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THE SPECIAL AWPA NEWS LETTER – Sun, 09/JUNY/2006 - 16:12., AUSTRALIA

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AUSTALIA WORKING FOR WEST PAPUA

<hr /><img src="./Editor/TinyMCE/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-cool.gif" border="0" alt="Cool" title="Cool" width="18" height="18" /><h2 style="margin: auto 0in"> </h2><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: #99ccff; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: red 6pt double"><h2 style="background: #99ccff; margin: auto 0in; border: medium none; padding: 0in">AWPA update June 2006</h2>Submitted by Joe on Sun, 09/07/2006 - 16:12.Story Excerpt:AWPA welcomes articles for the newsletter on any issue in relation to West Papua. The reports in the newsletter are from the various email conferences on West PapuaStory Body:AWPA Newsletter
No. 74 June 2006
_____________________________________________
Australia West Papua Association (Sydney)
PO Box 28, Spit Junction, NSW 2088AWPA welcomes articles for the newsletter on any issue in relation to West Papua. The reports in the newsletter are from the various email conferences on West Papua. AWPA appreciates any donations of support to help in its campaign work. Past newsletters can be found at <a href="http://www.zulenet.com/awpa/">www.zulenet.com/awpa/</a></div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: #ccffff; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: blue 9pt double">Upcoming event
West Papua - the hidden Pacific conflict
A seminar at AUT University. 18 - 19 August 2006
Organised by the Indonesian Human Rights Committee (IHRC).West Papua, New Zealand's Pacific neighbour, has been under Indonesian rule since 1963. At least 100,000 people have died in the ongoing resistance struggle. In Australia, West Papua is on the agenda because 43 West Papuan Asylum seekers became the focus of a diplomatic row between Jakarta and Canberra but the issues remain largely unknown in New Zealand.</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: lime; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: red 5.25pt double">Keynote speakers:
West Papuan Baptist Leader Socratez Sofyan Yoman
John Wing coordinator of the West Papua Project at the University of Sydney’s Centre for Peace and Conflict StudiesAlso: Workshops, documentary film and politicians' forum Topics will include the historical background, human rights situation, mining and logging impacts, the role of the international community and the prospects for peace. All welcome, for further information go to the contact page . Student journalists from the School of Communication Studies , AUT will be covering news stories for this website. The website has been produced for a journalism course project for 147795 News Production and 147796 Specialist Writing (Asia-Pacific reporting) papers. Any queries can be directed to the supervising lecturer - Dr David Robie .
Conflict resolution course at AUT's School of Social Sciences.John Saltford’s book now in paperback
The United Nations and the Indonesian Takeover of West Papua, 1962-1969: The Anatomy of Betrayal
Author(s) - John Saltford List Price: £20.00 ISBN: 0415406250
Publisher: Routledge Publication Date: 26/05/2006 Pages: 256 Available
Binding(s): Paperback
Note: Only available through Routledge's "paperback direct" scheme at
<a href="http://www.routledge.co.uk/shopping_cart/products/product_detail.asp?curTab=REVIEWS&id=&parent_id=&sku=&isbn=0415406250&pc=">http://www.routledge.co.uk/shopping_cart/products/product_detail.asp?curTab=REVIEWS&id=&parent_id=&sku=&isbn=0415406250&pc=</a>Reviews 'This well-researched book is essential reading for anyone interested in Papua' - Journal of Pacific History
'Saltford provides us with a competent and carefully structured monograph about
a shameful period in the history of the United Nations ... This is a book to be highly recommended to anyone interested in post-war politics in Southeast Asia.' - Journal of Contemporary AsiaReply to AWPA letter fom Dept. Of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
21 June 2006
Dear Mr Collins
Thank you for your email of 24 May 2006 to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone, concerning your wish that Ms Siti Wainggai be reunited with her husband and child in Australia. Ms Waingga could consider an approach to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for assistance. If Ms Wainggai decided that she wished to come to Australia she would need to apply for a visa and there are a range of visa classes that she could consider. Should she decide to make a visa application , it would be considered on its merits in accordance with the legal criteria for grant of a visa in that class.
