On Saturday, Angelina Jolie and her five-year-old son Maddox visited an Afghan Sikh refugee camp in New Delhi, India. Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, chatted with refugee families and visited schools, speaking with students and listening to the kids play religious music.
"I am grateful to the refugee families who spent time with me and shared their stories. They are remarkable, courageous people," the statement quoted the 31-year-old actress as saying.
Jolie visited the home of a refugee woman from Myanmar to see the living conditions endured by the woman and her three children.
The woman, one of the 1,750 refugees who have fled Myanmar to India since 1982, told Jolie that she and her children left after her husband was arrested by the military government in Myanmar, the statement said.
Myanmar-India relations turned cold after the Myanmar military violently suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988, but relations have warmed in the past few years.
During her tour, Jolie met with Indias Junior External Affairs Minister, Anand Sharma, and praised his countries efforts in helping refugees.
"The wonderful thing that I have learned since I have been in India is there are many, many needs for your own people and yet you have all been so gracious and been so open to so many refugees over the years," Jolie told reporters.
"I have also since I have been here spent time with Indian people and we spoke about concerns for disabled people, children and orphans," she said after meeting with Sharma.
Jolie has returned back to Pune, India, where she will continue to film the Daniel and Mariane Pearl story, A Mighty Heart.
Alyk
Boston, MA
February 2005
NOV 06, 2006 09:41 AM