Attacks+on+foreigners+organised,+victims+arrested,+C+Times,+Citizen

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=Attacks on foreigners ‘organised’=

**Graeme Hosken, Cape Times, 22 February 2008**

Hundreds of foreign nationals evicted from their homes in xenophobic attacks outside Pretoria are being housed at temporary shelters in Laudium and Atteridgeville.

Nearly 300 people were forced to flee for their lives when squatters from Itireleng informal settlement behind Laudium attacked them, torching their homes, belongings and a church this week.

The attacks have been described by a migration analyst as part of a "national wave of organised xenophobic violence against non-nationals which is sweeping the country".

There were eerie scenes at the informal settlement on Thursday with most residents staying indoors.

Several homes which had been broken into and looted were standing open while piles of clothes and belongings littered the edge of the township.

Locals had dragged some of those who came under attack to this area.

Tension remained high in the area on Thursday.

Heavily armed policemen patrolled the area, escorting those families who dared to return to their homes to collect what was left of their meagre belongings.

On Wednesday night, police arrested 10 people on charges of public violence, said police spokesperson Director Govindsamy Mariemuthoo.

He said that the men would appear in court soon.

Darshan Vigneswaran, Wits University forced migrations study programme co-ordinator, said this was not an isolated incident but an example of a national wave of xenophobic violence against non-nationals.

The violence appeared to be organised.


 * From: http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080222044803497C935469 **



=LHR condemns arrests of foreigners=


 * Sapa, The Citizen, 22 February 2008**

JOHANNESBURG – Lawyers for Human Rights on Thursday strongly condemned the arrests of foreign nationals fleeing from violence in the Itireleng informal settlement near Laudium.

“Foreign nationals living in that settlement have recently been the victims of crimes by other residents in that area. In an effort to find protection, many fled to the Laudium Police Station for assistance,” the organisation said.

“According to the information that we have received, the police did provide protection to the residents for a period.

“Unfortunately, the Immigration Inspectorate was called shortly thereafter and those persons unable to produce documents to prove legal status in South Africa were arrested and have been sent to the Lindela Holding Facility for deportation.”

The SA Police Service had the responsibility to protect every person within South Africa’s borders from crime and violence.

It was imperative that the police maintained an environment in which any person may report being victimised or seek protection from violence, particularly when the violence was based on a violation of the non-discrimination clause of the Bill of Rights.

“Arresting those persons without documentation after fleeing such violence was inhumane and not in the spirit of the duties of the state under the Constitution.”

Lawyers for Human Rights therefore demanded: “The immediate release from custody of every person arrested at the Laudium Police Station for immigration purposes; that each person be allowed to return to his or her home with the protection of the police to collect their belongings; and that the SA Police Service undertakes to investigate the violence in this area and maintain order to ensure that every resident is spared community violence.” – Sapa.


 * From: http://www.citizen.co.za/index/article.aspx?pDesc=59001,1,22**

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