Decision on Tampa refugees expected in next fortnight

1.00pm

A decision on whether the last of the boat people detained on Nauru should be let in to New Zealand is expected in the next two weeks, the Immigration Service says.

The refugees were rescued by the Norwegian freighter Tampa in 2001.

An Immigration Service officer and a mental health specialist will return to New Zealand today after spending time in Nauru assessing the refugee status of 21 Afghan asylum seekers hoping to enter New Zealand.

Service spokeswoman Michelle Williams told NZPA today the service believed all 21 were from the Tampa, but was yet to confirm that.

New Zealand has already taken 188 of the 433 people rescued by the Tampa. Of the remaining boatpeople a small number went to Australia, Norway and Sweden, while 186 were returned to Afghanistan and one died while detained on Nauru.

Ms Williams said the service would spend the next few days reviewing the men's paperwork and then make a recommendation to Immigration Minister Paul Swain.

Mr Swain would then make a final decision. She expected that the service would make its recommendation to Mr Swain within "a couple of weeks".

The move to assess the 21 asylum seekers, all men, followed a request by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who is responsible for processing asylum seekers rescued at sea.

After a review of the men's cases the UNHCR found nine to be genuine refugees. The other 12 were found to need humanitarian care.

Ms Williams said all 21 would be reassessed against New Zealand's refugee criteria. There would be no special treatment and if accepted the men would make up part of the annual quota of 750 refugees New Zealand accepts.

One of the 21 men on Nauru, Mohammed Ali, said today the men felt their lives were being wasted while they waited on the tiny Pacific Island.

"We came in the first group to Nauru and we are leaving at the end," he told National Radio.

"We never forget those people trying their best for us, we never forget. We are trying to be good citizens for any country who will let us go there."

If accepted the exodus will leave 74 other asylum seekers in the detention camp, including 11 Afghans rejected by Australia, 56 Iraqis, three Bangladeshis, two Iranians, one Pakistani and a Palestinian.

The camp was set up by Australia to process refugee claims off Australian soil.

- NZPA