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Kurdish man protesting his rejection as an asylum
seeker by staging a sit-in that has lasted three
weeks was taken to hospital Monday night after
showing signs of fatigue.
Ahmet Kazankiran, 48, and his family of six have
been sitting in front of the Tokyo office for the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
since July 13, much of the time in sweltering heat.
Fellow Kurd, Erdal Dogan, 30, and his family have
also taken up residence outside the United Nations
University building in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, where
the UNHCR office is located.
Kazankiran remains in stable condition at a nearby
hospital. Doctors have recommended rest. Meanwhile
Dogan's two small children-a 2-year-old and a
5-year-old-have also been unwell.
The group, all of Kawaguchi in southern Saitama
Prefecture, is demanding the UNHCR help in their
quest for refugee status in Japan-or at least urge
the government to relocate the families to a third
country.
They said they have had little sleep, usually just
two or three hours a day. They eat only one meal a
day and are unable to shower, instead cleaning
themselves with wet towels. When nature calls, they
use the bathroom at a nearby convenience store.
Kazankiran first came to Japan from Turkey in 1990.
After a brief return to his home country, he again
entered Japan, this time settling here.
He was later joined by his wife and children.
In Turkey, where the Kurdish language is banned, he
said he was a member of an underground movement
which sought Kurdish autonomy.
Because of that, he believes he has become a target.
``If I go back to Turkey, I will be killed,'' he
said.
In Japan, he made a living doing various jobs. At
one time he worked as a truck driver transporting
eggs. But a traffic accident soon caused him to lose
his job.
Eventually, in 1996, he applied to the Justice
Ministry's Immigration Bureau for refugee status. It
was not approved. Two subsequent applications have
also been turned down.
He is now appealing the decision with the Tokyo
District Court after being temporarily released from
an immigration facility where he had been held.
Over the past three years, 252 Turks, most of them
Kurdish, have applied for refugee status in Japan.
None was approved.
Kazankiran wants the UNHCR to exert more pressure on
the central government.
He said if it is impossible for him and his family
to remain in Japan, he wants the UNHCR to help his
family move to a third country.
``We are refugees. We are not slaves,'' said Dogan.
Immigration Bureau officials declined to comment,
saying they were not able to offer information on
individual cases.
Meanwhile lawyers representing Kurdish asylum
seekers in Japan protested Wednesday over a recent
Immigration Bureau investigation of cases currently
before courts.
They said that from late June to early-July,
immigration officials visited Ankara to gather
information on asylum seekers who had applications
rejected and are now appealing the decisions.
According to supporters, the investigation is in
violation of UNHCR guidelines which forbids host
countries providing sensitive information with the
homelands of asylum seekers.
``It could further endanger their (the Kurds)
safety,'' said Takeshi Ohashi, a lawyer representing
the asylum seekers.
Ohashi said he will file a complaint with the Japan
Federation of Bar Associations.
A representative for the Justice Ministry's
Immigration Bureau said the government evaluates
refugee status applications on an individual basis.
She said decisions are made after considering the
possible dangers of persecution due to race,
religion and political activities.
She said she was unable to comment on the bureau's
investigative methods.
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