- (AFP) -- The Dutch parliament approved a controversial
bill calling for the forcible expulsion of 26,000 asylum seekers, many
of whom have lived in the country for years, despite strong opposition
from the public and human rights groups.
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- Lawmakers adopted only minor amendments to the bill presented
by Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk.
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- Under the legislation, the 26,000 asylum seekers will
be forced to return to their home countries within the next three years,
even if they have been living in the Netherlands for some considerable
time.
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- But about 2,300 people whose cases have been judged to
be especially serious will be allowed to stay and will be granted residency
papers.
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- The new law had been bitterly opposed by large sections
of the Dutch population and by human rights groups. It has also caused
despair among asylum seekers, one of whom, an Iranian, has sewn up his
eyes and mouth in protest.
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- The new law will cover all asylum seekers who arrived
in the country before April 1, 2001, when refugees from Yugoslavia, Iraq
and Afghanistan topped the list of nationalities applying for asylum.
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- Many of those who will now see their applications turned
down are likely to come from those countries and several African countries,
a spokesman for the Dutch ministry of justice said.
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- The new law has deeply divided Dutch society, which has
a reputation for its easy-going attitude, and has set the government and
opposition at loggerheads in a political system more usually known for
consensus.
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- Last week, several demonstrations were held across the
country to press for a more generous package but to no avail.
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- The law was approved after strong criticism of the length
of time it was taking the government to process asylum demands under the
previous immigration legislation, which left candidates uncertain about
their future for several years. When they were finally told to leave, they
had virtually settled in the country.
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- Two thirds of the population are in favour of a wider
amnesty for asylum seekers who have been living in the country for more
than five years, according to an opinion poll by the NIPO Institute released
on Saturday.
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- But after a heated parliamentary debate last week, Verdonk
would only promise to watch out for cases of "harrowing circumstances",
where she has discretion to grant an amnesty.
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- International rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has
slammed the new law as a "deportation law violating international
standards".
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- HRW said many of the asylum seekers -- Somalis, Afghans
and Chechens -- would be sent back to places that were not safe, which
was illegal.
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