International Refugee News

International Refugee News

April 2-16, 2001

* Arrests

Police arrested nine Ukrainians at a bus terminal for trying to enter Portugal ‘illegally.’ Portugal is currently documenting thousands of ‘illegal’ immigrants, mainly from Africa and Eastern Europe, who are needed to meet the demand for workers, especially in the booming construction industry. The government estimates there are up to 40,000 ‘illegal’ immigrants in Portugal. (The Associated Press, April 5, 2001)

Thirteen Asians were arrested 5 April at Osaka port on suspicion of illegal entry into Japan. Police discovered the 13 hiding in two containers on a wharf of the port and arrested them as they were not carrying passports, in violation of the Immigration Control and Refugee-Recognition Law. (Kyodo News Service, April 5, 2001)

Police detained 40 ‘illegal immigrants’ who were hidden in a cellar in Slovakia. The refugees, 39 from Afghanistan and one from Iraq, failed to produce identification papers when they were picked up. Slovakia and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe often serve as transit counties for ‘illegal immigrants’ who hope to make it to Western Europe. (The Associated Press, April 4, 2001)

* Deaths

An ‘illegal immigrant’ was electrocuted by a cable near the Channel Tunnel's freight shuttle terminal. The man, who was not identified, had apparently been trying to make his way to Britain before dawn via the Channel Tunnel when he was accidentally electrocuted. Thousands try to reach Britain via the tunnel. More than 1,000 people are caught each month, according to officials. Two months ago, an ‘illegal immigrant’ was killed after apparently being hit by a train near the underwater tunnel's loading terminal for trucks. (The Associated Press, April 12, 2001)

(The Mirror (U.K.), April 2, 2001) The lump on the beach in Spain could have been a piece of driftwood but the lifeless flotsam on the white sands is the debris of desperation. It is the body of a young woman washed up on a Spanish beach - the latest victim of a voyage of hope which so often ends in tragedy. No one will ever know her name, or where she came from. Her family, in all probability, will never know what became of her. The nameless woman was one of four bodies washed ashore on the Andalucian coast as hundreds cross the Straits of Gibraltar in a vain attempt to

escape the misery of their homelands. Three weeks ago, 10 bodies were washed ashore onto the coast at Tarifa.

* Deportation

Immigration officials have arrested seven Iraqis who entered Mexico ‘illegally.’ They were detained near the Caribbean border with Belize, were turned over to Immigration officials in Mexico City and were likely to be deported back to Iraq. (The Associated Press, April 10, 2001)

(The Daily Telegraph (U.K.), April 11, 2001) Immigration officials are drawing up plans to lease aircraft to speed up the deportation of ‘failed’ asylum seekers from Britain. The immigration service has been set a 12-month target to remove 30,000 people who have been refused asylum in Britain. Planes are now being chartered on a regular basis with four trips in the past month. A Home Office spokesman said immigration officials were considering leasing aircraft.

Police arrested three Pakistani men allegedly holding nine ‘illegal immigrants’ and demanding payment from their relatives for smuggling them into Greece. The five Indian and four Pakistani men, all aged between 23 and 32 had been held for four days after being transported to Athens overland from Turkey. They were found in the basement of a house in a northern Athens suburb. They had suffered some bruises. The nine immigrants are expected to be deported for entering the country illegally. (The Associated Press, April 10, 2001)

Special snatch squads are to be established by the UK Home Office to round up ‘immigration offenders.’ A confidential Home Office document details plans by Jack Straw, the home secretary, to establish arrest teams of 16 immigration officers each to track down ‘illegal immigrants’ and those whose asylum applications have been turned down. At least 10 teams will be set up with powers to arrest and deport individuals once any judicial process is complete. (The Times (U.K.), April 8, 2001)

Asylum seekers in South Africa face arrest and deportation if they fail to meet the "unrealistic deadline" of acquiring new permits by April 30. Between 19,000 and 20,000 refugees were seeking asylum in South Africa. The Department of Home Affairs has ordered all asylum-seekers to obtain, by the end of the month, Section 22 permits under the 1998 Refugee Act, which replaces the 1991 Aliens Control Act. If asylum-seekers do not change their permits they face fines, arrest or deportation unless they can prove "just cause" for their failure to do so. (Agence France Presse, April 9, 2001)

