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| Iraq |
| Dutch government will continue Iraqi repatriations |
| 2010-10-22 |
| [Al Arabiya] The new center-right Dutch government on Thursday said it would continue to repatriate Iraqi asylum seekers, in an apparent bow to the anti-Mohammedan PVV party whose support it needs for a majority in parliament. Gerd Leers, asylum and immigration minister, said in a statement he was aware of calls by the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Amnesty International for the repatriations to be stopped on the grounds it is too dangerous for people to return. He said there were no signs that the security situation had deteriorated in Iraq and the Netherlands would continue sending refugees back. The last such operation was on Sept. 8, when 31 Iraqis were flown back to Storied Baghdad. Leers said asylum seekers from some minority groups could claim refugee status on security grounds and he added the ministry would make a new security evaluation this month. On Tuesday, UNHCR published a poll of Iraqis who had returned to Baghdad from neighboring countries. It found that physical insecurity, economic hardship and a lack of public services led the majority to regret their decision. UNHCR representative in Iraq Daniel Endres on Wednesday asked the Netherlands and other EU countries to stop repatriations. The Dutch have sent back about 100 people this year. The Netherlands has 50 special centers for asylum seekers, housing a total of 21,500 people. On Aug. 1, there were 3,225 Iraqi asylum seekers, making them the biggest group by origin after Somalis, with 5,814. Of the Iraqis, 40 are unaccompanied children. |
| Posted by:Fred |