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Setback to U.K. refugee policy

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON FEB. 19. The British Government's tough asylum policy suffered an embarrassing blow today when the High Court blocked its decision to deny state benefits to certain categories of refugees in its bid to discourage illegal immigration.

The court said the new measures requiring refugees to lodge their asylum claims as soon as they entered the country or forego their right to state-funded food and shelter breached the European Convention on Human Rights. It said that "insufficient consideration'' had been given to the issue and the decision as it applied to the six refugees who had challenged it "must be quashed and reconsidered if that has not already happened''.

The ruling is expected to benefit 150 other asylum-seekers who have also challenged the Government's new measure on the same grounds as the six who won their `test' case today.

The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, however, said the Government would challenge the ruling. He said he was "deeply concerned'' and warned that the Government would continue to be tough on illegal immigrants.

``This measure is an important part of our asylum reform programme, which is dealing with widespread abuse of the system and reducing unfounded claims. It is simple common sense that asylum seekers should lodge their claim as soon as they arrive if they expect support from the Government,'' he said. The measure, which came into force last month, had come in for widespread criticism from civil liberties groups which argued that it was not always possible for new entrants to the country to apply for asylum immediately as many were not aware of the rules. "These are people fleeing persecution in their own countries, and the first thing they need is food and shelter,'' a refugee campaigner said.

During the hearing, the court was told about the hardships faced by refugees who were denied benefits. It was stated that an Iraqi woman spent a night in a telephone booth as she did not have a place to stay. The court ruling is the latest in a series of setbacks to Mr. Blunkett's aggressive plans to prevent `abuse' of the asylum system.

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