| Kavkaz-Center Chechen refugees shoved from one country to another Vienna-based newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported in its issue dated July 22 that a 28-year-old Chechen refugee Satsita made a statement to the Austrian police when filing a report that she and 70 other refugees were shoved into Austria by the Czech police by force. The whole group of refugees was escorted by the Czech police to the Austrian border and the Czech authorities demanded that they cross the border illegally, which they did. Kavkaz Center reported from Austria that at the present time Czech Republic is 'cleansing' the refugee camps and 'getting rid' of displaced settlers. At the same time Austrian newspaper Kurier in its July 23 issue published the reports about granting political asylum in Austria to citizens of various countries for the first time in the past six months. Most of the applications for political asylum were submitted by citizens of the Russian Federation: a total of 3,643 applications. 96% of the applicants were granted asylum. Since Austria merely does not accept applications from any citizens of the Russian Federation, except for the Chechens, then the 'Russian' applicants are only citizens of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (CRI), whom the Austrian statistics is calling «citizens of the Russian Federation» due to 'political correctness'. Serbia and Montenegro have the second largest number of applications: 1,245 (26 percent). India is number three on the list – 1,012, Nigeria is number four - 893 applications, and Georgia is number five – 842 (21%). Nevertheless, there are some alarming signals coming from Norway as well. Kavkaz Center’s source reported from that country that for quite some time now Norwegian authorities have been demanding that Chechen refugees receive Russian passports from the embassy of the Russian Federation. At the same time the authorities are claiming that Chechens are facing no danger in Russia and that they can live a quiet life there without being persecuted, and that they can receive medical aid and study. Forced settlers from Chechnya are getting turned down for being issued temporary Norwegian documents and are being offered to contact the Russian embassy. The authorities are even promising to stamp visas in newly-issued Russian passports. But Chechen refugees are refusing to contact Russians and saying that they are not going to get identification documents from their enemies. Displaced settlers are expressing concern that the Norwegian authorities may start deporting Chechens if the refugees start getting documents from Russia. Kavkaz Center’s source reported that dozens of Chechen families are now under the threat of deportation, while Russians, Armenians, Georgians, Ukrainians, and even citizens of African states, most of whom are posing as Chechens, are getting residency permits with no problems at all. Chechen refugees in Norway are counting on the representatives of CRI Parliament and CRI Government, on Foreign Ministry and Envoys of President Maskhadov abroad first of all, to pay attention to the conditions that the displaced settlers are in, and that after solving their problems they will finally deal with the difficulties that the refugees are facing. Department of Strategic Information, Kavkaz-Center 2004-07-26 |