The executive committee of the Evangelical Lutheran Ovambokavango Church (ELOC) issued a strongly worded statement at its meeting on 5 March, protesting at the government's refusal to renew entry visas for seven Finnish missionaries. According to the statement, two missionaries had been asked to leave the country in recent weeks. Helka YONKANEN secretary at the ELOC office since 1961, was notified on 20 February that her residence permit would not be extended beyond 1 March. Though she was later given an extension for an additional month, she had to leave to attend her father's funeral and was unable to get a return visa stamped into her passport. On 4 March, Miss Keth SAINIO, a nurse at the Lutheran Medical Mission who has been in Namibia since 1966, was told that she would have to leave by 19 March. Five missionaries were refused entry visas in 1979, according to the statement. Previously, the government had routinely renewed residence permits, visas or re-entry permits. The statement said: "Although there were also in the past incidents of refusals of visas and withdrawals of permits, there are now indications that a new policy is being applied to the detriment of the church, which still needs expatriate staff in duties for which local staff is not available".
Issue 27 · article
Missionaries Refused Visas
Report on the refusal of visas for Finnish missionaries by the Namibian government.
