Romany affairs council to discuss asylum applications in Canada

The government council on Romany affairs is planning to discuss in two weeks’ time the controversial issue of the high number of Czech Romanies seeking asylum in Canada, the minister for human rights and minorities, Džamila Stehlíková, told reporters on Saturday. The prime minister, Mirek Topolánek, said last week economic factors not human rights were behind an increase in Czech asylum applications in Canada. Romany leader Ladislav Bilý criticised the prime minister’s comments, as well as statements made by Minister Stehlíková and Interior Minister Ivan Langer. Nearly 500 Czech Romanies have applied for asylum in Canada since it dropped visa requirements for Czechs in November; Ottawa had introduced the restriction in response to a large influx of Czech Romanies in the late 1990s.