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Netherlands: secret list

01 May 1992

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The Dutch Ministry of Justice has a confidential internal list of countries to which asylum seekers can be returned without problems. The existence of such a list has been denied by a ministry spokesperson, but there is a clear mention of it in recent confidential minutes of a meeting of officials. It is not known which countries are on the list. The minutes say that there is an "internal" list of countries to which refugees can be returned, but no references to this list are to be made in the official order. The minutes further indicate that almost all asylum seekers are only offered a "tolerated status" even when the asylum seeker has a strong case. "Tolerated status" means that in the first three years whenever the government decides that the situation in the country of origin has improved, the refugee can be expelled.

On the basis of new regulations that came into force last January, almost half the asylum seekers will be detained in new half-closed relief centres. These are centres surrounded by a fence where the asylum seeker is supplied with a magnetic identity card. He or she has to report twice daily and there is a guarded entrance. According to secretary of Justice Kosto the refugees are allowed to leave at any time, but only in one direction: out of the country.

The ministry of Justice wants to tackle the problem of illegal immigrants travelling to Holland on forged travel documents in the country of origin. Dutch marechaussees (military police) will soon begin advising the local authorities in Ghana and Nigeria on recognizing forged documents. The marechaussees will not be stationed in Africa permanently, but they will accompany people who are expelled from Holland and subsequently stay for some days to work on their new task. The project is expected to start this summer. Refugee organizations have severely criticized the plan because "real" asylum seekers often have no access to legitimate travel documents.

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