Turkish security forces have captured some 300 ‘illegal immigrants’ as one of the ships carrying them to Greece ran into trouble off Turkey's Aegean coast. Those aboard included 120 Turkish nationals as well as Iraqis, Moroccans and Nigerians. A number of them were children. (Agence France Presse, April 8, 2001)

Immigrants who face deportation from the US because they have pleaded guilty to a felony may withdraw that plea if they can show that their lawyers misrepresented their likelihood of being expelled from the country, the California Supreme Court ruled. Four of the state high court's seven justices decided that immigrants are not adequately protected simply because California judges are required to tell them that a guilty plea could result in their deportation if they are not United States citizens. (Los Angeles Times, April 3, 2001)

The ‘illegal immigrants’ who created a ‘commotion’ before escaping into the jungle while being led out of the Lenggeng detention centre for deportation in Malaysia will be charged with rioting. The 12 ‘illegals’ (seven Indian nationals and five Bangladeshis) had been re-arrested. A manhunt for the remaining 19 escapees, all males, have been intensified with the deployment of tracker dogs. (New Straits Times (Malaysia), April 2, 2001)

* Detention

A report prepared for the United Nations criticizes Canada's treatment of migrants and the conditions of their detention. The UN's special investigator on the rights of migrants, Gabriela Rodriguez Pizarro, submitted the report for the consideration of the 53-member UN High Commission for Human Rights. The commission is holding its annual six-week meeting in Geneva. Ms Rodriguez complains that Canada often keeps migrants in detention for long periods of time, pending decisions about their fate. She says this causes them to suffer from feelings of uncertainty, depression, loss of freedom and the shame of having to wear handcuffs. (Radio Canada International (via BBC), April 12, 2001)

Australia defended its handling of ‘illegal immigrants’ seeking asylum despite a growing number of riots at its remote detention centres and protests from human rights groups. Australia locks away asylum seekers in remote, privately run outback detention camps while their requests for refugee status are processed. Many are then sent home. About 200 protesters gathered outside the Villawood detention centre. Many waved to family members inside the camp and waved banners including "Free the Refugees'' and "Lock Ruddock Up.'' Australia is examining tough new laws to deal with detained asylum seekers. (Reuters, April 9, 2001)

The Australian Immigration Minister, Ruddock, has claimed that conditions in refugee detention centres are better than in many Australian homes. A group of about 50 people demonstrated at Villawood Detention Centre in south-west Sydney yesterday to highlight the plight of asylum seekers. Free the Refugees Campaign spokesman Arsalan Nazarian [also IFIR activist] said people were resorting to extreme action because they were being subjected to "inhuman and traumatising conditions". (The Sydney Morning Herald, April 9, 2001)

Australian Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said there was no need for an inquiry into the administration of his department's detention centres, despite recent rioting. Last week, rioters torched buildings at the Curtin detention centre in Western Australia. (Associated Press, April 9, 2001)

According to Lord Bassam of Brighton: Nationality is a factor, although not the only factor, in deciding whether a case is suitable for consideration at Oakington [detention centre], as the country of origin has a bearing on the likely complexity of the claim. The nationalities currently considered potentially suitable for Oakington are; Albania, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Ivory Coast (temporarily suspended), Czech Republic, Estonia, Ghana, Hungary, India, Iraq, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tanzania. Ukraine, Uganda, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe. (Hansard, House of Lords, 9 Apr 2001: Asylum Seekers: Detention at Oakington)

Australian immigration authorities on Thursday sought tougher policing powers after 200 asylum seekers went on a ‘rampage’ at a remote detention centre. It was the second ‘riot’ at a camp in a week and refugee support groups warned more protests were being planned. Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock introduced legislation to beef up security at the camps by allowing strip searches of detainees. Australia's immigration policies are beginning to attract more violent and desperate protests. On Monday, a Pakistani man set himself on fire in front of parliament in Canberra after his wife and three daughters were denied immigration visas. He is in critical condition in hospital. On Thursday last week, about 40 detainees at Curtin turned homemade weapons against staff in protest against three other detainees being sent back to the Middle East. That riot ended peacefully. Australia's policy of mandatory detention for illegal immigrants has been widely criticised by human rights groups, with cramped conditions and long periods of detention raising tension in the mostly outback camps. (Reuters, April 5, 2001)

Tear gas was used to break up a riot at Curtin Detention Centre in Australia. (The Australian Associated Press, April 5, 2001)

Australian Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock warned ‘illegal migrants’ that rioting will not help them to stay in the country. The warning came after about 200 inmates at the Curtin detention centre, near Derby, in Western Australia's far north, went on a rampage. (Agence France Presse, April 5, 2001)

(The Sydney Morning Herald, April 5, 2001) A man who attempted to hang himself at the Curtin detention centre in Australia was cut down and beaten for "hours" by Australasian Correctional Management staff, according to allegations in a confidential draft report prepared for the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. The report also details verbal abuse and beatings alleged to have been performed by the staff at the centre in Western Australia.

