NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #1/NN_1993_1.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/9923

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From: [e-mail] (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Haitian refugees in Miami on hunger strike
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/** reg.carib: 513.0 **/
** Topic: IPS: Haitian refugees hunger strike **
** Written  9:39 am  Jan  7, 1993 by caribdesk in cdp:reg.carib **
From: Bob Thomson <caribdesk>
Subject: IPS: Haitian refugees hunger strike

/* Written 12:12 am  Jan  7, 1993 by [e-mail] in igc:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "UNITED STATES: Haitian refugees on " ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1993, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: UNITED STATES: Haitian refugees on hunger strike

washington, jan 4 (ips/jim lobe) -- more than 100 haitians
detained by u.s. immigration authorities in miami have launched a
hunger strike to protest the preferential treatment given to cuban
refugees who have recently arrived in the country.

''we want our freedom like the cubans,'' the haitians, who are
being held in miami's krome north detention centre, wrote in a
letter released by their attorneys sunday.

the haitians, most of whom reportedly have relatives in the
united states and are awaiting the outcome of their asylum claims,
decided to launch their strike friday following publicity
generated by the flight of two cuban pilots here over the past
several weeks, according to their attorney, cheryl little.

on dec. 19, a former cuban pilot who had defected two years ago
aboard a mig warplane flew a small plane into cuba to pick up his
wife and two children and bring them to this country. he received
a hero's welcome and was later welcomed to the white house to meet
with president george bush.

one dec. 29, another pilot diverted a cuban commercial airliner
from its normal run to miami where he and 48 passengers applied
for asylum and were immediately released to their relatives.  u.s.
agencies have not yet decided whether to charge him with air
piracy, but most analysts consider that unlikely.

the hunger strike by the haitians comes just as the new
administration of president-elect bill clinton is deciding how it
will deal with what is expected to be a huge, new outflow of
haitians from their country.

u.s. intelligence agencies have reportedly warned clinton that
as many as 200,000 refugees may soon embark onto the open seas.

those predictions, which some analysts believe are exaggerated,
are based on a deteriorating human rights and economic situation
and on aerial photos depicting the building of hundreds of new
boats in coastal areas.

clinton, who takes office jan. 20, promised during the campaign
for the november election to repeal bush's executive order last
may that permitted the u.s. coast guard to forcibly repatriate all
haitians picked up at sea. (more/ips)

united states: haitian refugees on hunger strike(2-e)

united states: haitian refugees (2)

that order, which successfully stemmed the exodus of thousands
of refugees who fled the country after the sept. 1991 coup d'etat
which ousted haitian president jean-bertrand aristide, has been
assailed by human rights organisations and the u.n. high
commission for refugees, sadako ogata, as a violation of
international refugee law.

as the time for bush's departure has neared, its deterrent
effect has also waned.  the coast guard has reported picking up
more than 700 haitians in both november and december.

in anticipation of a big new outflow, ogata has reportedly sent
a note to clinton urging him to fulfill pledges to give refugees a
fair hearing on their asylum claims and to work with her office in
seeking the cooperation of other caribbean basin countries in
accepting and processing refugees as they are picked up at sea.

at the same time, clinton aides are also debating what steps
they should take the break the political deadlock in haiti between
the exiled aristide and the military-backed government which
opposes his return.

most analysts, including those advising clinton, have argued
that renewed hope for aristide's return could reduce the outflow
but that this will require a major new diplomatic effort at both
the united nations and the organisation of american states (oas)
aimed at ending the impasse.

haitians at the krome detention centre consist mostly of people
who left their homeland in recent months by air, according to duke
austin, a spokesperson at the immigration and naturalisation
service (ins), who said the hunger strike was ''unfortunate''.

he stressed that the 10,400 haitians picked up by the coast
guard between oct. 1991 and last may and permitted by the ins to
pursue their asylum claims here have been released to friends and
relatives.

in a letter to the local ins administrator in miami friday,
rolande dorancy, director of the haitian refugee centre, wrote
that the haitians at krome ''have many relatives in the united
states who are willing and able to support them'' pending the
outcome of their own asylum claims.

''these individuals, many with excellent political asylum
claims, are painfully aware of the double standard which allows
certain groups almost immediate release and detains others
indefinitely,'' little wrote in another letter monday.

''my clients meet the criteria for parole. the real reason they
are held is that they are haitian,'' she wrote.  ''ins has made no
bones about the fact that they detain to deter (haitians) from
coming here''.

the major reason for the discrimination between haitian and
cuban refugees here, according to legal analysts is a law passed
by congress in 1966 which required that all immigrants from cuba
be presumed eligible for asylum. (end/ips/jl/yjc/92)

** End of text from cdp:reg.carib **