DUSHANBE, December 26, 2008, Asia-Plus  - This year, the number of refugees living in Tajikistan has increased by 700 people.

This was remarked during the seminar on “International Human Rights Standards and Protection of Refugees in Tajikistan” that was conducted for employee of parliament yesterday.

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Ms. Muattar Haidarov, chairperson of the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) and chairperson of the NGO Society and Law, noted that although Tajikistan had ratified all appropriate documents, the issue of getting refugee status in Tajikistan still remains topical and the main problem facing refugees in Tajikistan is job placement.

Referring to official statistics, Ms. Haidarova said that the total number of refugees in Tajikistan is now 1,700 people, and the number of asylum-seeking persons is 245 people.

According to her, the majority of refugees are citizens of the neighboring Afghanistan.  Besides, there are also citizens of Iran, Iraq and some African states among them.