Papri Sri Raman wins third UNHCR-C-NES Media fellowship
New Delhi, August 20 – Ms. Papri Sri Raman, Special Correspondent for IANS, posted in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, has been awarded the third Media Fellowship on Refugee Issues sponsored by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (C-NES) for her proposed study on ‘Sri Lankan Refugees: Away from home Across the Palk Straits’ in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Making the announcement today, Sanjoy Hazarika, C-NES Managing Trustee, said that the fellowship to Ms. Raman, is to start in September 2008 and will last three months, with a focus on Protection and Durable Solutions that would cover a range of concerns and challenges which Sri Lankan refugees face in this country. She proposes to focus on the condition of child and women refugees as well as camp conditions where they live.
“The Tamil refugee story had fallen off the map and this was an opportunity to review it afresh and in depth,” said Mr. Hazarika.
Ms. Raman is the third awardee of a UNHCR-C-NES fellowship this year. The first fellowship on Chin Refugees of Myanmar went to Mr. Nava Thakuria, a Guwahati-based reporter; the second on the need for a Refugee Specific Legislation in India was awarded to Ms. Ratna Talukdar, a freelance journalist from Assam.
The fellowship carries an award of Rs. 45,000/.
A set of three Fellowships were instituted in February 2008 as part of an effort to sensitize print journalists to refugee issues in India. Awardees are expected to travel for the project and write at least three in-depth articles on the topic in major print media.
The announcement was made after a meeting of the Selection Committee, comprising Mr. Hazarika, who is also a senior journalist and editor, Ms. Pamela Philipose of Women’s Feature Service and Ms. Nayana Bose of the UNHCR, reviewed the applications.
This is the final fellowship under UNHCR-C-NES Media Fellowship 2008.
Sanjoy Hazarika, C-NES
Nayana Bose, UNHCR
Pamela Philipose, Women’s Feature Service