|
Afghans
urged to go despite danger "The dangers that they're looking at are not dangers of persecution. Yes, there are dangers of sorts in relation to areas which may have been landmined," Mr Ruddock said. "These are the sorts of dangers the Khmer had to face when they returned, people in Kosovo had to face when they returned." His remarks came as the United Nations warned of a potential humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country if more people return and further international aid is not forthcoming. Another 108 Afghans had their claims for refugee status rejected by the Australian Government yesterday. Just 40 of the 367 Afghans being detained on Nauru as part of Australia's Pacific Solution have been granted refugee status. Mr Ruddock said as Afghans were no longer facing the threat of persecution they should make the "sensible" decision to accept the government's $2000 offer of repatriation assistance to return home "now". Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer - who is to meet Nauruan President Rene Harris today to discuss misunderstandings over Nauru's detention agreement - said that despite the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' assertion that many Afghans rescued from the Tampa were fleeing persecution at the time, the fact that most were found not to be refugees vindicated the government's position. "This underlines how right the government has been to take a strong stand on illegal migration," Mr Downer said. "The UNHCR has said that they don't want people forced back to Afghanistan. We would encourage people who have been found to be illegal immigrants . . . to return to Afghanistan as soon as they can." The repatriation of Afghan refugees is now the biggest and fastest movement of people overseen by the UN since the return of Iraqi Kurds in 1991. More than 1.2 million Afghans have voluntarily returned home since the fall of the Taliban last December. The UNHCR is warning the international community that unless further international aid is forthcoming, it could run out of money to assist the resettlement of Afghans by the end of the month, jeopardising the sustainability of the Afghans' return. The UN needs $US271 million (almost $A500 million) to get it through to the end of the year, but has received just $US180 million in aid. "We are asking the international community to take into account the relative safety of many places in Afghanistan which are dealing with warlords, bandits and severe drought," UNHCR spokeswoman Marissa Bandharangshi said yesterday. "When people do return it should not be to a situation that is so bad they are forced to . . become refugees again." Labor and refugee advocates yesterday urged the government to offer the Afghans who sought asylum in Australia temporary settlement until the United Nations declares Afghanistan able to cope with the influx of returning refugees. Labor immigration spokeswoman Julia Gillard, said yesterday: "Large numbers of Afghan asylum seekers will need to be returned but cannot be returned now. A proper, time-limited safe haven arrangement is clearly the best solution." Margaret Piper of the Refugee Council of Australia, said: "To just talk about landmines is very simplistic. All UNHCR is asking Australia to do is provide a temporary solution for people here to give the people working on the ground with the repatriation exercise time to do their work and time for there to be greater stability throughout the country. It is not unreasonable, it is not hugely resource intensive." Copyright © 2002 The Age Company Ltd |
| FREE EMAIL CAMPAIGN UPDATES |
|
| Please enter your email address and click "Go" | |
|
| SEARCH OUR SITE |
| For more information on the Mine
Ban Treaty and countries that have ratified it, contact the International
Campaign to Ban Landmines www.icbl.org
US Campaign to Ban Landmines |