I hope this information is of assistance .
Yours sincerely
Denise Earnshaw Acting Assistant secretary Humanitarian branch</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: yellow; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: blue 5.25pt double">News in brief
Papuan leader appeals for UN recognition to self-determination
RNZI Posted at 03:55 on 25 May, 2006 UTC
The leader of the Koteka Tribal Assembly of West Papua, Benny Wenda, says the UN should do the proper thing by recognising Papuans right to self determination.
A statement by Mr Wenda was presented during the current session of the UN’s Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues as he couldn’t get to New York because of visa complications. He says the forum should ask the UN to carry out a review of the so-called 1969 Act of Free Choice, hold a genuine referendum on the right to self determination, and place Papua on the decolonisation list. Mr Wenda says if the UN believes it is a organisation that protects choice and rights then it should behave like one in the case of Papua. “We are like victimised by international law that we didn’t get an opportunity or right to self-determination and we know that UN itself broke its own rule.”</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: #33cccc; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: red 6pt double">Indon border troop build-up ‘normal’
PNG POST Courier 9/6/06
THE heavy presence of Indonesian soldiers on the border is no course for concern, Papua New Guinea Defence Force commander Commodore Peter Ilau said yesterday. Commodore Ilau said Indonesia was able to afford the numbers of soldiers to patrol its side of the border. He was responding to queries by this paper if he was aware of a buildup of soldiers on the border and if the Indonesian soldiers have violated the border laws to enter PNG. Mr Ilau said there was no official report or complaint of border crossing and if there were any, the Indonesian soldiers may have been pursuing their own citizens and or may have entered PNG side by error. He said the large number of Indonesian soldiers was nothing new as they have always done as they did not have the financial and mobility capability and the manpower.</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: #ffcc99; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: blue 4.5pt double">PNG says it'll stop processing refugees for Australia
Radio New Zealand Posted at 4:24pm on 19 Jun 2006
The Papua New Guinea government says it's no longer processing refugees for Australia.This is despite reports last week that Australia intends to deport three Papuan asylum seekers to PNG without dealing with their claims. The three Papuans have been detained on an island in the Torres Strait by Australian authorities after arriving from PNG by boat in early May. But the PNG Prime Minister's spokesperson, Betha Somare, says a previous agreement between the government and Australia on the processing of illegal migrants no longer applies. "They came through Papua new Guinea but they're not wanting to stay in PNG, they were heading for Australia. So as far as we are concerned, it's not a PNG problem. They're on Australian soil, so that's for Australia to settle. What I also understand is that Australia is looking at processing them in PNG. The Prime Minister is saying that we're no longer processing refugees for Australia." PNG Prime Minister's spokesperson, Betha Somare</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: #ff99cc; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: red 5.25pt double">Indonesian ambassador returns to Australia
ABC Online Sunday, June 11, 2006. 3:41pm (AEST)The Indonesian embassy has confirmed that the country's ambassador Hamzah Thayeb has returned to Canberra. Mr Thayeb was recalled to Indonesia in March after the Federal Government granted refuge to a group of asylum seekers from the Indonesian province of Papua. Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer has since met with his Indonesian counterpart to repair the damaged relationship.
