This week we introduce a new feature: The Question of the Week, in which we ask you a question, related to current events, to elicit your feedback on the topic.

In news highlights this week we look at the continuing controversy in the US over possible intelligence failures and the proposed new Department of Homeland Security. The feature article this week continues the refugee story with a look at the Sangette refugee camp.

And here is the Question of the Week:
China, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom are all major weapons suppliers to India and Pakistan. If they are willing to sell the weapons, why are they now so desperate to ensure they are not used? Should this lead to changes in political policies for arms suppliers?

Write us at:

As always, this edition of the Newsletter is linked to selected data from the TerrorismCentral Library.

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CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. Africa
2. Americas
3. Asia Pacific
4. Europe
5. Middle East
6. South Asia
7. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
8. Finance
9. Human Rights
10 Law and Legal Issues
11. Narco-terrorism
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
Refugees: The Case of Sangette

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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

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1. Africa

An economic summit of African leaders met to refine the New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD) plan that will be presented to the G8 meeting in June. The plan calls for good government and major investments in infrastructure.

Such a plan is sorely needed. Nearly 13 million southern Africans face famine. While drought has played a big part in that, poor government policy has also contributed to the crisis in a land possessed of great natural resources. For country-by-country details on the crisis, see the BBCs "Southern Africas Grim Trail of Famine" online at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_202700/2027079.stm

Hutu rebel National Liberation Forces (FNL) and government forces in Burundi continued fighting. Thousands of residents have fled the capital, Bujumbura.

The United Nations has protested the expulsion of their officials and sent in a team to negotiate with the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) rebels, who ejected the UN officials because of alleged bias, putting the peace structure in jeopardy.

Ethiopia continues to impose restrictions on the movements of UN peacekeeping forces. Ethiopia has been accused of violating the international ceasefire agreement.

A Masai community in Kenya has offered a gift of 14 cows, sacred to the people, to the US to aid victims of the September attacks.

Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisli was elected to a second term in Lesotho, with a large parliamentary majority. The opposition parties have protested the election and asked for a recount, although international observers declared it free and fair.

In Liberia, the conflict between government troops and the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) continue. Government troops have apparently recaptured the northern town of Jorwah.

Amid escalating violence in Madagascar, the rival leaders are set for talks mediated by Senegal.

Malawis President Bakili Muluzi has said he will ignore a high court ruling that a ban on demonstrations against his proposed constitutional amendment (to allow a third term) was illegal.

Malian President Alpha Oumar Konare ended ten years of rule with a peaceful handover to his successor, the new President General Amadou Toumani Toure.

Rwanda still has 115,000 suspects in prison, 8 years after the genocide. Instead of using western-style court system, they will now return to traditional gacaca courts and try the genocide suspects in the villages where the alleged crimes took place.

Foday Sankoh, former leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) appeared in court in Sierra Leone for his second hearing. He has rejected the recent elections, saying he was the leader and would have won had he been allowed to run.

After King Mswati of Swaziland put forward an internal security bill that would suppress all political opposition, lawyers submitted a human rights complaint with the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

Continued fighting in Somalia has led to a crisis on the border with Kenya, where 5,000 refugees fled. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has appealed for Kenya to move the refugees away where they can be protected.

In Sudanese-government-sanctioned fighting, the Ugandan army claims it killed 60 members of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). Despite the military progress, there has been no news on the thousands of kidnapped children under LRA control.

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2. Americas

Argentinas former economy minister Domingo Cavallo was freed on appeal from his conviction for illegal arms sales.

The Presidential election in Bolivia is scheduled for June 30.

Canada has refused to extradite Liban Hussein, a Somali-Canadian wanted in the US for illegal money transfers allegedly tied to international terrorist networks. His brother, Mohamed Hussein was convicted only of operating without a license. The government says there are no grounds to believe any connection with terrorism.

Another mayor in Colombia, Luis Carlos Caro Pacheco, has been killed by rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). In another attack, a bomb went off killing 9 and injuring 24.

Attacks in Guatemala on human rights activists, including the recent murder of Guillermo Ovalle, seem to indicate a return to the activities of the death squads.

Reginaldo Panting, a former economy minister for Honfuras, was kidnapped last month and, despite a ransom being paid, his dead body has been found.

