Tamil Justice

ABC Online – Border protection protocols failing: Greens

The Greens say there needs to be a public inquiry into how the Federal Government responds to asylum seeker boats.

Five asylum seekers are presumed to have drowned in waters north-west of Australia after the boat they were in ran out of supplies and they decided to swim for help.

SMH - MPs seek probe of asylum seekers’ deaths

by Karlis Salna

The federal government is under pressure to hold an inquiry into the deaths of five asylum seekers believed to have drowned after abandoning their stricken vessel in search of help.

There are also calls for a review of protocols for monitoring and intercepting boats after it was revealed authorities knew almost two weeks ago the boat had run out of food, fuel and water.

Five Sri Lankan men disappeared when they went for help on a makeshift raft after their boat became disabled for a second time.

Authorities have begun taking statements from the 59 survivors, including 15 children, rescued near the Cocos Islands on Saturday by a Russian merchant ship. The survivors have now been transferred to Christmas Island. More

ABC – Customs slammed over response to stricken boat

Refugee advocates say they are astounded authorities did not do more to help a stricken boat of Sri Lankan asylum seekers off the Western Australian coast.

Customs officials say they were advised the boat carrying 64 people had run out of fuel, food and water while heading to Cocos Island on April 30.

They say a passing merchant ship provided assistance and reported they were in good health and their vessel was seaworthy.

Customs spokesman Phil Mayne says the boat was expected to arrive at Cocos Island on Wednesday, but a search was launched when it failed to turn up. More

The Age – Push for missing asylum seekers inquiry

News.com.au - Sri Lankans asylum seekers ‘panicked’ after stricken boat ran out of food, water

SMH – Five Sri Lankans lost amid big sharks

Last week  (15/04) – at the Community Cabinet Meeting in Sydney – head of ATC’s Women’s Advocacy Group & GTFW cordinator –  Kalyani Inpakumar -  asked a question which received an applause from the audience but the ‘usual’ answer from the Immigration Minister.

Radio Australia – Australia under fire over asylum seeker clampdown

The Australian government has drawn a barrage of criticism for its decision to stop processing new immigration claims from Sri Lankan and Afghan asylum seekers. Analysts believe Canberra has recognised that its political opponents are making ground with the electorate, as a steady stream of asylum seekers continue to arrive by boat. Now Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s government has taken action putting a stop on new claims for the time being, citing signs of improved conditions in both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. But refugee and human rights advocates – including the government’s own Human Rights Commission – have been united in their opposition.

Speakers: Chris Evans, Australian Immigration Minister; Stephen Smith, Australian Foreign Minister; Rick Towle, UNHCR regional representative; David Manne, co-ordinator, Refugee and Immigration Resource Centre.

SBS TV News 10 Apr 2010 – Angry reaction from communities
Afghan and Sri Lankan communities have reacted to the Prime Minister’s decision to suspend asylum applications

Changes to Australia’s Immigration Processing System

Joint Media Release with Stephen Smith MP – Minister for Foreign Affairs and Brendan O’Connor MP – Minister for Home Affairs

Effective immediately, the Australian Government has today introduced a suspension of the processing of new asylum applications from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

This suspension has been made as a result of the evolving circumstances in these two countries.

The combined effect of this suspension and the changing circumstances in these two countries will mean that it is likely that, in the future, more asylum claims from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will be refused.

The situations in both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are evolving.

Sri Lanka is a country in transition after two decades of conflict, with hopes for further improvement and stabilisation in conditions.

The situation in Afghanistan is also evolving, including with respect to Afghan Hazaras. The Taliban’s fall, durable security in parts of the country, and constitutional and legal reform to protect minorities’ rights have improved the circumstances of Afghanistan’s minorities, including Afghan Hazaras. More

Antara News (19/01) - Indonesia foils 92 human smuggling attempts

The Australian government said the Indonesian authorities had successfully foiled 92 attempts of foreigners seeking asylum in Australia through the waters of that country since September 2008.

At least 40 people suspected of involvement in organizing human smuggling had been arrested, the Australian Immigration and Citizenship Ministry said Monday.

