http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/1190579955

Forced to Move: Salvadorean Refugees in Honduras

The purpose of this document is to present the case of the Salvadorian peasant refugees in Honduras, and to transmit their appeal to the international community for help in preventing their forced transfer deep into Honduras, far from the border with El Salvador. There are approximately 19,000 Salvadorian refugees in Honduras, almost all living in camps run by UNHCR. The civil struggle in El Salvador has caused tens of thousands of peasants to seek refuge in Honduras, and these Salvadorian refugees are now an element in the geopolitical struggles in Central America. The first camps were located on the border and were well run by committed relief workers. But the Honduran Government announced in October 1981 that the refugees must be moved to a location inland. The stated justification for this was greater security for the refugees and enhanced control of them by the Honduran military. The move inland was opposed by the refugees and by most of the relief agencies involved: it took until April 1982 to complete the relocation. While 8,000 refugees were forcibly moved, 7,000 chose to return to El Salvador. The real reason for the relocation then became clear - the border area was to be militarized. No camp infrastructure was in place inland; promises of adequate land for agriculture, good water and opportunity for self-sufficiency were not realized. In 1983 there came new pressure to move the refugees again, further inland. This plan was delayed during 1984, when it seemed that officials may be considering forced repatriation to El Salvador for the refugees. The document was published early in 1985, and it calls for international action on behalf of these refugees.

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