Amnesty protesters stay put

By ALAN PERROTT

About 100 Sikhs and Pakistanis are expected to bolster a hunger strike by refugees in Auckland's Aotea Square, despite pleas for the protest camp to end.

The protest, over the exclusion of refugees from the Government's partial overstayer amnesty, is into its sixth day.

Four of the 25 remaining hunger strikers collapsed from dehydration and were taken to hospital at the weekend.

The Sikh and Pakistani refugees are the first group to accept the Chinese refugees' invitation to join their protest.

But Refugees Council president Dr Nagalingam Rasalingam said the hunger strikers should accept that they had no chance of winning a blanket amnesty for refugees.

He wants them to go home and take up the offer by Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel to personally review the cases of failed refugee applicants who meet any of the amnesty criteria.

Dr Rasalingam is supported by Auckland Mayor Christine Fletcher, who called the partial amnesty unfair and inconsistent.

She said Auckland mayors would take up the protesters' case with the Government if they gave up the hunger strike.

"It is my hope that the Government will demonstrate humanity and equality by reconsidering its policy," she said.

"The prospect of thousands of people being removed from New Zealand has created a vulnerable situation."

Spokesman James Pan said the hunger strikers would protest until someone from the Government came to talk them.

They were cold, wet and worried about their futures, but were buoyed by public support and the Sikhs and Pakistanis.

Under immigration laws that took effect yesterday, refugee overstayers who do not apply for a review can be picked up by immigration officers and sent home the same day.

The amnesty is aimed at "well-settled" overstayers who arrived before October 1, 1999, and by September 18, 2000, were married or in a settled relationship with a New Zealand citizen or resident, had a New Zealand-born child, or had been in the country for five years.

They have until March 30 to apply for residency.

Herald Online feature: the immigrants

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