Sir, - Michael Lindenbauer of the UNHCR (January 27th) quite correctly reminds readers that under the Geneva Convention, which Ireland has signed, we cannot put limits to the number of asylum-seekers we allow to enter the State. If half-a-million asylum-seekers turn up this year, all must be allowed in.
What he fails to tell us, however, is that that same Geneva Convention has an opt-out clause (Article 44) which any signatory country can activate on 12 months' notice. Therefore, as well as immigration being the prerogative of states, so is asylum.
We have called on Ireland and on the other EU states to implement this article and only accept asylum-seekers when they are still outside the country, as with programme refugees. Unless that is done the democratic right of citizens to control this influx is set at nought. As Michael Lindenbauer knows, only a small minority of asylum-seekers in any jurisdiction ever leave.
As for the inevitable attempt on the same Letters page by Pat Guerin of the National Federation of Campaigns against Racism to pretend that the State has been shaping a negative attitude on asylum, anyone with the slightest street-smarts knows that, as Bruce Arnold put it, Ivor Callely is far more representative of public opinion than Liz O'Donnell, without any Government prompting. All over Europe vocal minorities such as Pat Guerin represents have intimidated governments into a political correctness which has had the effect of subverting democracy. They must not be allowed to do so here. - Yours, etc.,
Aine NI Chonaill, PRO, Immigration Control Platform, Dublin 2.