Ponnampalam Kailasapillai fled Sri Lanka in September 1996 and hoped to join his brother, who earlier had found safety in Canada. But when Kailasapillai stopped to change planes at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., immigration officials detected that his passport was not his own. Suddenly, he found himself caught in the United States asylum system. He would remain stuck in that system, held in one Virginia jail after another, for the next 54 months. He was kept in jail until Thursday, when Justice Department officials abruptly reversed themselves and declared that he could go free, as long as he went on to Canada. (The San Jose Mercury News, April 4, 2001)

In December, the US Immigration and Naturalization Service Miami district transferred 90 women out of the Krome Service Processing Center amid allegations that guards had sexually abused female detainees. At the time, officials said the transfers to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Centre were intended to protect the women and prevent more abuse. Now, with the women gone, comes a fresh sexual abuse claim from a male detainee who says that a male Krome employee pressured him for sex in exchange for help getting him released from detention. (The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, April 3, 2001)

Over 160 remand prisoners at the Negombo prison in Sri Lanka staged a protest campaign on top of the prison roof demanding that they be produced before a Magistrate or be released on bail. These prisoners are 'deportees' mostly from European countries who were apprehended while attempting to gain illegal entry. They are being remanded pending investigationsUnder the present law such prisoners can be kept in remand prison without bail for up to three months until investigations are over. Some of the prisoners who participated in the protest claimed that they have been in remand for over three months, but the authorities have not taken any steps to produce them in court. (The Sri Lanka Daily News, April 3, 2001)

Australia's treatment of asylum seekers was appalling and the subject of international condemnation, said Senator Meg Lees the Australian Democrats leader said. "I think it's disgraceful, the way in which people are being treated when they come here for asylum, having already suffered trauma, often torture, where in their own countries they are not safe." "We have to remember that the majority of those people coming in, from countries like Afghanistan, are going to be found to be genuine refugees," she said. (The Australian Associated Press, April 3, 2001)

A group of 12 Afghans being held in an Australian immigration detention camp have threatened to kill themselves, possibly by self-immolation, rather than be sent home, a refugee support group said. The threat comes a day after a Pakistani man, whose wife and three daughters were denied Australian immigration visas, set himself alight in front of the Australian parliament in Canberra. (Reuters, April 3, 2001)

* Legislation / Laws

Austria's Interior Minister Ernst Strasser drafted a four-point programme for a new asylum and immigration policy. Strasser wants the EU to adopt uniform minimum standards for asylum procedures and he plans the creation of a separate asylum and integration centre. The rigid quotas for immigrants should be replaced with more flexible regulations. (Die Presse, Vienna (via BBC), April 12, 2001)

The Russian government has approved rules for granting temporary asylum on the territory of the Russian Federation. The decision is to be taken by the local bodies of the Ministry for Federation Affairs and Nationalities. Asylum can be granted for up to 12 months. It can be prolonged for another year by decision of the local body responsible for migration issues. (RIA news agency, Moscow (via BBC), April 12, 2001)

The amendment to the Czech asylum law, which was approved by the government, should tighten up and speed up clearing of applications for asylum and ‘prevent misuse’ of this right. It will also enable courts to check on asylum procedures. A refugee will be able to ask for asylum within seven days from the date when he/she was informed about this possibility. (CTK news agency (via BBC), April 9, 2001)

The executive body of the European Union has adopted a proposal setting out minimum standards for the reception of asylum applicants in member states. Under the proposal, all EU members would be obliged to provide asylum seekers. That implies a minimum level of assistance - housing and health care - and access to the job market after six months. Under the proposal, EU members will be able to reduce or withdraw the support when applicants demonstrate they are not serious about the asylum procedure or when their behavior makes continuing the reception process unreasonable. The Commission's proposal is linked to an earlier proposal for minimum standards on procedures for granting and withdrawing refugee status, adopted last fall. That proposal currently is under study by the member states. (The Associated Press, April 4, 2001)