In Mexico, one of their most notorious kidnappers, Pedro Barragan Gonzalez (aka The Godfather) has been arrested with five members of his kidnapping gang. Meanwhile, 16 have been arrested for the murder of 26 men (from a village population of 650). The murder was over a land dispute. The Oaxacan Human Rights Network has denounced violations of human rights in connection with the case. And finally, President Vincente Fox has delayed a trip to Texas until he receives a report on the water debt owed to the US. (Watch for an article on water in a forthcoming issue of this newsletter.)

In the US, the news was dominated by investigations into security lapses prior to the attacks of September 11. A congressional panel is investigating the issue, beginning with the establishment of an anti-terrorism unit at the CIA in 1986. The FBI first came under fire for ignoring reports of Moussaoui and other flying school cases. The CIA then was criticized for not following up on known terrorist links, including the relationship between Ramzi Yousef, leader of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and the September 11 hijackers, including Khalid Almihdhar and Nawaf Alhazmi. Additional evidence was offered by a Department of Agriculture officials report of Mohamed Attas attempts to get a government loan to purchase a crop duster. The National Security Agency (NSA), larger than the CIA and FBI combined, has not yet come in for its share of attention.

For additional details, check out Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidmans article "The 9/11 Terrorists the CIA Should Have Caught" in Newsweek, June 10, 2002 and

Judith Miller and Don Van Natta Jr, "In Years of Plots and Clues, Scope of Qaaeda Eluded U.S.: Tracking the Missteps from 1986 to Sept 11" in the New York Times, June 9, 2002.

In response to the embarrassing evidence and general criticism, US Attorney General John Ashcroft has announced a reorganization of the FBI. Using existing resources, diverted from other investigations, they will now focus on counter-terrorism activities. He has decided they will have expanded powers to monitor people and organizations at any public event without approval from the FBI. Civil rights leaders and others have criticized these expanded powers of domestic surveillance.

International criticism has followed another new rule: that the citizens of no country will now be exempt from being photographed and fingerprinted as they enter the US, and tracked during their stay. This rule is likely to be directed against Muslim nations. In addition, existing visa holders will be asked to provide fingerprints. Muslim countries, the United Nations, civil rights organizations and others have expressed concern over the new controls

President Bush and his cabinet have been quick to insist that the knowledge did not exist to prevent the September 11 attacks, but they are now cooperating with the congressional investigation. Bush has proposed a new cabinet level department for homeland security. This department would collect a group of existing divisions (covering border and transportation security; emergency preparedness and response; chemical, radiological and nuclear countermeasures, and information analysis and infrastructure protection) under one umbrella and, with no additional expense, assure the greater security of the American mainland.

Both President Bush and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld have stated that the "War on Terror" would be taken to 60 countries in order to keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of terrorists. They are also proposing pre-emptive action against these states.

The public ceremony that marked the closing of the recover phase at "Ground Zero" was followed by a private tribute from families who could not participate in mid-week. Now that attention has turned to other damaged areas, more human remains have been discovered.

In Memphis, Tennessee, the medical examiner, Dr. OBrian Smith, was attacked with acid, tied up with barbed wire, and left with a bomb strapped to his body. The bomb, which followed a prior explosives attempt, did not go off. It is suspected to be the work of a letter writer signing himself "Steel in the hand of the King of Kings" who objected to Smiths testimony in a death penalty case.

American missionary Martin Burnham, held by Abu Sayyaf kidnappers in the Philippines for the last year, was killed in a battle between the rebels and government forces. Gracia Burnham was wounded but survived.

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3. Asia Pacific

Australia has further tightened immigration controls by refusing to consider asylum applications from outlying island territories.

Dozens of people have been killed in Burma this week through raids on separatist villages at the Thai border.

China has arrested 13 members of a criminal gang that engaged in trafficking of babies.

In Hong Kong, an opposition coalition is working to modify an anti-terrorism bill that could restrict civil liberties.

Indonesian militia leader Eurico Guterres and six others have been indicted for violence against East Timor during the 1999 independence vote. Indonesia has a new armed forces chief, General Endriartono Sutarto, who promises there will be no return to military involvement in politics.

A bomb exploded on a bus in Indonesia, killing 4 and injuring 17. Another bomb outside a nightclub injured 5.

The International Court of Justice in the Hague is set to rule on the dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia over the sovereignty of two islands off the coast of Borneo.

