Finland: to close northern borders?
01 November 1993
The Finnish Minister of the Interior, Mr Mauri Pekkarinen, announced, on 11 November, that new regulations would keep many asylum seekers out of the country. He said they were considering declaring Estonia and Russia "safe [third] countries" to which asylum seekers could be returned.
Finland is linked with the former Soviet territories through numerous rail and ship connections with many refugees from Somalia and Kurdistan entering Finland and Western Europe, usually by train from Moscow or by ship from the Estonian capital Tallinn. In a revision of its Alien Act in July 1993, Finland legalized instant refoulment at its borders. This denial of entry can be carried out by a quick procedure at border stations. The new legislation is intended to fight Russian criminality in Finland, where prostitution and minor crimes are seen as being linked to a "mafia" establishment in St Petersburg, 150 kilometres away. Finnish alien policies have been sharply criticized by the Finnish Ombudsman for Aliens Affairs, Mr Antti Seppl. Pakolaisneuvonta (Refugee Counselling), an independent organization in Helsinki that provides legal assistance for asylum-seekers, said they fear that third-country applicants will be affected if the new regulations are implemented. As there is virtually no policy for normal migration, people from the neighbouring, relatively poor Russia and Estonia seek residence in Finland by claiming political asylum. In Finland there is also no central authority for asylum and immigration matters, so a refugee case can be dealt with at several governmental departments and by municipal authorities. The number of refugees still relatively low, last year 3,600 people applied for political asylum in Finland. The largest group of people who have been granted asylum in Finland are some 1,500 Somalis.
Jan-Erik Andelin, Finland.