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AUCKLAND, New Zealand--More than 100 Chinese immigrants began a protest camp in Aotea Square in the center of this city September 27. About half are on a hunger strike. The protesters, many of whom entered the country with applications for refugee status, are fighting for the right to stay and are protesting harsh new immigration laws.
Under these laws, which went into effect October 1, immigrants who have stayed beyond the expiration of their entry permits by more than 42 days will be subject to immediate deportation by police and immigration authorities without right of appeal. Previously, undocumented immigrants had 42 days to lodge an appeal after they had been notified by authorities.
To sweeten the introduction of these reactionary immigration measures, the New Zealand government announced a partial amnesty for undocumented immigrants who can prove they are "well-settled." Of the more than 20,000 people estimated to be living in New Zealand after having overstayed their entry permits, up to a third are reported to be eligible for the amnesty. The remainder will face immediate deportation, and will be banned from reentering New Zealand for at least five years--a measure that will see them barred also from many other countries as well. Immigrants who have applied for refugee status are not eligible to apply for the amnesty. The Chinese protesters say this discriminates against them.
Around half the estimated "overstayers" in New Zealand come from Samoa and Tonga. Chinese and Indian immigrants make up close to 50 percent of those seeking refugee status.
--MICHAEL TUCKER
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