Australian Immigration and Citizenship Minister, Senator Chris Evans said his administration is coordinating with several neighboring countries under bilateral cooperation and the Bali Process forum on human smuggling, human trade and other relevant transnational crimes.

In supporting the eradication of human smuggling, Australia has also provided more than 654 million Australian dollars and raised the number of its federal police personnel, the foreign and trade ministry, DIAC, and the customs and border protection agency, he said. More

ABC Online - Detention riot blamed on chaotic policy

The Australian – Labor MP slates Rudd’s asylum solution

The above was on the front page of the Weekend Australian (21/11)

AAP – PM’s bungles ‘kill chance of UNSC seat’

Australia has no chance of scoring a UN Security Council seat thanks to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s diplomatic bungling, a former Australian diplomat and Indonesia expert says.

Mr Rudd’s “ambition outweighing ability” has eroded Australia’s credibility in the region, especially with his recent failed plan to have Indonesia deal with 78 Sri Lankan asylum seekers, former diplomat Bruce Haigh says.

“Rudd’s cooked his goose as far as getting meaningful votes at the Security Council,” said Mr Haigh, who served with the Department of Foreign Affairs from 1972 to 1994 and wrote on Indonesia in The Great Australian Blight and Pillars of Fear. More

ABC Video – Chris Evans – ‘no special deals’ offered to Oceanic Viking

Herald Sun – Don’t dump your boat people on us

Sydney Morning Herald – Share asylum burden, Indonesians plead

Voice of America – Amnesty International Chief Blasts Australia’s ‘Panic’ Over Asylum Seekers

NineMSN – Authorities find 44th boat off Australia

ABC – Rudd attacked over Indonesia detention ‘chaos’

The Greens say it is unacceptable that women and children from the Oceanic Viking are being held behind bars.

Some of the Sri Lankan women say they have been locked up in a facility next to the Tanjung Pinang detention centre, which they say is like a jail.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans says the building has suitable facilities.

But Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says they should not be in any form of detention.

“They may not be in the official detention centre but they are still being detained,” she said. More

Canberra Times – PM insists refugees had no special deal

The Federal Government and Opposition have continued to slug it out in Parliament over the controversial offer made to induce 78 Tamil asylum-seekers to leave the Australian Customs vessel Oceanic Viking. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd continued his denials yesterday that the group had been given preferential treatment, despite the timetable for assessing their refugee claims being much faster than that faced by other asylum-seekers in Indonesia or on Christmas Island.

The last of the 78 asylum-seekers left the Oceanic Viking on Wednesday and were transported to the Tanjung Pinang immigration detention centre on Bintan Island after more than a month aboard the Australian vessel. Mr Rudd has repeatedly denied knowledge of the details of the offer before it was put to the asylum- seekers, despite members of his staff being present at the cabinet committee meeting that authorised the deal and the distribution of the committee’s minutes to his office.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull, who attempted to censure Mr Rudd in question time yesterday, ridiculed Mr Rudd’s denials that the asylum-seekers had been offered a special deal and his claims to have known nothing of the ”fast-track access policy” before the offer was made. Mr Turnbull said the deal had ”no counterpart” and had been considered by cabinet’s Border Protection Committee precisely because it was a special deal. ”Now the Prime Minister says, of course, that he doesn’t know anything about that and that his staff didn’t advise him about this deal,” Mr Turnbull said. ”The one thing that is beyond question is that the Prime Minister’s claim that there was no special deal has been comprehensively, universally disbelieved.

”We’ve seen the most extraordinary spectacle of a prime minister looking the Australian people in the eye and unblinkingly saying black is white.” Mr Rudd said the Coalition was attempting to ”whip up a fear campaign” about asylum-seekers and border protection. ”Our policy on border protection is clear, and we’ll continue to implement it in the future,” Mr Rudd said. Meanwhile, the Papua New Guinea Government has canvassed a revival of the ”Pacific solution” as a remedy for Mr Rudd’s difficulties on the asylum-seeker issue. Papua New Guinea Foreign Affairs

Minister Sam Abal said yesterday that his Government was open to the idea of reopening the Manus Island immigration detention centre which the former Howard government used for offshore detention of asylum- seekers. ”If there is a request from Australia, our Government will consider it,” Mr Abal said. Both Papua New Guinea and Nauru received generous aid packages from the former Howard government in exchange for hosting offshore immigration detention and processing centres.

