Refugee Family Reeling After Their Only Transportation Stolen

A Canadian family starting a new life in Winkler are struggling after the theft of their only transportation.

Nei-moo rides his bike the many miles to and from his job at Green Valley Equipment each day.

However, last weekend he found his bike lock cut and his bicycle stolen.

Winkler Police note there's been an increasing amount of bike thefts reported in recent weeks.

Police Chief Rick Hiebert says the thefts are under active investigation with multiple leads.

Hiebert says it's especially frustrating for bike owners who've taken every precaution and still had their property stolen.

Originally from Burma, Nei-Moo, his wife Ka-Yar and their five children escaped life in a refugee camp in Thailand thanks to MCC and local sponsorship.

One of their local sponsors, Don Martens, explains the family is part of a minority people group known as the Karen People.  

Despite living peacefully in small jungle villages for many years, the Burma/Myanmar government has sought to wipe out the Karen since the end of World War II.

Suffering the worst imaginable persecution, many fled and landed in a refugee camp in Thailand which Nei-Moo and his family have called home for around 14 years before MCC identified them as Canadian refugee candidates.

Canada has become a safe and peaceful place for them to raise their family, Martens explains as they continue to learn English at Regional Connections and the children enter the local school system and participate in sports.

Skating has quickly become a favourite past time for the family, Martens says.

"There has been so much to learn about our culture," Martens explains, including shopping in stores, banking, using appliances, and operating household items like a furnace.

However, because of the language barrier, the idea of obtaining a drivers license is still a ways away. It means Nei-Moo's bicycle is incredibly important to get to school, the community gardens, the grocery store and work.

Martens says in the mean time, they are asking anyone with information on the bike to make contact (204-362-2824), adding the bike is a Raleigh brand with white and red markings.