Björn Wahlroos, chairman of the board of banks Sampo Group, Nordea and forest group UPM-Kymnmene, was quoted on Sunday’s Helsingin Sanomat as stating that the present social welfare state system is the main culprit for marginalizing Finns. He said that outgoing President Tarja Halonen had put a dent in the credibility of the executive branch by polarizing Finnish society.
Tag: Immigrants
Labor immigrants in Finland: Who exploits whom?
Remember when some politicians pointed the finger accusingly at labor immigrants because they would fuel racism? Remember how these politicians claimed that immigrants would work for a pittance and thereby drive wages down? A story published by Kauhajoki-lehti reveals how Swedish construction group Skanska exploited its employees at a construction site by paying them 4-euro hourly wages and a bowl of rice every day.
Lip service or action by Finnish municipal authorities?
The role of accepting refugees in remote municipalities as a way of slowing the number of people who move out of the community is a half-way solution to the challenging demographic problem facing many parts of Finland. While there is a lot of good will to accommodate refugees in their municipality, many of these people end up moving to bigger cities like Helsinki after short stay.
Why did you come here? (3/4) “Omar Hussein: At last peace”
This is the third of four short biographies that were published in an English reader called Why did you come here? The book, which was published in 1994 by WSOY. It was authored by Russell Snyder and myself. Omar Hussein is the first Somali friend I had in Finland. I met him in the early 1990s when Mikkeli opened up its first refugee center.
Why did you come here? (2/4) “Angel Barrientos: A stranger in my home”
This is the second of a four-part series of a few short biographies that appeared in 1994 in an English reader called Why did you come here? The book was authored by Russell Snyder and myself. Angel Barrientos was at the time of the interview 45 and had moved to Finland as a refugee from Chile.
HS.fi: Maahanmuuttajat eivät korostu Suomen henkirikostilastoissa
EU-maiden välillä on erittäin suuria eroja henkirikosten syissä ja tekotavoissa. Suomessa tyypillisen henkirikoksen tekijä on keski-ikäinen alkoholin suurkuluttaja ja uhri humalainen ikätoveri. Ruotsin tilanne myötäilee Suomea, mutta Hollanti on jo toista maata.
Iltalehti: Martti Ahtisaari: Suomalaiset, pyytäkää maahanmuuttajia kahville
Presidentti Martti Ahtisaari toivoi, että kaikki suomalaiset, jotka eivät rasisteja ole, osoittaisivat sen käytännön tasolla osoittaen vieraanvaraisuutta maahanmuuttajille.
La Nación (Argentina): La escuela es donde más se discrimina
Siete de cada diez adolescentes argentinos fueron testigos de alguna forma de discriminación, y cuatro de cada diez la sufrieron en carne propia. El escenario: la escuela, en primer lugar, en forma abrumadora, y en segundo lugar, la calle. Así lo revela una encuesta realizada entre 900 chicos de siete provincias, divulgada ayer por Unicef Argentina.
MTV3: Kiuru maahanmuuttajien asumisesta: Kiitos ei keskittymiä!
Asunto- ja viestintäministeri Krista Kiuru haluaa pysäyttää sosiaalisen asumisen keskittymisen omille alueilleen. Kiurun mielestä myös päättäjien keskuudessa esiintyy ajattelua, jonka mukaan esimerkiksi maahanmuuttajille olisi syytä varata omia asuinalueitaan.
Migrant Tales literary blog?
Would launching a separate “little” literary blog (Migrant Tales “Little”?) be a good idea? It would publish poetry, short stories, short plays, drawings. anecdotes, and pictures of our lives in Finland and elsewhere. Depending on how this lifts off, we could even organize contests.