From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: EUROPE: Closing the doors to asylum seekers
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 01:10:52 GMT

/** headlines: 470.0 **/
** Topic: EUROPE: Closing the doors to asylum **
** Written 11:57 am  Nov  9, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:headlines **
/* Written 12:15 am  Nov  8, 1992 by newsdesk in igc:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "EUROPE: Closing the doors to asylum" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: EUROPE: Closing the doors to asylum seekers

an inter press service feature

by lucy johnson and ramesh jaura

bonn, nov 06 (ips) -- according to the united nations commission
for refugees, 85 percent of the world's estimated 18 million
refugees seek shelter in a neighbouring country.

most of these refugees face war, political repression and
starvation far away from western europe. but the civil war in
former yugoslavia and the collapse of the communist regimes of
central and eastern europe has put the question of asylum firmly
on the western european politicial agenda.

leaked reports at the end of october revealed that the european
community was planning to tighten up the laws covering asylum by
setting up an ec-wide definition of ''manifestly unfounded
applications'' in order to harmonise european border controls.

''as signatories to the united nations convention, europe has to
grant sanctuary to those fleeing persecution but -- as europe gets
more and more concerned with numbers -- it is trying to avoid its
glorious declarations,'' said anne owers, director of the human
rights group justice.

only five percent of third world refugees are able to claim
asylum in europe -- if they can fly or sail directly to a european
country. but under the ec draft, these refugees will be generally
illegible for asylum unless they can prove they can find no
redress for human rights violations in their own courts.

human rights groups argue that restrictions on all immigrants
have been tightened throughout europe over the past decade.
''there is a real danger that european harmonisation will be used
to downgrade immigration proposals and every country will be able
to blame legislation on another country,'' said owers.

but as the pan-european discussions continue behind closed doors,
the ec member states and their allies are already making moves to
tighten individual legislation.

in germany, the opposition social democratic party (spd) is
wrestling with its concience over plans to ammend the country's
existing asylum laws.

german law has no provision for legal immigration and the asylum
law -- guaranteeing asylum to those fleeing political persecution --
is the only channel for people to immigrate.

at last month's christian democratic union congress chancellor
helmut kohl spoke of ''a state of national emergency'' which had
been caused by the growing number of asylum seekers.(more/ips)

europe: closing the doors to asylum seekers(2-e)

europe: closing the door (2)

the ministry estimates 500,000 foreigners will have filled in
applications to stay in germany by the end of the year -- figures
which have fueled a nationwide wave of rascist violence, with more
than 1,400 attacks on foreigners reported this year so far.

germany is not alone in its plans to change asylum laws. in
britain parliament is currently discussing a controversial asylum
bill which refugee groups say will send many genuine asylum
seekers back to their country of origin.

the government argues the new bill will streamline the system and
clear the backlog of 65,000 asylum seekers who are currently being
looked after by local authorities without central government help.

refugee groups say the new bill, which requires those claiming
refugee status to make a prompt and full disclosure of all the
facts of the alleged persecution, does not give refugees enough
time to appeal (two days) if they are refused admission.

in the netherlands, where the issue of ''illegal immigration'' is
currently dominating the political agenda, there are no new moves
to restrict the rights of asylum seekers, although there are
claims the current system is being applied unfairly.

so far this year 15,225 people have claimed political asylum in
the netherlands, just over 2,000 less than in the first 10 months
of 1991.

however a report by refugee groups in september accused the
immigration police at amsterdam's schipol airport -- the first
port of call for many refugees -- of sending people back to their
country of origin without making proper attempts to find out if
they were genuine refugees.

outside the ec, the swedish government is also under heavy
pressure to make a dramatic cut in the intake of asylum seekers.

state immigration board and employment authority chiefs this week
urged the government to grant residence permits to refugees only
if they were covered by the geneva convention.

they said sweden's current soaring unemployment rate and
deepening debts made it impossible to accept the continuing influx
of refugess, particularly those from the former yugoslavia.

this would cut the number of asylum seekers allowed to stay by
more than three quarters, dealing a certain death blow to sweden's
liberal image as a haven for refugees.

peter nobel, general secretary of the swedish red cross, has
bitterly attacked the proposals. ''it would mean sending people
back to famine, war and terror,'' he said. ''to talk of limiting
the possibility of asylum in sweden in the middle of a burning war
in europe is extraordinary.'' (ends/pr/rj/lj/gm/rp/92)

** End of text from cdp:headlines **