter Hazel Parpa, herself an ex-Marianville student, were delighted with the confidence displayed by the young students.