VOA常速英语2007年-UNHCR: Increase in Asylum Seekers to Poland

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
21 December 2007

The United Nations refugee agency says there has been a steep increase in the number of people seeking asylum¹ in Poland since July.  The agency says many of the new arrivals are from Russia's troubled regions of Chechnya and Ingushetiya. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva, the increase may be linked to Poland's accession to the so-called Schengen zone allowing free travel across internal borders.

The U.N. High Commissioner² for Refugees reports nearly 5,000 people sought asylum in Poland in the first 11 months of this year, about 70 percent of them since June. 

UNHCR Spokesman William Spindler says the increase in new arrivals is probably due to Poland's accession Friday to the so-called Schengen zone, and fears that it will lead to stricter controls on Poland's borders with non-member countries.

"There are reports that smugglers have been intentionally³ spreading rumors⁴ among potential asylum seekers that their access to Polish territory would be hampered⁵ after 21 December, thus encouraging more people to go to Poland before today's deadline," he noted⁶.  " Also, some asylum seekers erroneously hope that, once in Poland, they will be able to move freely throughout the Schengen Zone."

Poland is one of nine new states to join the Schengen agreement.  This brings to 24 the number of European Union member countries that allow residents to travel freely across their borders. It also allows travelers from outside the European Union to move freely within the zone on a visa obtained from any of the Schengen member countries.

UNHCR's Spindler says many asylum seekers are resorting to smuggling⁷ networks, because of increasing restrictions⁸ on borders.  He says they pay up to 7,000 euros to be smuggled⁹ into EU countries.

After years of brutal¹⁰ war, he says, Chechnya's economy is starting to improve and reconstruction¹¹ is gathering¹² pace in the capital Grozny.  But he says widespread material damage still exists in the war-torn Russian territory.  And, he says, human rights violations¹³ remain a big problem.

He says many people in Chechnya and neighboring Ingushetia feel threatened. 

"About 60 percent of the people who apply for asylum in Poland - last year, for instance, 60 percent of them received either full refugee status or some sort of humanitarian¹⁴ status," he added.  "If you take into account that almost 90 percent of those who apply for asylum in Poland are Chechens or Ingush, we can see that the recognition rate is fairly high, which means that they have a case to be recognized as refugees."

Spindler says the increase is leading to an overcrowding of reception facilities in Poland.  He says the current influx¹⁵ of asylum seekers has forced the Polish government to increase the number of reception facilities to accommodate all the new arrivals.

1 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

2 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

3 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

4 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

10 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

11 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

12 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

13 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

14 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

15 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。