Document #1084097
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
Lesotho has a population of 1.76 million,
and most of these people live in the Western Lowlands (Kurian 1992,
1107). The Basothos make up the majority of this population, which
also consists of a few thousand Europeans and a few hundred Asians
(Ibid.).
In a telephone interview, a spokesperson at
the Lesotho High Commission in Ottawa explained that Lesotho's
Asian population is comprised of East Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese
and Koreans (30 Mar. 1993). According to the source, East Indians
make up the majority of this Asian population, followed by
Pakistanis, Chinese and Koreans. The Asians are Lesotho citizens
and are found primarily in the commercial sector of the economy
(Ibid.).
The spokesperson also said that there was a
violent demonstration by the majority Basotho population in 1990
against what it perceived as the insulting attitudes of East
Indians. The source stated that even though the alleged offenders
were East Indians, the demonstrators made every Asian the target of
their wrath. The source did not provide any information on the
number of Asian casualties nor the amount of damage to Asian
property. None of our other sources could corroborate this
information.
Additional and/or corroborative information
on the requested subject could not be found among the sources
currently available to the DIRB in Ottawa.
Kurian, George Thomas ed. 1992.
Encyclopedia of the Third World. 4th ed. Vol. 2. New York:
Facts on File Publications.
Lesotho High Commission, Ottawa. 30
March 1993. Telephone interview with spokesperson.