During their meeting with Minister Pierantozzi, Mr. Towle and Dr. Lesi discussed about possible assistance the UNHCR Regional Office could offer to Palau with respect to legal framework to strengthen migration issues and border control.
After meeting the Minister of State, Mr. Towle and Dr. Lesi paid a courtesy call to the Honorable Vice President/Minister of Finance Kerai Mariur.One of the main purposes of these UNHCR Officials to Palau is to meet with relevant authorities regarding the 11 Myanmar Refugees who arrived in Palau in March this year as tourists and later declared themselves as political asylum seekers. Mr. Towle and Dr. Lesi also met with Minister of Justice John C. Gibbons and the Acting Director of the Bureau of Immigration, Mr. Jenkins Mariur to discuss the fate of said Myanmar Refugees. Separate Meetings were also arranged for Mr. Towle and Dr. Lesi to meet with Senator Joel Toribiong and Father Rusk Saburo of the Catholic Mission.Since July 2009, Senator Toribiong offered to temporarily host and sponsor said refugees until UNHCR process their documentation and determine a country to permanently host them. Before then, and since their arrival in March 2009, Fr. Rusk Saburo took care of the 11 Myanmar Refugees when they unexpectedly appeared at Fr. Saburo’s door step seeking assistance.According to Mr. Towle, his office has reviewed the 11 Myanmar asylum seeker’s claim for refugee and attested that they meet international refugee status. In the meantime, UNHCR Regional Office is requesting for Palau’s continued assistance and support in temporarily housing them until UNHCR finds a third Country to take them. This process could take up to several months.Minister of State Pierantozzi affirmed that “Palau does not wish to be seen as a desirable place for asylum seekers and agreed that the matter should be resolved as quickly as possible without much fanfare”.
