International appeal for Polish refugees

Press, 19 December 1981, Page 6

International appeal for Polish refugees

An international appeal was launched yesterday to provide food and accommodation for thousands of Polish refugees who have fled into Austria since the declaration of martial law in Poland.

Austrian relief organisations are inundated with refugees and tourists who refuse to return to Poland, according to a telex message from the headquarters in Rome, of Caritas International. The Austrian Caritas centre alone has had 1400 people looking for accommodation, in the last few days. The flow of refugees is expected to continue for the next seven weeks.

The refugees, among them many families, have been queueing for up to 10 hours

in the winter snow to find accommodation. Housing is short and many are finding temporary shelter in camping grounds, trailers, and containers.

The relief organisations have to provide the refugees with documents to give them recognised refugee status so that they will be entitled to international aid services.

An initial grant of $2OOO was sent to Caritas yesterday by the New Zealand Catholic Commission for Evangelisation, Justice, and Development. The commission’s director, the Rev. John Curnow, said that the Christchurch-based relief organisation was organising an appeal to help the refugees in Austria. During the last week food had been sent to Poland

from the Netherlands and Germany and a medical team, including ambulances, had been sent from Denmark.

The general secretary of the National Council of Churches in New Zealand, the Rev. Angus Macleod, said yesterday that if Polish churches asked for help the New Zealand churches’ Christmas appeal would provide emergency assistance. New Zealand churches had already sent food .aid to Poland and would send more if it was needed.