Britain condemned over deportation of Zim asylum seekers

Britain condemned over deportation of Zim asylum seekers

• UK resumes deportation of Zimbabweans

• Britain plugs Zimbabwe visa loophole

• Britain still a magnet for Zimbabweans

• 6 years for hit-and-run Zim refugee

• Zanu PF UK asylum network exposed

• Police shed more light on visa scam

• Zim man nabbed in visa scam

YOUR SHOUTS

Editor- I support the idea of deporting only those who have been living in the UK illegally and then claim asylum when they get caught in crime activities. This breed of Zimbabweans has been involved in some despicable crimes. They do not have respect for law in the country that habours them e.g. one killed pedestrian at a zebra crossing driving without any appropriate documentation, one has been imprisoned for attempted child kidnapping. A nurse has embezzled money from the NHS, a nurse has been caught with a gun and said it was for the protection of his farm, where? In Shroppshire? No in Zimbabwe. How did he acquire the farm? He used the same weapon he brought to England to shoot one of the poor white British farmers in Zimbabwe. Look at the Credit Card Scam/Fraud it's now not Nigerians but Zimbaweans who top the list in crime. They have brought the name of all Zimbabweans living in UK into shame. It is hard to open a bank account, get a mortgage on the green passport. Let those involved in crime be deported and let all those living according to the rule of a law be allowed to stay. If one is able to sacrifice their life for prison in UK why not face the hardships back home?

Samaita1st
Samaita1st@aol.com

Editor - There it is now fellow country mates! The labour party might have acted too harshly in revoking the privileges we enjoyed and misused for the past two years, but let’s call a spade a spade and be bold enough to face reality. I believe we should have been prudent enough to foresee and anticipate such a move, but what could we have done. The same problems which have made most of us blind and fool ourselves not to know the problems facing Zimbabwe is again haunting our favourite hiding places. It's shear madness not to realise how we have cut the hand that feeds us by indulging in unlawful behaviours within the society in which we have been seeking refugee for a long time. I have got no doubt that if one has been reading our lovely paper (newzimbabwe) has noticed how Zimbabweans have become morons overseas totally forgetting the reasons which they came here for. How we Zimbabweans have been found on the wrong side of the law is what we need to address. Fellow country mates lets take a closer look and check whether our actions are building a good image for ourselves. Let’s be considerate and stop tarnishing images of other patriotic Zimbabweans

Oliver Mtyambizi
04143515@glam.ac.uk

By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWEAN human rights activists have criticised the British government for its decision to end a two-year suspension of the forced repatriation of failed asylum seekers.

Des Browne, the British minister for citizenship and immigration, announced on Tuesday that while "there has not been any improvement in conditions in Zimbabwe", he was removing the suspension put in place in January 2002, as it was being abused.

"We can appreciate the fact that the suspension was perhaps being abused, but the timing of the announcement - ahead of the [Zimbabwe] general elections [in March 2005], when a number of opposition party supporters could possibly face persecution - is unfortunate," said Bidi Munyaradzi, director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association.

On Sunday 21 November 2004, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai will hold a public meeting at the Quacker Hall, Euston in London. He is set to meet top British government and opposition officials. If you are concerned about the deportation of Zimbabweans, as we are, be there to tell him what to tell Mr Blair and Mr Howard

"There are a number of Zimbabweans who have fled because of economic reasons, but there remains a substantial number who face pressure because of their political leanings," he told IRIN.

Maeve Sherlock, the chief executive of the UK-based NGO, the Refugee Council, which works with asylum seekers, has called on the British government to monitor "what happens to those who are sent back.

No one should be sent back to Zimbabwe before monitoring procedures are in place".

Citing asylum statistics released this week, Browne pointed out that in the first nine months of 2004 the British government granted asylum to 195 Zimbabweans, and some form of protection to more than 25 others, out of a total of 2,025 applicants.

With a 90 percent refusal rate and the dismissal of 82 percent of subsequent appeals to the independent adjudicator, "the clear message is that the majority of Zimbabwean asylum applicants are able safely to return to Zimbabwe," he added.

However, Sherlock said, "Far too many valid applications are being turned down".

Several million Zimbabweans are reported to have sought refuge outside their homeland as a result of the political and economic crisis in their country.
Let's hear your views on this. Please send your e-mails to massy@mapassociates.co.uk
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com