A protection-decision maker which wishes to reject the credibility of an applicant’s claim of persecution must give a rational explanation for placing no or little weight on documents which tend to corroborate aspects of that claim.

A finding that state protection is available to an applicant for protection will be open to a protection-decision maker where it is based on cogent country of origin information and, as the case may be, documentation submitted by the applicant in support of his claim indicating that the police in his country of origin had acted on foot of complaints made to them in the past about threats or ill-treatment at the hands of his tormentors.

A finding that internal relocation is available to an applicant for protection will be open to a protection-decision maker where it is based on cogent country of origin information and, as the case may be, evidence of the protection applicant to the effect that he relocated in safety in his country of origin previously. It is not necessary for a protection decision-maker who considers that internal relocation is available to explore in great detail the alternative life open to the applicant there. Where the threatened persecution is local and limited in area and personnel, it may be sufficient to point out, if the evidence justifies it, that other regions of the country in question would be available for the purpose of internal relocation.