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WORLD NEWS Thursday 5 sepTember 2024
Rights group alleges Lebanon and Cyprus violated refugees’

human rights and EU funds paid for it

By ABBY SEWELL made it to shore but “were
Associated Press not given the opportunity
BEIRUT (AP) — European to claim asylum” and in-
aid sent to Lebanon in an stead were detained and
attempt to regulate mi- then returned to Lebanon,
gration by sea is funding where some were then de-
practices that violate hu- ported to Syria, the report
man rights, according to said.
a global watchdog report “Both Lebanese and Cypri-
published Wednesday. ot authorities used exces-
As part of a policy to con- sive force at the time of ar-
tain migration, authorities rest and during detention,”
in Cyprus have physically Human Rights Watch said.
pushed Syrian refugees The European Union and
back to Lebanon, and Leb- European countries gave
anese security agencies Lebanon some 16.7 million
have deported them, the euros ($18.5 million) from
Human Rights Watch report 2020 to 2023 for border
said. management “mainly in
The report, based on inter- the form of capacity-build-
views with 16 Syrians who ing projects explicitly aimed
tried to leave Lebanon via at enhancing Lebanon’s
smuggler boats, found that ability to prevent irregular
15 of them “suffered hu- Migrants aboard a Cyprus marine police patrol boat as they’re brought to a harbor after being migration,” the report said.
man rights violations at the rescued from their own vessel off the Mediterranean island nation’s southeastern coast of Protaras, In August, the European
hands of Lebanese and/or Cyprus, on Jan. 14, 2020. Associated Press Union allocated another 32
Cypriot authorities.” million euros ($35.3 million)
Rights groups have fre- tered Syrian refugees and funding from the European extorted by smugglers for to “continue implement-
quently criticized the tac- hundreds of thousands Union and European coun- passage back to Lebanon. ing border management
tics of authorities in both more unregistered, the tries for border control. Cyprus, meanwhile, sus- enhancement projects in
Lebanon and Cyprus in world’s highest refugee In some cases, Syrian refu- pended processing of Syr- Lebanon through 2025,” it
dealing with would-be mi- population per capita. gees who were caught ian asylum applications in said.
grants and asylum seekers. Lebanese political officials by the Lebanese army at- April. Cyprus’ Deputy Ministry of
Officials from the two coun- have pushed for western tempting to leave to Cy- Human Rights Watch ac- Migration and International
tries deny violating any countries to resettle the ref- prus by sea have been cused Cypriot authorities of Protection in a statement
laws but say they are over- ugees or assist in returning driven to the Lebanon- forcibly turning back boats denied carrying out so-
whelmed by the migration them to Syria voluntarily or Syria border and dumped carrying asylum seekers called pushbacks.
they are facing. not. At the same time, Leb- on the Syrian side, Human coming from Lebanon. It noted that Cyprus is a
Lebanon, which has been anon has an agreement Rights Watch said. Alleg- In some cases, Cypriot au- “small frontline country”
in the throes of a severe with Cyprus to halt the edly, some of them were thorities forcibly prevented that has “received massive
financial crisis since 2019, smuggling of migrants and then detained by the Syr- asylum seekers from land- migrant flows over the last
hosts around 775,000 regis- has received substantial ian army, while others were ing, and in other cases they few years.”q

Indonesia arrests a fugitive former Filipino town mayor wanted for

illegal online gaming scams

By JIM GOMEZ and Guo was in custody and up in Indonesia.
EDNA TARIGAN awaiting deportation to Two companions, who re-
Associated Press the Philippines, Murti said, portedly slipped out of the
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) adding that her arrest was Philippines with her with-
— A dismissed town may- the result of “cooperation out going through normal
or who fled the Philippines between Indonesian and immigration and clearing
after being accused of Filipino’s police.” procedures, were recently
helping establish an illegal Filipino President Ferdinand arrested in Indonesia.
online gaming and scam Marcos Jr. thanked the In- Guo ran as a Filipino candi-
center catering mostly to donesian authorities. date in 2022 elections and
clients in China has been “Let this serve as a warn- won as mayor of the rural
arrested near Indone- ing to those who attempt town of Bamban in Tarlac
sia’s capital, officials said to evade justice,” Marcos province north of Manila.
Wednesday. said and added that ar- She was accused of help-
Indonesian authorities ar- rangements were being ing establish a massive
rested Alice Guo at a house made to bring Guo back complex with several build- In this handout photo provided by the Philippine Senate Social
in Jakarta’s satellite city of to the Philippines where ings near the town hall as Media Unit, then Bamban Mayor, Alice Guo, speaks during the
Tangerang just before mid- she faces a slew of criminal a hub for an illegal online Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and
night on Tuesday, accord- charges. After Guo fled the gambling and scam outfit Gender Equality inquiry on the alleged human trafficking and
ing to Khrisna Murti, chief of Philippines in July, she was that catered mostly to cli- cyber fraud operation in Angeles, Pampanga province held at
the international division of tracked in Malaysia and ents in China, where gam- the Philippine Senate in Pasay City, Philippines on May 22, 2024.
Associated Press
the National Police. Singapore before turning bling is forbidden.q