The Dhaka Times Desk Four and a half decades ago, in the 1970s, New Zealand carried out numerous raids against immigrants. The Prime Minister of New Zealand apologized for that campaign!
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has officially apologized for the crackdown on migrants from the Pacific region.
Ardern made the apology yesterday (August 1) while addressing families of victims, Pacific dignitaries and government officials at an event in Auckland.
The BBC said in a report that the operation called The Dawn Raids was carried out against those who were staying in the country after the expiry of their visas. Migrants were arrested and sent back to their home countries.
According to media reports, this campaign was conducted from 1974 to 1976. At that time New Zealand was going through an economic recession. The country's then government cracked down on migrant workers from the Pacific region.
Hundreds of people attended Jacinda Ardern's official apology. At this time, Jacinda said, the people of different areas of the Pacific Ocean were suffering from the inhumane operations carried out on specific people by ethnic identification. They still carry those wounds.
He also said, "Today I apologize wholeheartedly on behalf of the New Zealand government for the crackdown on Pacific people in the discriminatory implementation of immigration laws of the 1970s." Due to the implementation of that law, operations called Dawn Raids were conducted.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand also said that the government expresses sorrow, regret and remorse for the raid and the random police search.
As part of the condolence, the New Zealand government has also announced $1.5 million in institutional and vocational scholarships for countries in the Pacific region. A leadership scholarship worth $1 million will also be awarded to young people from Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Tuvalu among other countries.
Jacinda Ardern said there were no reports of raids on people or their homes from non-Pacific countries or regions at the time. There were no raids or arbitrary arrests against Europeans.
At that time, many migrants from the UK, Australia and South Africa had their visas expired, but no action was taken against them, the BBC reported.
Meanwhile, Tongo's princess Mele Suilikutapu welcomed the New Zealand government's efforts to heal the wounds of this inhumane and unjust treatment of people. He said, this apology in Ardern is basically a new sunrise for our community.
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