No Grounds To Bring Afghan Refugees Here
National Party Immigration spokesman Wayne Mapp says the Government must not succumb to pressure and 'step in' to the
row over hunger striking Afghan asylum seekers on Nauru.
"The New Zealand Government must resist the temptation to intervene as it has done before.
"The political conditions in Afghanistan are a far cry from what they were when those asylum seekers left their country
more than two years ago.
"In those circumstances the asylum seekers should be returned to their country of origin," Dr Mapp says.
"There are now even fewer reasons not to adopt that approach.
"Just yesterday the Afghan Government provided proof of the location of all 20 asylum seekers who arrived in Kabul on
December 3.
"That completely destroyed claims that asylum seekers were being killed on their return to Afghanistan," Dr Mapp says.
"We should have faith in the international effort to rebuild Afghanistan and the climate that New Zealand is helping to
create there.
"In these matters we must balance our duty as a responsible member of the international community, with a policy that
makes sure New Zealand isn't seen as a soft touch for anyone who doesn't like where they live," says Dr Mapp.