The King’s Commissioner, Arthur van Dijk, spoke in the Lunchroom program on NH Radio about the situation in Ukraine and the refugee problem that is now involved. Van Dijk is also confronted on a daily basis with the situation abroad. “You can’t open a newspaper before you see that ties with Russia are cut. It is almost unreal, a kind of bad movie that you are in.”
It was recently announced that the security regions in the province must prepare for the receiving war refugees from Ukraine. In North Holland there are five Security Regions – of which 2,000 places per region – with a total of 10,000 reception locations for these refugees.
“The first ones have already been taken care of in Zaanstad,” says Van Dijk. But is it realistic to make so many places available within such a short time – with the five days set by the cabinet? “Of course that question is not asked, we just have to do it together. But honesty requires that we were already working on a very tough job,” emphasizes Van Dijk. “We already had a huge backlog for regular refugee reception, a huge problem.”
Around the table
As a government lord, the extension of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of the Interior, Van Dijk chairs a ‘provincial management table’. “The Security Regions sit there at the table and we try to arrange that reception together. But I have no instruments, no coercion or a suitcase with money. But do this by making agreements with municipalities.”
This is partly successful, but the ‘normally huge influx of asylum seekers’ has increased so much in recent years, according to the King’s Commissioner, that this ’causes great concern’. “My biggest concern is that we will make a distinction between one asylum seeker and another.”
The Security Regions in the province are currently responsible for arranging reception locations for refugees from Ukraine. “We will use more support from the province to support this situation.”
‘It should work’
“Hotels, holiday parks” could be reception places, says Van Dijk. “Cruise ships that have no bookings for the time being due to Covid are already being used and that works well.” It is important to keep an eye on the long term, in connection with regulations, before people can return to their home country.
“There are already lists for places that are suitable for reception, we were already working on this. There is now a lot of compassion for Ukraine, but I can tell you after the visits this week, may that compassion be for a number of asylum seekers who have right here, there are also asylum applications from other countries,” says Van Dijk.
Whether the Security Regions in the province will be able to free up 10,000 places in the short term? “Will it work? It should work!”, that is one thing Van Dijk is sure of. “As a driver you now have to perform and dare to decide and that is now more than important.”
You can listen back to the whole conversation with Arthur van Dijk via our Lunchroom podcast.