Afghan refugees in our thinking: Ardern – The Northern Daily Leader

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern concedes her government will fail to airlift all its citizens from Afghanistan prior to a US-imposed deadline on military-assisted departures from the crisis country. Like Australia, New Zealand is one of many countries scrambling to support departures from the south Asian nation which has fallen under Taliban control. The United States has signalled it will not provide support for the airlift beyond August 31, turning the mission into a race against time. "The window is very short. The number of people seeking to leave is enormous," Ms Ardern said on Thursday. "No one has gone in with the intention of leaving anyone behind but the reality of the situation has been extraordinarily difficult." New Zealand is placing the greatest urgency on its citizens and permanent residents, followed by Afghans who assisted their defence forces and agencies during the two-decade-long conflict. On Thursday, NZ's foreign affairs ministry said applications from Afghans to resettle in New Zealand were no longer being accepted. That leaves the question of Afghans fearing persecution under the islamist Taliban regime. Oxfam Aotearoa, Amnesty New Zealand and other like-minded organisations are supporting a push for a greater refugee intake from Afghanistan, tabling a 20,000-strong petition to the parliament on Thursday. "There's a moral duty to help those who have helped the work of the New Zealand government, NGOs and others," Oxfam Aotearoa executive director Rachael Le Mesuirer told AAP. "They've taken huge risks with their safety. "New Zealand lags behind the rest of the world for refugee intake ... we take half as many refugees as Australia per capita." Ms Ardern said a plan would be drawn up on how to assist those in need who remain in Afghanistan beyond this month. "Cabinet intends - once we have a final consolidation of those that we've been able to evacuate - to then work through a plan for those who still remain," she said. That group will include not just citizens, permanent residents and wartime allies, but refugees and humanitarian immigrants. Ms Ardern suggested it would be within the country's regular refugee intake. "There is work to be done across the international community to see that there is going to be that (humanitarian) support," she said. "We'll have a particular eye on those who, because of their human rights work or others, we would have concern about." Australian Associated Press

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern concedes her government will fail to airlift all its citizens from Afghanistan prior to a US-imposed deadline on military-assisted departures from the crisis country.

Like Australia, New Zealand is one of many countries scrambling to support departures from the south Asian nation which has fallen under Taliban control.

The United States has signalled it will not provide support for the airlift beyond August 31, turning the mission into a race against time.

"The window is very short. The number of people seeking to leave is enormous," Ms Ardern said on Thursday.

"No one has gone in with the intention of leaving anyone behind but the reality of the situation has been extraordinarily difficult."

New Zealand is placing the greatest urgency on its citizens and permanent residents, followed by Afghans who assisted their defence forces and agencies during the two-decade-long conflict.

On Thursday, NZ's foreign affairs ministry said applications from Afghans to resettle in New Zealand were no longer being accepted.

That leaves the question of Afghans fearing persecution under the islamist Taliban regime.

Oxfam Aotearoa, Amnesty New Zealand and other like-minded organisations are supporting a push for a greater refugee intake from Afghanistan, tabling a 20,000-strong petition to the parliament on Thursday.

"There's a moral duty to help those who have helped the work of the New Zealand government, NGOs and others," Oxfam Aotearoa executive director Rachael Le Mesuirer told AAP.

"They've taken huge risks with their safety.

"New Zealand lags behind the rest of the world for refugee intake ... we take half as many refugees as Australia per capita."

Ms Ardern said a plan would be drawn up on how to assist those in need who remain in Afghanistan beyond this month.

"Cabinet intends - once we have a final consolidation of those that we've been able to evacuate - to then work through a plan for those who still remain," she said.

That group will include not just citizens, permanent residents and wartime allies, but refugees and humanitarian immigrants.

Ms Ardern suggested it would be within the country's regular refugee intake.

"There is work to be done across the international community to see that there is going to be that (humanitarian) support," she said.

"We'll have a particular eye on those who, because of their human rights work or others, we would have concern about."

Australian Associated Press

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Afghan refugees in our thinking: Ardern - The Northern Daily Leader