AN overall strategy to deal with refugees and asylum seekers was called for yesterday by the Irish organisers of the European Year Against Racism.
The Refugee Act should also be implemented as quickly as possible by the new Government, said its chairwoman, Ms Stasia Crickley.
Her comments came in response to an announcement by the outgoing Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, of stricter checks by immigration officials on refugees and asylum seekers arriving in the Republic via Britain or the North.
The Irish section of Amnesty International also underlined the need for the implementation of the Refugee Act, which was passed one year ago yesterday. It said the clampdown on immigration would "give rise to great concern for the rate of refugees seeking asylum in Ireland".
A lawyer for refugees, Ms Noeline Blackwell, said: "These secret procedures drawn up by a group of civil servants undermine the democratic system. They effectively negate the five years the Oireachtas spent deciding what refugee procedures Ireland should have."
The rights of asylum seekers now depended on how they got into Ireland, she said. Those arriving from the UK could be refused a hearing.
A seminar entitled "Women and Racism" was held in Dublin yesterday by the European Year Against Racism group in association with the Platform Against Racism.
Women from a range of nationalities discussed their experiences regarding racism in Ireland.