Iraqi translators feel 'abandoned'

[Barrett808]

Source: Channel 4 News

Iraqi translators feel 'abandoned'
By Jonathan Miller

For less than £10 a day, hundreds of Iraqis are putting their lives on the line as interpreters for the British Army in Basra. Many have now fled, having received death threats.

They claim they're being systematically targeted and murdered. The militias, jostling for control of Basra, consider them traitors. At least two have been killed this month.

Unlike the American government, which has announced plans to resettle 7,000 particularly vulnerable Iraqi refugees, the British government has made no such commitment.

Our foreign affairs Correspondent, Jonathan Miller, tracked down four former British Army interpreters, all of them now on the run, who've appealed to Britain not to abandon them.

Read more: http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/international_politics/iraqi+translators+feel+abandoned/530257

[chknltl]

1. I did not know that America has plans for it's translators...

From what I understand there are in excess of ten thousand who are on our official payroll as translators. They are considered "collaborators" by other Iraqi's. They AND their families are fair game for those who hate our occupation. Many have applied for refugee status here in the US, a LONG process because these folks must pass through the Dept of Homeland Security in order to filter out potential terrorists.

As Viet Nam was falling President Ford confessed to the American people that we had a responsibility to those Vietnamese who aided us. He allowed over 100,000 refugees in.
I feared bush would be a lot less cordial here given his record with helping out the needy. It would be easy to duck out on this for him by claiming that Homeland Security can not possibly review this many applicants in so short a time...basically condemning to death many of those who have aided America in the occupation!

Here is a related link:
http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/03/thrown_to_the_assassins.html
and
http://thegroundtruth.blogspot.com/2007/03/iraqi-volunteers-iraqi-refugees-what-is.html
and
http://www.state.gov/g/prm/rls/82184.htm
also check out the "House Hearing on Iraqi......" which is in C-Span's recent archives. This was quite an eye opener for me:
http://12.170.145.161/Search/advanced.asp?AdvancedQueryText=Iraqi+Refugees&StartDateMonth=12&StartDateYear=2006&EndDateMonth=&EndDateYear=&Series=&ProgramIssue=&QueryType=Match+Phrase&QueryTextOptions=&ResultCount=10&SortBy=date

As you can see I have an interest here... If you have any info on what the admins latest plans are for these folks I would be interested in adding this to my database. So far I do NOT trust bush and I worry that there may be an ongoing bloodbath with these folks that is going unreported. This is the first I have heard of this 7000 getting resettled by the bush admin.. This is good news indeed! Those who the British Government are turning their backs on are in DIRE need as well. I expexted this out of bush admin but not out of the British admin!
Thanks for posting

[Barrett808]

2. I thought the number of Iraqs allowed into the US was vanishingly small

Like, not even triple digits. True?

[chknltl]

3. That was what I heard last as well

But that data is a couple of months old. I got that from the House Hearing I watched on C-Span, see link:
http://12.170.145.161/Search/advanced.asp?AdvancedQueryText=Iraqi+Refugees&StartDateMonth=12&StartDateYear=2006&EndDateMonth=&EndDateYear=&Series=&ProgramIssue=&QueryType=Match+Phrase&QueryTextOptions=&ResultCount=10&SortBy=date
(Please click on House Hearing on Iraqi Volunteers and Refugees) This is about an hour or so long BUT VERY fascinating. Those other links I offered up relate to this hearing.

I have not heard any update since, (not that I have been actively looking for one). This post was the first I have heard that the numbers have been improved upon to 7000. This might mean the Hearing got folks motivated on this issue. Obviously more needs to be done here but I'll not complain about the progress if indeed it is being dealt with.

[saigon68]

4. "collaborators" and "Quislings"

They are getting payback from the people who see them as sell outs

[arewenotdemo]

5. Payback's a bitch.

Wonder if the money was worth it.