* Living Conditions

A Red Cross refugee centre near Calais, France at Sangatte is regarded as an unofficial waiting room for the thousands of people who attempt the illegal crossing each month intending to seek asylum in Britain. It was opened in 1999, has 700 beds and 16,000 people passed through it in its first year of operation. Most are believed to have entered Britain illegally. (The Daily Telegraph (U.K.), April 13, 2001)

Ministers should replace the voucher system introduced for asylum seekers, said Bill Morris, head of the Transport and General Workers, a year after the controversial scheme was introduced. The policy means those waiting to learn whether they can live in Britain receive benefits in vouchers rather than cash. But the scheme was costly and wrong. "It stigmatises the people who receive it. It marks them out, it has led to a lot of attacks on asylum seekers," he said. It had also led to the "impossible situation" where asylum seekers were subsidising major supermarkets, according to Mr Morris. "But as a matter of social justice we say when people are fleeing persecution they should be treated fairly." (Press Association (U.K.), April 9, 2001)

* Protests

About 200 protesters gathered outside the Villawood detention centre in Australia. Many waved to family members inside the camp and waved banners including "Free the Refugees'' and "Lock Ruddock Up.'' Australia is examining tough new laws to deal with detained asylum seekers. (Reuters, April 9, 2001)

A group demonstrated at Villawood Detention Centre in south-west Sydney yesterday to highlight the plight of asylum seekers. Free the Refugees Campaign spokesman Arsalan Nazarian [also IFIR activist] said people were resorting to extreme action because they were being subjected to "inhuman and traumatising conditions". (The Sydney Morning Herald, April 9, 2001)

A 35-year-old Iranian man stripped naked in the Dutch parliament on Tuesday to draw attention to the Netherlands' refugee policy. “You are killers," the man shouted in English as he ran along the public balcony of the lower house in full view of television cameras, banging a wooden railing with his fist. Parliament adjourned for several minutes while security officers removed the man, whom a parliament spokeswoman said had been a ‘illegal alien’ in the Netherlands for the past seven years. The man said his action was designed to demand "freedom for foreigners." (April 3, Reuters)

On Tuesday, April 3 at 10am, Akbar Alinejad, an Iranian asylum seeker was taken from Villawood detention centre in Australia to the airport and put on the 2pm flight bound to Iran, despite conditions in Iran and his well-founded fear of persecution. Alinejad had spent 27 months in Villawood detention centre. As a result of extensive protests, in a stopover in Malaysia, Alinejad’s deportation order was revoked and he was returned to Sydney. (International Federation of Iranian Refugees, April 4, 2001)

* Racism / Fascism

Ann Widdecombe, the UK shadow home secretary, said the existence of Sangatte in France showed that Europe was not prepared to help Britain deal with the problem of ‘false asylum claims.’ She added: "We have to remove the reason people are drawn to Britain. The pull at the moment is that if you get to the UK you can disappear. We want to set up secure reception centres for all those claiming asylum. That would send out a deterrent message that you cannot come to Britain and simply disappear. For the genuine asylum seekers we could provide a proper resettlement package of social services support, language help and education.” (The Daily Telegraph (U.K.), April 13, 2001)

The United Nations' special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia Maurice Glele-Ahanhanzo will visit Australia to look at government policies and equal rights and opportunity measures aimed at indigenous Australians and people from culturally-diverse backgrounds. (The Australian Associated Press, April 12, 2001)

A local authority has launched an information offensive to counter propaganda peddled by extremists opposed to asylum seekers. East Renfrewshire Council has reassured residents on an estate which was targeted by the National Front and has sent a special newsletter countering claims from a leaflet, distributed by the National Front, that a "flood tide of bogus asylum seekers" was set to swamp the area. The social inclusion manager for the council, said residents were more concerned that refugees would be poorly housed than they were about any potential damage to the local community if they stayed. (The Scotsman, April 3, 2001)

The Council of Europe's racism commission said it was deeply concerned about Austria's ''use of racist and xenophobic propaganda in politics'' and complained current legislation was insufficient to combat xenophobia and discrimination. It also said that in Britain racism was ''particularly acute'' against asylum seekers and refugees, highlighted by media coverage and political discourse. In the five-nation report, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance also detailed continued problems in Albania, Macedonia and Denmark. (The Associated Press, April 2, 2001)

