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Asylum abuse in spotlight
Published: 19th March 2008
BAHRAINI activists are allegedly using Britain as a platform from which to orchestrate unrest at home.
They use the shelter of asylum to form cells which threaten security in Britian and Bahrain, says the Interior Ministry.
It is feared some have forged illegal contacts with compatriots in Lebanon and Iran, the ministry said in a statement yesterday.
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Asylum abuse in spotlight
Published: 19th March 2008
BAHRAINI activists are allegedly using Britain as a platform from which to orchestrate unrest at home.
They use the shelter of asylum to form cells which threaten security in Britian and Bahrain, says the Interior Ministry.
It is feared some have forged illegal contacts with compatriots in Lebanon and Iran, the ministry said in a statement yesterday.
British Ambassador Jamie Bowden yesterday confirmed that Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa had called him to a meeting, where they discussed the situation.
“We are very much aware of Bahrain’s concerns,” he told the GDN.
Mr Bowden said Monday’s meeting was amicable and that there was no rift between Bahraini and British officials.
“The relationship is extremely good but we are entirely aware of the government’s concerns,” he said.
An Interior Ministry statement said that vague British laws on political asylum were partly responsible for the problem.
Contacts
“Some people who have been given asylum in the UK make contacts to adversely influence internal security,” it said.
“They take British asylum to form cells, which will adversely affect security in Britain and Bahrain.
“Some of them have been shifted to countries in the area like Iran and Lebanon and the fear is there are illegal political contacts between them.”
Shaikh Rashid stressed that those who had sought asylum were not involved in political cases in Bahrain or wanted by the authorities.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London referred GDN inquiries to the Home Office.
A Home Office spokeswoman said she could not comment until she had looked into the matter with colleagues.
geoff@gdn.com.bh
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