26 May 2004 [asylumpolicy.info] - 'have the asylum seekers gone?'

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Contents

UK - World - Miscellaneous - Events - UNHCR Briefing notes - Amnesty 2004 report - Deportation scandal in Sweden

:: UK ::

Where have the asylum seekers gone?
"At the top of that list are Iraq, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, countries with reputations for either war, persecution or repressive regimes.
26/5
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3747513.stm


Asylum figures ' ignore 24000 refugees '
"But the NAO warned that some 24,000 others could be in the system, including 16,000 refugees being looked after by other organisations, 7,000 unaccompanied children being cared for by councils and 1,000 being supported by the Depart- ment for Work and Pensions.
26/5
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=524921


ICAR statistics
"browse ICAR's early efforts to get to grips with refugee and asylum statistics and identify data gaps
http://www.icar.org.uk/content/res/stats/stats.html



Asylum figures progress falls short of 'good news' day
26/5
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1084907826823


A gladiator quoting statistics at the lions
26/5
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9115,1224885,00.html


Accuracy of figures confirmed by audit
26/5
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,11026,1224665,00.html


Audit office casts doubt on asylum figures
26/5
http://news.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=598332004


Citizenship applications soar as asylum drops
26/5
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1123416,00.html


Gloucester has seen the biggest increase in the number of asylum-seekers
26/5
http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=138490&command=newPage&contentPK=10092259


Lawyers ‘ tout ’ for clients at Dungavel
26/5
http://www.theherald.co.uk/16831.shtml


A divided nation ready to say 'enough is enough'
"Fully 56 per cent of voters regard immigration and asylum as one of the four "most important issues facing this country"
26/5
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/05/26/nvote126.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/05/26/ixnewstop.html


BNP are legacy of Nazis, Blunkett says
26/5
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=524918


'Race, Immigration and Asylum: New Labour's Agenda and its Consequences' Ethnicities
Schuster, L. & Solomos, J (4: 2, 2004 pp. 267-300)
http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journal.aspx?pid=105532


Post staff reject BNP pamphlets
"The Communication Workers' Union has produced its own brochure: Answering the Asylum Myth which it plans to distribute in Somerset
25/5
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/click/rss/1.0/-/1/hi/england/somerset/3746073.stm


Churches attack Blair over immigration
25/5
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_040525imm.shtml


Judges Clamp Down on Asylum Appeals
26/5
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2975441


Get The Grid: How to organise your life the 10 Downing Street way
"Campbell brought a professional approach - there wasn't this kind of information structure before him. But it has meant that, for instance, Downing Street knew about a Sun campaign on asylum seekers before Sun readers actually knew about it.
"The news is not left to chance,"
25/5
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3746191.stm

Copy of GRID for Sun's Asylum Week: (word document)
http://www.asylumpolicy.info/docs/diary.doc


Howard targets ethnic support
"Mr Howard repeated his party's policy of refusing to grant people asylum when entering Britain, in preference to processing applications abroad
26/5
http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/post/tm_objectid=14276112&method=full&siteid=50002&headline=howard-targets-ethnic-support-name_page.html


Howard outlines immigration policy
26/5
http://www.politics.co.uk/1/partypolitics/conservativeparty/howard_outlines_immigration_policy_6010137.htm


Court ruling gives hope to homeless
"Homeless people denied the right to work or claim housing benefit could be helped by a landmark legal case which has for the first time defined shelter at night as a basic human right.
26/5
http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/level1.phtml?sessid=93975107ef6df0c141d70e7ffe20b90bbeea54947c56a4dac978eb83643d4c73&siteid=264&where=Level1&ident=893&searchres=1&newsid=445746#445746

and
R (Limbuela), (Tesema) and (Adam) v Secretary of State for the Home Department: [2004] EWCA Civ 540
Summary of the judgement:
"if the expected number of people were put on the streets without money and with no entitlement to earn any, there was a near certainty that a substantial proportion would fall below the art 3 threshold
http://www.lawreports.co.uk/civmaye1.3.htm

Source: http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/index.shtml


Illegal Iraqis found in van
"They have claimed asylum and will remain in the UK pending a decision from the Home Office
26/5
http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/newsbct/display.var.483029.0.illegal_iraqis_found_in_van.php


:: World ::

Sudan: Security Council calls on Government to neutralize Janjaweed militias
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10872&Cr=Darfur&Cr1=


Sudan interview with Ton Koene
Audio file
http://www.theworld.org/content/05255.wma

Source: http://www.msf.org/


Lead More Boldly on Darfur, Mr. President Don't Repeat Bill Clinton's Historic Mistake on Rwanda
http://www.refugees.org/news/press_releases/2004/052504.cfm


UN demands access to Darfur
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1532739,00.html


Developing War in the Andes
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=9&ItemID=5593


Peru considers state of emergency in border town
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N25687003.htm


Moscow court decision - a fair cop?
"Forum 18 News Service has seen, of the court decision banning Jehovah's Witness activity in Moscow
http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=328


Raw Deal for Gambians in Switzerland
http://allafrica.com/stories/200405250164.html


Malta: Government launches inquiry into Eritreans deportation
http://www.di-ve.com/dive/portal/portal.jhtml?id=138011&pid=23


New York pulls out of deportation sweep
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/nation/8758761.htm


"People smuggler" trial raises new questions about Canberra’s role in refugee deaths
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/may2004/siev-m26.shtml


Australia: Tribunal upholds deportation appeals
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1116116.htm


Australia: Bakhtiari children 'should be freed'
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1274&storyid=1389967