* Restrictive Measures / Militarisation of Borders

Twenty-six North African suspected ‘illegal immigrants’ were picked up from a boat which had been adrift in the Mediterranean for several days. They were spotted off the coast of Andalucia, southern Spain. They had set out from northern Morocco. One woman was hospitalised with dehydration. Another 23 were arrested Wednesday as they tried to dock at Cala de Rijana in the southern province of Granada. (Agence France Presse, April 12, 2001)

A recommendation that federal officials obtain search warrants before opening mail coming into Canada has been rejected by the Immigration Department. (The Canadian Press, April 13, 2001)

A US federal judge in Fort Worth did not abuse his discretion in sentencing a 41-year-old man to 20 years in prison for illegally entering the United States after deportation, a federal appeals court ruled. (The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 12, 2001)

An Indonesian fishing boat with 84 suspected ‘illegal immigrants’ aboard has been intercepted near the Ashmore Islands off Australia's north-western coast. The people, believed to be of Middle Eastern origin, were travelling on a 20 metre motorised fishing vessel and include 23 children. Twelve boats carrying 1,194 illegal immigrants have been detected by Customs Coastwatch so far this year compared to 16 boats carrying 1,017 people in the same period last year. (The Australian Associated Press, April 9, 2001)

Perry Wacker, 32, was found guilty by a jury at Maidstone Crown Court of 58 counts of manslaughter for the 58 Chinese who suffocated in his truck. Wacker, was also convicted of four counts of conspiracy. (The Associated Press, April 5, 2001)

The number of people being smuggled into Britain in cars and lorries has been cut by almost half since the introduction of fines for drivers found carrying ‘illegal immigrants.’ The Home Secretary, Jack Straw, said yesterday that penalties of £2,000 per ‘illegal entrant’ had reduced human trafficking at Channel ports by 42 per cent in the space of a year. The reduction is partly due to the introduction of carbon-dioxide testing of vehicles by officials in Calais and checks carried out by staff on board P&O Stena Line ferries. (The Independent (U.K.), April 4, 2001)

A Pakistani man, Shuharyar Kiyani, doused himself with petrol and set himself alight in front in protest to delays in trying to bring his wife and children to Australia from Pakistan. His initial application had been rejected because of the costs associated with looking after his disabled daughter. Independent MP Andrew Theophanous said it was outrageous someone had been forced to self-immolation to have his immigration case reviewed. "What human rights standards do we have when a genuine refugee's spouse and children are given no chance to flee persecution and reunite in Australia?" (The Australian Associated Press, April 4, 2001)

In 2000 a record 76,040 asylum applications were brought. According to the UK Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), over 80 per cent were declined. Frances Webber, an immigration law specialist, believes that EU immigration laws are xenophobic. The "vast majority" of her clients, she believes, "tell genuine stories and are at grave risk if they return to their country of origin". In her opinion, "the West must take responsibility for the creation of refugees". (The Independent (U.K.), April 3, 2001)

A boat with 447 Iraqi Kurds going to Italy ran aground on an island near Athens in rough seas after being pursued by the Greek coast guard. About 50 of the ‘illegal immigrants’ were being taken to a hospital, while the rest were heading to sports and municipal facilities on the island, where they would be held. Among the passengers of the Medine were 39 women and 40 children. (The Associated Press, April 1, 2001)

* Women

According to Maryam Namazie, International Federation of Iranian Refugees, ‘…since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iranians have been one of the top nationalities applying for asylum worldwide. Currently they're one of the largest. The reasons they're fleeing are extremely real. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, LATELINE, April 10, 2001)

On April 10, 2001 Judge Van Wyke, sitting in York, Pennsylvania granted asylum to a Spanish Gypsy J.J. who had fled a 7 year abusive marriage. In an oral decision, he termed her situation in her community similar to being "enslaved" since she was not allowed to go out alone, could only work along side her husband, was pulled out of school in the 5th grade and suffered numerous incidents of physical abuse, including being kicked by her husband and sexual assault. J.J. was running away from her town of Ferrol Spain because the Gypsy elders, known as patriarchas, had ordered her to return to her husband. Rather than comply with the order, she tried to commit suicide. Upon hearing the suicide attempt, a friend and mentor in the US arranged for her to get an emergency ticket and passport. She was sent to York County, Pennsylvania detention. Judge Van Wyke noted that J.J. had a well-founded fear of persecution because her own community required her to return to the abusive marriage, and she was unable get redress from these authorities.