Interpal wins special award

The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) an organisation formed to campaign for the right of return for Palestinian refugees celebrated its 10 year anniversary on Tuesday 7 March 2007 in an event in Central London that brought together a large number of human rights activists, Arab officials and British MPs. The evening event concluded with the presentation of a few awards to commemorate the contribution of scholars, artists, activisits and humanitarian organisations in highlighting the plight of Palestinians in need.

 

Recipients included Dr. Swee Chai Ang and Interpal, which, in the words of the PRC is “…A most respected and dedicated charity that has for 13 years served the Palestinian people, especially in the refugee camps with unequalled dedication. It has, despite intense pressures, stood with so much resilience and devotion to fill the gap, providing for thousands of needy families, as some members of the international community turned a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and their places of Diaspora.”

 

Dr. Swee is an orthopaedic surgeon and an occupational health specialist. She worked in the Gaza Hospital in Beirut during the Israeli invasion of the city in 1982. She treated many of the victims of the Sabra and Shatila massacre and gave testimony to the Kahan Commission which was set up to investigate the mass killings in which thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese were either killed or are still missing. Her experiences have been recorded in her book From Beirut to Jerusalem. Dr Ang has since been a founding patron of Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), one of the foremost organisations working in this area.