Australia Tortures Children in Camps
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2004/3121aussie_camps.html


Australia: Lawyers to seek child asylum seekers' release
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1116162.htm


Iraq: Abuse Victims Wary of Political Trials
"Some former Abu Ghraib inmates fear exploitation by politically-motivated lawyers
http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/irq/irq_64_1_eng.txt


Iraq: Razack: Torture/Racism
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=5594


Kosovo's institutions face many human rights challenges, says report by OSCE Mission
http://www.osce.org/news/show_news.php?id=4099


Liberia: Government warns refugees against voluntary repatriation
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41266&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=LIBERIA


For Liberia’s displaced to be able to return home, combatants must be disarmed effectively
PDF file
http://www.idpproject.org/press/2004/Liberia_May_2004.pdf


Bloody vengeance or assault on terrorists: can the truth emerge from Rafah's ruins?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1224699,00.html


Mid-East civilians 'suffer most'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3748155.stm


Gaza raids 'left 2,000 homeless'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3747069.stm


Israel and the occupied and autonomous territories: ICRC responds to needs in Rafah
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList4/BEC54C6FE863C38DC1256E9F00516A9B


Afghanistan is not forgotten, says PM
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=524936


War Returns with a Vengeance as Allies Fail the Afghan People
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0525-02.htm


China (Hong Kong): Threats Force 3 Radio Hosts to Quit
"He said the political climate in the city was the worst he had known, and the community had "never been so polarised" since he joined politics in 1978
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=11325

and
Report by Hong Kong Journalists Association:
Word document
http://www.freeway.org.hk/hkja/ben_act/download/2003Whole%20Report-Eng.doc

and
Iraq: Journalists Among Those Abused by U.S. Troops
http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2004/iraq_journ_5_04/iraq_journ_5_04.html

Source: http://www.ifex.org/en/


US group blasts China refugee policy
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200405/26/200405260122561039900090309031.html


Somalia: Drastic increase in funding needed for protection and reintegration of IDPs
http://www.nrc.no/


Burundi: Returning internally displaced in urgent need of assistance and protection
http://www.refugeesinternational.org/cgi-bin/ri/bulletin?bc=00828&spotlight=1


:: Miscellaneous ::

Canada: Trafficking in Persons Poster
http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/fs/ht/pub/poster/poster.html


Immigrants should learn English, says Howard
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=524946


Torture and the Law
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2004/05/24/usint8614.htm


Proceedings of "The rise of the extreme-right: Lessons from Europe" is now available online
at
http://www.runnymedetrust.org

Report: PDF file
http://www.runnymedetrust.org/projects/europe/SemRep6Feb04.pdf

Source: http://www.icare.to


Belgian police bust UK trafficking network
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=517320§ion=news



:: Events ::

Glastonbury Festival - 25 - 27 June 2004
UNHCR will be going to its second Glastonbury Festival - to deliver Festival Aid and its latest Camp Challenge. Details will be posted early June - or contact our Public Information Unit for further information.
In the meantime, find out about UNHCR's work last year at our first ever Glastonbury Festival.
http://www.unhcr.org.uk/glastonbury/index.htm


Refugee Week: Photographs show asylum seekers in a new light
http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment.cfm?id=598912004


National day of action against the BNP
London Unity Festival: Sunday, 6th June, Central London
Manchester Unity Festival: Sunday 30th May, 12noon-8pm,Manchester City Centre.
http://www.uaf.org.uk


Conference 24 June: Social Capital, Civil Renewal & Ethnic Diversity
http://www.runnymedetrust.org/projects/civilRenewal.html


The Real Histories Directory has been created as a resource tool for teachers, parents, pupils and the wider community to support them in their teaching and learning about cultural diversity in the UK
http://www.realhistories.org.uk/


AP Polls: Nations Value Immigrant Workers
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4133637,00.html


:: UNHCR Briefing notes - 25 May 2004 ::

Chad: Sudanese estimated at 125,000, but a million more internally displaced
Iraq: Palestinians return from Jordan
Minsk meeting to conclude CIS Conference process
http://www.unhcr.ch/briefing-notes



:: Amnesty 2004 report ::

Amnesty News:
http://news.amnesty.org


Launch of Amnesty International Report 2004 - Live webcast
http://news.amnesty.org/mav/index/ENGPOL100182004


Also:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/document.do?id=A41FBB92A536608380256E7C0062B8AF


Report 2004 - Guide for journalists
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGPOL100092004


Annual Report 2004 Press Pack
http://news.amnesty.org/mav/pages/AR2004-press


Reporting: US condemned over rights abuses
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3749363.stm


Amnesty: US-led terror war "bereft of principle"
"United States' self-declared "war on terror" for jailing suspects unfairly, stamping on legitimate political and religious dissent, and squeezing asylum-seekers
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=517664§ion=news


War On Terror Has Made World A More Dangerous Place, Says Amnesty
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?rid=7349dda229546aa9


:: Deportation scandal in Sweden ::

Sweden: Expulsions Carried Out by U.S. Agents: Men Tortured in Egypt
http://www.unobserver.com/layout5.php?id=1694&blz=1


Full-transcript of "The broken promise", TV4, Monday 17 May 2004: Transcript (pdf)
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2004/may/Sweden.pdf




A Scandal in Sweden
"In Sweden a political scandal with connection to the United states is unfolding. Sweden is a formally nonaligned country since almost two hundred years
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=40&ItemID=5595

Thanks

frank.corrigan@asylumpolicy.info