The Australian – PM’s ‘special deal’ leaves kids in lock-up

SMH – Mothers and infants behind detention centre bars

ABC – Tamil women, children behind bars in Indonesia

ABC – Rudd attacked over Indonesia detention ‘chaos’

Radio Australia – Oceanic Viking leaves Indonesia after four week stalemate

This was raised in the Federal Parliament yesterday (18/11). 

Transcript has been taken from Hansard. 

Senator HANSON-YOUNG (2.18 pm)—My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. Given the boat currently holding 255 Sri Lankans in Merak were intercepted by Indonesia at Australia’s request, and we now hear that, without any assessment of these people’s claims by the UNHCR, Indonesia is looking to deport these people back to Sri Lanka, what assurances, if any, did the Australian government delegation seek or receive during the visit to Sri Lanka last week that asylum seekers sent back to Sri Lanka would be kept safe and not subject to any form of persecution from the government of Sri Lanka?

Senator CHRIS EVANS—It is true that we cooperated with Indonesia and encouraged them to intercept the vessel that is now docked at Merak. And, as I understand it, the 250 or so people who are on board are still refusing to disembark. But that is a matter that is in the hands of the Indonesian authorities. There are no Australian authorities involved in that process. I understand that the IOM has been involved, but that involvement may have ceased. There has been, as I understand it, some trouble on the boat, and some disagreement. I think that actually reached some level of violence the other day, but they have been there for a long time. The Indonesian government’s position, as I understand it, is that they will be processed once they disembark the vessel. That is obviously in their hands. I do not have any particular assurances as to how those people will be treated, because we have not been engaged actively in the handling of those persons on that boat in Merak.

What I can say to you, though, is that the press reports about them threatening to deport these people without proper refugee assessment beforehand are just that—claims in the press. I would point out to you that, to my knowledge, the Indonesians have not in the past sought to deport people before they have had asylum claims considered. All I can tell you is that the experience we have had with the Indonesians is that they have made safe places available for people inside Indonesia, they have allowed UNHCR and IOM access to those persons and they have allowed people who are seeking asylum to lodge claims with the UNHCR. So, while I have seen the press reports, as you have, I have no basis for— (Time expired)

Senator HANSON-YOUNG—Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for his answer. Given that the people onboard the Oceanic Viking will now be detained in Indonesian detention centres, how can Australia knowingly now allow children to be locked behind bars? Does the government believe that this is appropriate?

Senator CHRIS EVANS—To be frank, Senator, you have just made another leap with, as I understand it, no basis for those claims. Do you know that children in Merak are about to be detained in detention centres? Because I certainly do not.

Senator Hanson-Young—On a point of order, Mr President: I referenced the Oceanic Viking.

Senator CHRIS EVANS—Mr President, I would like you to take on notice some consideration of supplementaries that refer to different subjects. That is why I got confused. If the question is about the Oceanic Viking, the Indonesian authorities have stated publicly that they will be making accommodation arrangements for women and children in accordance with their normal policy which seeks to provide appropriate accommodation for them. At the moment, the small number of women and children on the vessel have not disembarked, but we have advised the Indonesians of our views on those matters. We have always advocated that children should not be held in detention centres. Clearly, this is a matter for the Indonesian government—

(Time expired)

Senator HANSON-YOUNG—Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. The reports from the Indonesian government themselves suggest that they would not be accommodating refugees or asylum seekers who disembarked from the Oceanic Viking in any detention facilities other than the detention centres.

Therefore, does the Australian government believe it is appropriate that children be detained in this manner?

Senator CHRIS EVANS—My advice is that women and children, when they disembark the Oceanic Viking, will be accommodated in appropriate accommodation. That is our understanding. I would envisage that to be a separate facility from the Tanjung

Pinang detention centre, but this is obviously a matter for the Indonesian government. Our view is that they would be best housed elsewhere, and it is my understanding that the Indonesian government will make appropriate accommodation arrangements. about those arrangements.