8 Dec 2014

Citizenship for 30 revoked in Vanuatu

4:49 pm on 8 December 2014

The Vanuatu Citizenship Commission announced at the weekend 30 people have had their Vanautu citizenships revoked.

The Commission's secretary general, John Ware Enock, says all those affected have a constitutional right to challenge the commission's decision.

Our correspondent says a French national whose citizenship has been revoked is expected to challenge.

The man says more revocations of citizenship are likely and it will create a bad image for Vanuatu.

Prime Minister Joe Natuman announced last week that the revocations will be followed by deportation orders.

He said if people become stateless his government will talk with the United Nations about placing them in a refugee camp.

The prime minister says the immigration legislation passed last week means the Citizenship Commission is now reviewing all the foreigners who have obtained the citizenship fraudulently.

A foreigner has to reside in Vanuatu for ten years before citizenship can be granted but in many cases people have gained it much sooner.