A close aide to Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi has suggested that the no-nuclear policy might be changed.

More North Korean refugees are flooding into China to seek refuge in foreign embassies, including that of South Korea.

Philippine forces attacked the Abu Sayyaf who were holding American missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham and Deborah Yap, a Filipino nurse, in captivity for the last year. Only Gracia Burnham survived. She was wounded but has now returned to the US. With no hostages in their possession now, Abu Sayyaf is under heavy attack by the Philippine army. The US provided training and technical assistance for the raid, and is looking for greater participation, including an extension of the joint military exercises past next month.

The New Paper in Singapore has reported that Lebanese Hezbollah guerillas recruited a cell of operatives in Singapore in the 1990s.

In South Korea and Japan, security was tight for the first World Cup to be held in East Asia. Special measures were taken for Chinas first appearance in the World Cup, to prevent demonstrations.
Gunmen of unknown affiliation attacked a school bus in Thailand near the border with Burma, killing two children and wounding 15.

The first group of Montagnards, (Vietnamese hill tribe refugees), have been flown out to receive asylum in the US.

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4. Europe

Godelieve Timmermans, head of the Belgian domestic security agency, has resigned amid criticism of Belgiums record in countering terrorism.

The first round of French parliamentary elections has taken place. It is expected that president Chiracs allies will receive a majority.

In Paris, an unnamed Islamic militant was put under investigation for his role in a Strasbourg Cathedral bombing plot.

In the Netherlands, Dutch police attested a group of 9 human traffickers associated with the Chinese smuggling ring broken up in 2000.

Spain is moving to outlaw the political wing of the Basque separatist group ETA -- the Batsuna party. Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar alleges that Batsuna shelters terrorists. The proposal has passed the lower house of parliament and moves now to the Senate then the Supreme Court, which would make the final decision to outlaw a party.

Two armed ETA suspects were arrested in France following a car chase. Their names have not yet been released.

Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit missed two important meetings, but brushed off suggestions that his poor health would lead to his resignation. Ecevit is critical to help Turkey improve its human rights record, remain a secular state, and become a member of the EU; he has no obvious successor.

The Times of London has disclosed that MI5 has developed a secret list of 350 potential terrorist targets. The risk profile previously developed was based on IRA terrorism and has been reassessed following the rise of suicide bombings. See the article in the June 6 edition, available online at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-318120,00.html

Northern Ireland has experienced a significant rise in violence in interface areas in Belfast. There have been riots, shootings, petrol bombs, stone and bottle throwing, bomb attacks, and arson attacks. The targets have included police, fire engines, schools, and next door neighbors. There have been accusations that the IRA led this violence. These charges are being investigated in a review of the status of the ceasefire agreement. In the meantime, security efforts have been increased. The new mayor of Belfast is the first Sinn Fein party member elected to this position.

Nelson Mandela is on his way to Scotland, to visit the jailed Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Magrahi. Mandela was instrumental in his appearing in court and wants to check on the conditions under which he is being kept.

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5. Middle East

New security measures in the US have led to anger among the Arab populations targeted for new registration, photographing, and fingerprinting. They caution that these precautions will make things worse, not lead to increased security.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has put together a detailed plan for Middle East peace that includes putting a stake in the ground on a Palestinian state, to give the people something to loose should violent attacks continue. He met with US President Bush to promote this idea, which has been rejected. Bush now meets with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon.

The occupied Gaza Strip has witnessed the killing of Israeli settlers and incursion by Israeli tanks in the past week.

Ahmed Saadat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was held on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi last year. The Palestinian Authoritys High Court in Gaza ordered his immediate release due to lack of evidence. Chairman Arafat, countermanded this demand. He said it would be politically impossible and lead to great damage to follow this order.

Iran has called for support of the Palestinian cause and no negotiations with Israel.

US President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld have all called for a policy of pre-emptive strikes against Iraq. Meanwhile, UN weapons inspectors are evaluating Iraq in preparation for a possible return.

In Israel, it was a week of more shootings and bombings and incursions into Palestinian territories. The most dramatic of these was a horrific suicide bombing in which a passing car blew up itself and the bus it was next to. The bus was full of Israeli soldiers and their companions. The bomb killed 16 and wounded 40. During the week, a number of Israeli settlers in the occupied territories were also attacked and killed.

