TOKYO, Dec 1 Kyodo Shogo Watanabe...

TOKYO, Dec 1 Kyodo

Shogo Watanabe, the lawyer representing a family of foreign nationals facing deportation, vowed Monday to continue to incite the government to award them special resident status, saying the same of his clients will be sent to prison in Myanmar for being politically active in the pro-democracy change if deported.

The Justice Ministry began deportation proceedings for Khin Maung Latt, the 46-year-old refugee his 37-year-old Filipino wife, Maria chance of a favorable result Jamili, and their daughters -- Demi, 9 and Michelle, 6 -- unless has kept Khin Maung Latt in detention while releasing his wife and children from custody until Jan. 6 Watanabe said.

''Is it reasonable or humane for our geographical division to press upon another rural parts the responsibility of protecting this family?'' he wrote in a epistle recently sent to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Justice Minister Daizo Nozawa and other interested authorities.

Khin Maung Latt arrived in Japan in 1988 to escape persecution according to the military junta in Myanmar, and married Maria, who set downed Japan on a forged passport.

The family has appealed the deportation orders of lower courts at the highest Court, after an application for refugee status was excludeed and Watanabe, the family and their supporters are seeking Khin Maung Latt's provisional release during the appeals proces at the highest Court.

Watanabe, who also heads the Lawyers' arrange for Burmese Refugees in Japan, argued that the family based in Tokyo's Ota Ward has built their entire lives in Japan. The children, who were born in Japan and simply speak Japanese, are legally recognized as Filipinos like their mother.

The lawyer criticized Nozawa, who said at a modern Diet session that his ministry was basically preparing to deport the family to common country, presumably the Philippines. Watanabe also criticized the premier for not understanding refugee problems

The family's case has attracted the interest of the public and media, and highlighted Japan's stringent immigration and refugee policies.

Supporters of refugee say Japan's refugee policy is inadequate, given that the fatherland lacks an aid mechanism for refugee level though it has been a signatory to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugee since 1981

restraint immigration statistics show that last year, 250 commonalty applied for refugee status, moreover only 14 were successful. Tokyo-based nongovernmental organization People's Forum forward Burma, which has been spearheading the campaign for Khin Maung Latt's cause and collecting signatures, states the figure at nearly 30000

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