The NEWS (Monrovia)
T. Michael Johnny
19 March 2008
Monrovia — The plight of Liberian refugee women rounded up in the early hours of Monday by the Ghanaian police at the Buduburam refuge camp dominated discussions at the House of Representatives Tuesday when a member of parliament accused the UNHCR of "double standard".
Montserrado County Representative Edward Forh said equity within the operation of the agency has been marked with double-standard where the Sierra Leonean refugees are preferred than that of their Liberian counterparts
Speaking during plenary Tuesday, Rep. Forh rationalized that the preference given to Liberian refugees is minimal as compared to their SierraLeonean counterparts.
Forh also alleged that the UNHCR is building shelters for Sierra Leonean refugees who have voluntarily decided to live in Liberia at a cost of US$15,000 per shelter, and refused to pay a US$1,000 per person under the same program for Liberians to be repatriated back to their country of origin.
"It's unfair to Liberia, and we will call a boycott of UNHCR resettlement programs, or ask for the same treatment for Liberian refugees under the same program. When they demonstrated peacefully for their rights under the UN Convention, they were branded as "unreasonable," Rep. Forh said, stressing that equity from United Nations Agency should be equitably distributed.
Maryland County Representative James Barney butressed Rep. Forh's position on the refugees crisis.
He observed that the Liberian government has got no policy for Liberians living abroad, especially refugees who fled for safety after being victimized by the civil war.
Rep. Barney suggested that there must be a policy that defines the status of Liberians living in refugee camps or abroad.
Following discussions on the refugees crisis, members of the lower house of parliament agreed to send an official communication to the Foreign Ministry reguesting details on the development.
According to the Ghana Refugee Board, there is an estimated 40,000 Liberian refugees in that country.
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This is the most inhumane action I have ever heard. The police in my country (Australia) wouldn't even treat animals like that. Shame on you Police of Ghana. What you'll sow , you'll reap.
The government of Liberia and Human Right groups must get to the bottom of this serious breach of the human rights of those people.They must expose the corruption at the Ghana UNHCR. Where is Kofi Annan?