Yossi Beilin, former Labor Party justice minister and key architect of the Oslo accords, has formed the new Shahar movement on a platform of peace with Palestinians. Shahar means Dawn. This provides a challenge to both the right and left, anticipating disruption within the current parties.

In the West Bank, there were attacks on Israeli settlers and a number of substantive incursions by the Israeli army, including another attack on Chairman Arafats compound. Arafat has reorganized his cabinet, reducing the size, and separating out security responsibilities.

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6. South Asia

The loya jirga (great council) will start in Afghanistan on Tuesday (a day late due to logistical problems). About 2,000 delegates will determine leadership and direction for rebuilding the country. International security forces are providing protection to the meeting, even while military activities continue in the mountain caves. An excellent report was published in this weeks Economist. "Special report Afghanistan: So much done, so far to go", The Economist, June 8, 2002.

Tighter security in Pakistan has turned some al Qaeda back to Afghanistan. Warlords have also returned to southern Afghanistan. They provide the second greatest risk to the process of reconstruction. (The greatest risk is insufficient aid dollars to ensure rebuilding can be accomplished, including a state military and security system.)

In Bangladesh, a girl was killed in a shootout between rival groups of engineering students.

In India, 23 people have been charged for participation in the sectarian riots in Gujarat that killed more than 1,000.

Tension between India and Pakistan over Kashmir was very high until the end of the week when India said it had indications that Pakistan had influenced cross-border incursions. Some indication, probably a diplomatic move, is expected from India to further reduce the tension. Despite this possibility, on the ground in Kashmir sporadic violence continues and exchanges of fire between the assembled troops have killed dozens of civilians and soldiers. These exchanges still present the possibility of a sudden unanticipated acceleration. International intervention to avoid a devastating nuclear attack has been pervasive but of limited impact.

Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani of the Hurriyat Conference was arrested in Indian Kashmir under new anti-terrorism legislation. He will be charged with financing terrorist activities.

Violence continues to claim victims in Nepal, where another 29 rebels and 3 civilians have been killed.

Pakistan has been under international pressure to further crack down on militants operating in its territory and Kashmir. President Musharraf has said the Pakistan would not strike first and has been at pains to reassure the international community that a nuclear exchange would be unthinkable.

In Sri Lanka, the government has started the legal process to lift the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

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7. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

The European Union internal markets commissioner, Frits Bolkenstein, met with US officials to discuss data privacy protections and other issues. The EU is not satisfied with participation in the safe harbor privacy agreement. Terms of the Gramm-Leach-Billey Act for financial privacy in the US does not met EU standards and discussions on how to handle the discrepancies will continue.

Security holes reported this week include a buffer overflow in the IE Gopher client, yet another patch to Microsoft Exchange 2000, and a flaw in the Java server of Macromedia.

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8. Finance

Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani of the Hurriyat Conference was arrested in Indian Kashmir under new anti-terrorism legislation. He has been accused of receiving US dollars from Pakistans intelligence services and laundering it through the UK to fund terrorist activities.

Qatar has become the third Gulf state to approve an anti-money-laundering law.

The US Treasury continues to investigate possible crackdowns on offshore banking and corporate relocations to offshore tax havens.

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9. Human Rights

Children received a lot of attention last week. The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) released a report showing that more than a third of all children born every year are unregistered, due to cost, complexity, or logistics. Without an official identity they can be blocked from receiving basic services. UNICEF urged that birth certificates be provided without charge.

The International Labor Organization conference led with the eradication of child labor, that currently involves 246 million (1 in 6) children around the world.

The US Department of State has published the 2002 Trafficking in Persons Report.

The US Committee for Refugees has released its World Refugee Survey 2002 that includes the following statistics:

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10. Law and Legal Issues

In Paris, an unnamed Islamic militant was put under investigation for his role in a Strasbourg Cathedral bombing plot.

In India, 23 people have been charged for participation in the sectarian riots in Gujarat that killed more than 1,000.

The parents of an Israeli-American killed in a terrorist attack have won an appeal that allows them to continue their suit for damages against a group of Islamic charities they say funded the Hamas group they hold responsible for the death.

Argentinas former economy minister Domingo Cavallo was freed on appeal from his conviction for illegal arms sales.

