An official analysis of the position of the Jewish refugees in Belgium was published today by the Ministry of Justice in the form of a report to the Senate in connection with an allocation of 8,000,000 francs in the 1940 budget for refugee aid. This is the first official document of its kind published since the refugee problem developed in Belgium and is based on statistics and observations collected by the Justice Ministry.
Simultaneously, it was officially announced here that the Government is introducing a system of distinction between suspect foreigners and refugees which it is expected will be helpful to the status of the refugees. All having criminal records or concealing the fact that they entered Belgium illegally will be classed as suspect foreigners.
A special commission will be set up to examine each case and determine the classification. All who are not classed as refugees will be automatically included in the category of suspect foreigners and will be given special cards. They will be interned in the Merxplas settlement.
In connection with the aliens problem, the Senate is establishing a committee to examine all applications for Belgian citizenship filed in the last ten years.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
