http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\28\story_28-3-2012_pg7_4
Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Arab Spring helps push 2011 asylum claims up 20% in West * Afghans, Chinese, Iraqis lodge most claims * Europe favoured destination; US largest recipient of claims GENEVA: The Arab Spring helped push up the number of people seeking asylum in the West by 20 percent last year, with record numbers fleeing conflicts in Libya, Syria and Ivory Coast, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday. A total of 441,300 asylum claims were registered in 44 industrialised countries in 2011 compared with 368,000 the previous year, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said. Afghans formed the biggest group, followed by Chinese and Iraqis. “Reflecting turmoil in West Africa and in the Arab world, asylum seekers from Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Libya, Syria and other countries reached record levels in 2011 with 16,700 more claims than in 2010,” the UNHCR said. The largest regional rise was in those applying for refugee status in southern Europe. Most arrived by boat in Italy and Malta, originating from North Africa or sub-Saharan Africa. Turkey also saw a sharp influx of Iraqis. The 2011 figures were the highest since 2003 when more than 505,000 requests were lodged in industrialised countries. Asylum and immigration are political flashpoints in many European countries, including Britain, France and Italy, as well as in Australia and the United States. Italy had its largest ever number of asylum seekers last year with at least 34,000 according to provisional government figures. That was an increase of 240 percent, the UNHCR said. “The government of Italy is still processing claims from 2011, so it is likely that the number will go up even higher by a few thousand. We’re waiting for the final numbers, but it’s a record number in Italy in 2011,” a senior UNHCR statistician, Tarek Abou Chabake, told a news briefing. “France and Germany went up, France for the fourth time in a row, Germany now for the third time in a row, so figures are significantly up,” he added. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said it was important to put the latest figures in perspective. Europe was the preferred destination for refugees, with the continent’s 38 countries receiving 327,200 asylum claims, a 19 percent annual increase. The European Union (EU), with 27 member states, had 277,400 claims, a 15 percent rise. reuters [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