Amr Ibrahim Elgindy, indicted on security fraud charges that were discovered in the September 11 investigations, is featured in an article by David Barboza and Alex Berenson called "The Many Faces of Amr I. Elgind: Stockbroker, Refugees Benefactor, Con Man Who is He?" in the New York Times of June 8, 2002.

Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani of the Hurriyat Conference was arrested in Indian Kashmir under new anti-terrorism legislation. He will be charged with financing terrorist activities.

In Mexico, one of their most notorious kidnappers, Pedro Barragan Gonzalez (aka The Godfather) has been arrested with five members of his kidnapping gang.

Indonesian militia leader Eurico Guterres and six others have been indicted for violence against East Timor during the 1999 independence vote.

Prosecutors in the John Walker Lindh case allege that he knew of the plans for the September 11 attacks and other plans.

In the Daniel Pearl murder trial, the prosecution has completed its case and the defense now plans to present its evidence.

Restrictions on the defense of Richard Colvin Reid (the "shoebomber") have been partially lifted.

Ahmed Saadat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was held on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi last year. The Palestinian Authoritys High Court in Gaza ordered his immediate release due to lack of evidence. Chairman Arafat, countermanded this demand. He said it would be politically impossible and lead to great damage to follow this order.

Foday Sankoh, former leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) appeared in court in Sierra Leone for his second hearing.

In the prosecution of Lynne Stewart, Mohammed Yousry and Ahmed Abdel Sattar on charges of aiding terrorists, an FBI affidavit has disclosed information linking imprisoned sheik Rahman in the Cole bombing. The affidavit also includes details of conversations alleged to involve sharing of instructions for terrorist plots.

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11. Narco-Terrorism

In Pakistan, security forces seized two tons of heroin being smuggled from Afghanistan to Europe through Iran.

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12. Transportation

US customs agents will be allowed to inspect cargo in Singapore for terrorist tampering.

Privatization of the US air traffic control system currently run by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is under review.

Trials of facial recognition systems have experienced high false positive rates.

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13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

The Australia Group of leading biochem exporters has agreed to tighten export controls and expand the number of protected substances from 11 to 19.

An anthrax infection in Texas has been traced to careless handling when they failed to correctly sterilize vials because the labels came off. The worker handled one without gloves then touched a cut on his face.

The mystery that continues to surround the anthrax-laced letters sent in the US last fall has been reopened in the new investigation of intelligence failures, with questions regarding the failure to find the perpetrator and now legal actions to obtain investigative documents under the Freedom of Information Act.

A close aide to Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi has suggested that the no-nuclear policy might be changed.

The remains of chemical weapons have been found in an American base in Uzbekistan. Nerve agents and mustard gas had been stored there when under Soviet control.

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14. Recently Published

Barboza David and Alex Berenson, "The Many Faces of Amr I. Elgind: Stockbroker, Refugees Benefactor, Con Man Who is He?", New York Times, June 8, 2002.

Economist. "Special report Afghanistan: So much done, so far to go", The Economist, June 8, 2002.

Evans, Michael. "MI5 Lists 350 Terror Targets in Britain". The Times, June 6, 2002

Gregson, Jonathan. Massacre at the Palace: The Doomed Royal Dynasty of Nepal. Talk Miramax.

Isikoff, Michael and Daniel Klaidman, "The 9/11 Terrorists the CIA Should Have Caught" in Newsweek, June 10, 2002

Miller, John and Aaron Kenedi. Inside Islam: The Faith, the People, and the Conflicts of the Worlds Fastest Growing Religion. Marlowe.

Miller, Judith and Don Van Natta Jr, "In Years of Plots and Clues, Scope of Qaaeda Eluded U.S.: Tracking the Missteps from 1986 to Sept 11" in the New York Times, June 9, 2002.

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FEATURE ARTICLE:

Refugees: The Case of Sangette

Under the European Unions Dublin Convention, refugee claims are supposed to be processed at the first port of call. The reality is that desperate refugees do not pass through predictable channels and their movements are no more readily governed than are those of citizens in normal residence.

The civil war in the Balkans, with its "ethnic cleansing" and massacres, led to huge numbers of the civilian population forced to flee for their lives. They arrived in many European countries, by land and water. Many, especially those from Kosovo, arrived at the French port of Calais.

