01 September 1992
Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.
The centre for turned-down asylum seekers, the "Grenshospitium" which was opened last spring in Amsterdam, looks and feels like a prison, but government officials referred to it as "the next best thing to a hotel". They argue that the "guests" can always leave the country.
In June however, the Minister of Justice announced plans to start this summer with using the "hospitium" for illegal aliens convicted of criminal acts. Staff employees and MPs expressed concern over establishing two regimes in one compound and the damage this would do to the public image of the "hospitium", but a parliamentary majority is expected to agree with the proposal, motivated by the shortage of available prison cells. This has resulted in several cases of releasing suspects of violent crimes, as well as emergency initiatives such as the reopening of old, unused prison cells, the installing of a "container jail" and the use of army prison cells.
Asylum seekers end up in Holland by coincidence
A University of Amsterdam research team that surveyed 677 asylum seekers from Ghana, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iran, Rumania and Somalia, concluded that fifty percent came to Holland through mediation by family members or others. A third of the asylum seekers intentionally choose the Netherlands because they already had family there or on the basis of a positive image of Dutch society. Many asylum seekers feel undesired aliens, and long for more contacts with Dutch people and possibilities to familiarize themselves with Dutch society. Many complain over loss of self- respect and the lacking of structure in their daily lives.
From Statewatch bulletin, vol 2 no 5.
Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.
Statewatch does not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Registered UK charity number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust. Registered office: MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH. © Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals "fair dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law.