Only one mention of a group called "Lebanese Forces Students" was found in a personal Web page of the same name hosted by the Geocities portal. This Website contains a few articles on activities allegedly organized by students affiliated with the Lebanese Forces (LF), the most recent of which reports that "students from the Lebanese Forces" held a memorial "on the eighth anniversary of the bombing of Our Lady of Salvation church in which LF leader Samir Geagea was implicated" (Lebanese Forces Students 1 Mar. 2002).

No other mention of the "Lebanese Forces Students" could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, the Research Directorate did find news articles which refer to students affiliated to the LF, without specifying the exact name of the organization that they belong to:

Two articles from Agence France Presse (AFP) report that a "banned Lebanese Forces' student officer," Salman Samaha, was facing charges of being involved in "actions ... which could spoil relations with a brother state (Syria) and weaken national resolve" (16 Aug. 2001a; 16 Aug. 2001b). Two other articles from May 2002 report the murder of Ramzi Irani, the representative of the Lebanese Forces "student organization," who was apparently kidnapped before being killed (Mideast Mirror 21 May 2002; The Independent 22 May 2002).

For more information on the Lebanese Forces, please consult LBN39595.E of 18 July 2002, as well as the Europa World Year Book 2002 (2002, 2453) and the Political Handbook of the World 1999 (1999, 565).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence France Presse (AFP). 16 August 2001a. "Lebanese Anti-Syrians Appear Before Court." (NEXIS)

______. 16 August 2001b. Nayla Razzouk. "Lebanese Opposition Hits Back Against Crackdown on Anti-Syrian Activities." (NEXIS)

The Europa World Year Book 2002. 2002. Vol. 2. London: Europa Publications.

The Independent. 22 May 2002. Robert Fisk. "Kidnap Death Revives Ghosts of Lebanon War." (NEXIS)

Lebanese Forces Students. 1 March 2002. "Church Bombing Anniversary Used to Pray for Geagea." (http://www.geocities.com/lf_students/01mar02.htm( [Accessed 14 Feb. 2003]

Mideast Mirror. 21 May 2002. "A Double Security Challenge in Beirut." (NEXIS)

Political Handbook of the World 1999. 1999. Edited by Arthur S. Banks and Thomas C. Muller. Binghamton, NY: CSA Publications.

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB Databases

LEXIS/NEXIS

Monde rebelles : guérillas, milices, groupes terroristes

Internet sites, including:

Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND)

Leb-World

Middle East

Middle East Intelligence Bulletin (MEIB)

The Lebanese Forces

The Lebanese Forces Students

Search engines, including:

Google

Yahoo