Four out of five members of the Batdavaa family are currently awaiting a court hearing in Przemysl, south-east Poland, after having been arrested by the Border Guard and taken to a deportation centre there.
A petition has been written in defence of the family, which has lived in Poland since 2000, with the youngest member born in Krakow soon after the family’s arrival. It is reported that the family is well-known in the district in which they live, and that they have never had any run-ins with the law.
Graduation ceremony
The eldest of the three children, Khash-Erdene, made headlines last week when he defended his engineering thesis at Krakow’s University of Science and Technology (AGH) in the escort of Border Guard functionaries.
Khash’s brother, Oyun-Od, completed his schooling last year and is currently a first-year student at AGH. He is so far the only member of the family that has not been taken into custody by the Border Guard.
Illegal immigrants?
Even though the Mongolian family has lived in Krakow since 2000, they have yet to file for their right to remain in Poland.
The order to move the family to the refugee centre in Przemysl was given by the Provincial Governor of the Malopolska region, Stanislaw Kracik, at the beginning of the year. They now face deportation to Mongolia.
The Citizens Ombudsman, Irena Lipowicz and the Childs’ Ombudsman Marek Michalak are looking into the case, while local MEP, Boguslaw Sonik is standing in defence of the family.
Furthermore, at the defence of his engineering thesis last week, Khash also thanked for the support shown to him by the student community, which turned out in force bearing banners calling for authorities to grant Polish citizenship to the family.
According to the Provincial Governor’s Office, the Mongolian family was offered legal assistance in how to obtain permits for the right to remain in Poland.
Even though the family members were issued temporary visas while their residency status was ascertained, these ran out, leading the way for the Governor’s decision to send the family to a deportation centre. The decision has thus far been upheld by the Office for Foreigners and the courts. (jb)
Source: PAP/TVP Info/Gazeta Wyborcza, a newspaper of Poland www.thenews.pl
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| Khash-Erdene Batdavaa, who graduated from AGH in the presence of Border Guards last week. Photo: TVP |
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