Urgent matter...........................

Beth

-----Original Message-----
From: HRNETNEWS-owner@...
[mailto:HRNETNEWS-owner@...] On Behalf Of Human Rights
Education HRERN Research Network
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2003 12:00 PM
To: Human Rights Network News
Subject: [ETAN Key List] call your Rep. to sign urgent letter on Acehn
ese refugees asap (fwd)


From: frankz [mailto:frankz@...]
------------------------------------------------
If you can, give your congressperson (e.g. Jim McDermott, 202-225-3106)
a call within the next few hours, to urge them to sign on to P.
Kennedy's leter to the Malaysian Ambassador. Thanks,
- Frank

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2003 12:24:38 -0400
From: Karen Orenstein <etanorganize@...>
To: Key Listserv <etansclistserv@yahoogroups.com>,
ian-discuss@...
Subject: [ETAN Key List] call your Rep. to sign urgent letter on
Acehnese
refugees asap

Friends - Congressman P. Kennedy will be sending the following letter to
the Malaysian Ambassador very soon, perhaps at the end of the end of the
day given that Malaysian authorities have stated their intention to
deport all Acehnese in detention to Indonesia (article follows letter
below). If you can call your Representative in Congress this afternoon,
please do so to urge them to sign on at this late hour. Brian Vigue is
handling the letter in Mr. Kennedy's office. If you have any questions,
please feel free to contact me.

Sorry for the late notice, but I just got a copy of this letter 20
minutes ago.

Thank you very much,
Karen Orenstein


September 3, 2003

Dato Ghazzali Sheikh-Abdul-Khalis

Embassy of Malaysia

3516 International Court, N.W.

Washington DC 20008

Dear Mr. Ambassador:

We are writing to express our concern that 12 asylum seekers from Aceh
who have sought protection in Malaysia reportedly have been forcibly
returned to Indonesia in and apparent violation of the principle of
non-refoulement. We are equally concerned about the uncertain fate of
several hundred asylum-seekers who remain in Malaysia. Return of these
asylum seekers to Aceh, when military operations are underway and where
there are reports of widespread human rights violations, would be
unacceptable. We urge that your Government's authorities abide by
international law and not forcibly return any additional Acehnese to
Aceh.

Additionally, as you know, International refugee law prohibits countries
from penalizing asylum seekers for illegal entry, and United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) guidelines on detention stipulate
that, as a general rule, asylum seekers should not be detained. At a
minimum, we would request that authorities ensure that those detained
are treated humanely and that they are held in conditions which meet
international standards. We would also ask that you strongly consider
allowing full access to representatives of the UNHCR to enable them to
apply for asylum if they wish to do so, and also encourage the
authorities should respect protection documentation issued to refugees
and asylum seekers by the UNHCR. Thank you for your attention to these
concerns.

Sincerely,



****************************************

URGENT ALERT: Deportation of Acehnese Asylum seekers
> Tuesday: 2nd of September 2003
>
> It is reported that the Government of Malaysia is planning to deport
> ALL the Acehnese who were currently detained at Langkap

(PERAK) somewhere soon this week. The action taken by the Malaysian
government is feared to cause further hardship and subject the detained
persons to unknown fear of persecution and torture should the
deportation takes place. The action is being planned despite various
protest and concern expressed by various groups and concern parties.

>>
>> According to the UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur, of the original 254
>> asylum seekers and refugees taken into detention last week,
>
>
12 chose to return with the assistance of relatives in Malaysia, 44 have
opted to return but remain in the camp. There are currently 182 acehnese
verified by the UNHCR as being

>> non-combatants from Aceh, and therefore issued with UNHCR temporary
>> protection letters, in detention in Langkap immigration
>
>
detention camp in Perak. The detainees were arrested outside the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Liaison Office
(UNHCR) on 19 and 26 August 2003.

>>
>> The asylum seekers were seeking registration and Temporary Protection

>> (TP) letters, which states that they should not be
>
>
arrested or deported for a period of 6 months respective to the period
of Martial law in Aceh. The majority of those arrested were Acehnese but
persons of Burmese and other nationalities were also arrested. According
to UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur, there is an informal agreement with Malaysian
immigration that people with UNHCR documents will not be deported

--
Karen Orenstein
Washington Coordinator
East Timor Action Network: 12 Years for Self-determination and Justice
tel: 202-544-6911; fax: 202-544-6118
karen@...; www.etan.org



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