Afghani interpreters working with Kiwi troops in Afghanistan must be offered the chance to resettle in New Zealand if their lives are in danger, Labour says.
The call comes as some of the 26 interpreters working with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Bamiyan province have again raised fears for their lives once New Zealand pulls out of Afghanistan next April.
The interpreters say their work with New Zealand forces over a long period has made their identities known to insurgents, and even if their region was secure they would be targeted in the long term.
Labour leader David Shearer today called for the interpreters to be offered the chance to resettle in New Zealand, saying there was no doubt their lives would be in danger once Kiwi troops pull out.
"We cannot abandon these people. They have risked their lives working with our soldiers on the ground. We have a duty to help them," he said.
Mr Shearer has worked in conflict zones overseas and said he knew first-hand how important interpreters were.
"Not only do they help with communication in often volatile and dangerous situations but they also use their local knowledge and contacts to identify risks and to protect those working with them."
Labour foreign affairs spokesman Phil Goff said there was an ethical and moral obligation to look after the interpreters and their families.
He noted Canada was offering Afghani interpreters who had worked with their soldiers and diplomats a new home in Canada.
"I call on our Government to follow that example."
Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman spoke with five of the interpreters on his visit to Afghanistan in April and received a letter from them asking for asylum in New Zealand.
He said at the time he would look seriously at the risk, but had told the interpreters there was no guarantee they could come to New Zealand.
"It will be some time before we make that decision but I've given them the assurance we will get back to them."