Sympathies at first were with the refugees. But as their numbers increased, the problems of homelessness and dispossession became obvious with a growing street population. Women and children were sleeping rough in parking lots, beaches and parks. The French authorities had to find a way to provide basic food and shelter.

From Dover to Calais, the Channel is narrow and relatively stable. Friendly to ocean voyages, it was also a route that was attractive to the tunnel builders who developed the Channel Tunnel. When the tunnel was completed, a warehouse (in the nearby town of Sangette) that had been used for storage during tunnel construction was left vacant. The French government commandeered this building to house the increasing number of refugees in September 1999, and asked the French Red Cross to run the shelter.

Shelters are meant to be neither permanent residences nor jails. The government responsible for them determines how they are managed. The Red Cross and other agencies assist only in providing humanitarian aid. In the case of Sangette, the French government is responsible for the camps continued existence, the policies by which government authorities treat refugees and evaluate asylum seekers, and for security.

At Sangette, as the Kosovan refugees were settled other displaced people took their places. The shelter now holds some 1,300 refugees -- twice the number it was originally designed to hold. Of these, half are Kurds fleeing persecution and death from Iran and Iraq and another forty percent are Afghans who have fled terrible violence and oppression. Most of the new refugees last year came from Zimbabwe. These are clearly desperate people, not economic refugees simply looking for a better job.

It takes months to process claims for asylum. Difficulties are compounded by refugees lack of documentation and language barriers. Lack of structured activities and limited local integration leads to other problems of displacement: what do people do when they are not able to pursue normal lives within their families and communities?

Djaffer Ait Aoudia, a journalist with the London newspaper The Observer, infiltrated the camp and reported (May 26, 2002) on what he found:

He goes on to say that the residents only ambition is to get to the UK. To do this, they rely on smugglers, passeurs:

Most smuggling attempts fail. Eurotunnel, the company that operates the tunnel facilities, says that it stopped 18,500 refugees in the first half of 2001 alone. This massive influx has led to persistent problems ranging from economic disruption (train cancellations cost English Welsh and Scottish Railway [EWS] lost over $14 million in the last six months), to deaths of people who have been suffocated, electrocuted, or suffered a similar untimely fate while transported under dangerous conditions.

The French government has increased security at Sangette, but instead of calming the situation, levels of violence in the camp rose. There have been ethnic clashes, leading to several deaths. Last month a riot broke out that took more than a hundred police to quell. Last week, a Kurdish refugee was shot in the head after a fight. He was the second killed in the last two months.

This situation has in turn led to objections from the companies whose businesses have been disrupted, local people whose lives have been upset, the British government that faces a flood of illegal immigrants, humanitarian groups who want to save lives, and other governments with a variety of political agendas.

Many European countries, including the historically tolerant Scandinavian countries, have recently adopted anti- immigration policies.

The murder of Dutch politician Pym Fortuyn illustrates the confusion surrounding these contentious issues. Mr. Fortuyn, openly gay and socially progressive, was strongly opposed to any immigration, fearing that an Islamic influx threatened the Dutch way of life. Ironically, an environmentalist, not an Islamic fundamentalist, killed Mr. Fortuyn.

The UK, Italy, Spain, Denmark and the Dutch have passed or are contemplating stricter asylum rules. In France, changes to the immigration rules await the results of the elections.

Because these are cross-border issues, most European leaders have called for a common EU policy towards immigration. Political policy is urgently required to deal with this humanitarian crisis. The first steps have been taken in a meeting among EU interior ministers who have agreed to establish a common immigration and asylum system by 2004.

But this is scarcely a European problem. In fact, more than six million refugees are in the Middle East and over three million in Africa. This accounts for more than two-thirds of all refugees in the world. In the EU as a whole, the number of applicants for refugee status was 384,530, less than half that of ten years earlier. In the rest of the world, the refugee population increased to almost 15 million last year.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) released these new statistics on May 31. UNHCR and the Red Cross have called for better information to replace the alarmist debate and the proposed punitive policies that put the well-being of refugees at risk. In a related study, the European Commissions Social Situation Report pointed out that the rate of migration into Europe was less than the level needed to counterbalance the effects of an aging European population with lower than replacement birth rates.

If rich Western countries cannot deal with the refugee question, how can the poor and underdeveloped?

Next week, we look at tactical measures used in response to the refugee crisis: maritime and related transportation security issues.

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