An Indonesian embassy spokesman says Mr Thayeb returned to Canberra this morning.Indonesia pact should be vetted by Aust. Senate
Wednesday, 21 June 2006, 7:56 pm
Press Release: Australian Green Party
Greens Leader Bob Brown has moved for a Senate inquiry into the Howard government's proposed security pact with Indonesia. "There is great public disquiet in Australia about this pact, especially as it will contain a clause to have Australia endorse Jakarta's military control of West Papua," said Senator Brown. "The Prime Minster should consult parliament before signing a treaty with President Yudhoyono," Senator Brown said.</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: fuchsia; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: windowtext 3pt solid">PNG defence boss worried about Indonesia border
Radio New Zealand Posted at 3:58pm on 21 Jun 2006
A former Papua New Guinea defence force commander says the country is wide
open for possible terrorist attacks from across the Indonesian border on major mining and energy projects. Retired Major-General, Jerry Singirok, says the Australian-backed downsizing of the defence force has left PNG unable to properly protect the 750 kilometre long border. He says the area sees illegal trading, money laundering, gun smuggling and illegal migration. Major-General Singirok says the government and top military brass cannot be complacent when Indonesia is home to Jemaah Islamiah whose terrorists could easily cross into PNG to attack vulnerable targets. These include the Ok Tedi copper mine in Western Province and the Hides Gas project in the Southern Highlands.</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: #00ccff; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: windowtext 5.25pt double">Indonesian mining watchdog says Freeport is having increasingly negative social impact
RNZI Posted at 06:24 on 05 July, 2006 UTCIndonesia’s Mining Advocacy Network says the Freeport McMoran copper and gold mine in Papua is having an increasingly negative impact on local people. The Network’s executive director, Siti Maimunah, says the mine should shut down at least temporarily to allow the government to review the impact of its operations. Ms Maimunah dismisses the notion that the Grasberg mine has brought any welfare to the province or local people in Timika. She says that Freeport dumps unacceptable levels of toxic waste in local rivers and contributes to human rights violations because it pays Indonesian military forces for security. Ms Maimunah questions why Papuans continue to live in abject poverty while Freeport earns massive wealth for Indonesia.
“There is evidence that freeport is against interim regulation. For example, they don’t have permits to dump their acid waste from the mine; human rights violations; and also the health problem is increasing - for example HIV/AIDs is the number one patient account in Timika.” Siti Maimunah of the Mining Advocacy Network</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: yellow; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: lime 6pt groove">Indon military to secure US gold mine
The Age June 19, 2006 - 2:49PM
The Indonesian military will provide security to a massive US gold mine in Papua province despite criticism, warning it could be the target of terrorist or rebel attacks, a newspaper reported on Monday. The mine operated by Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc has long been a sore point in ongoing tensions over Papuan separatism.
Local people claim the mine is environmentally damaging and that they see little of the revenue it generates. Lieutenant Colonel Siburian, who helps oversee intelligence in the far-eastern province, home to a decades-long separatist insurgency, said if the military fails to protect Freeport's mine, the United States may try to deploy its own forces to the site. "We have to protect (the Grasberg mine)," Siburian was quoted as saying by The Jakarta Post. He said as well as being an important foreign asset, the mine is also partially owned by the Indonesian government. New Orleans-based Freeport has been criticised by human rights organisations for paying millions of dollars every year to the notoriously corrupt and brutal military to protect the site. The practice also sparked an inquiry by US government agencies earlier this year. "If we fail to protect (Grasberg), don't blame us if foreign forces come into the company's area," Siburian was quoted as saying, adding that it was not uncommon for terrorists to target American interests. The mine, believed to be the world's largest, has earned Freeport billions of dollars since it began production in the early 1970s after the company signed a deal with the US-backed Indonesian dictator Suharto.Freeport mine in Papua on defensive over its enviromental record
RNZI Posted at 03:57 on 08 June, 2006 UTC
The Freeport McMoran copper and gold mine in the Indonesian province of Papua has been defending its environmental record after it was excluded from the Norwegian government Investment Funds because of environmental damage.
A spokesman for Freeport, Bill Collier, says it’s based on a misunderstanding and that the mining company has a strong commitment to environmental protection in its mining process. Janine Sudbury reports
“Norway has said its more than 240 billion US dollar oil fund would no longer invest in companies it said were serious and systematic abusers of human and labour rights.”
“The Norwegian government blames Freeport for using a natural river system for the disposal of tailings from the Grasberg mine.” “But Mr Collier says the tailings from the mine are non-toxic and that Freeport does not use cyanide or mercury in the separation process.” “He says the tailings sand is transported to the lowlands by one of many mountain streams and are deposited within an engineered system of levees.”
“He says the tailings deposit area will be revegetated with native species or agricultural crops at the end of the mine life.” “Mr Collier refused to be interviewed citing the current sensitivities in Indonesia.” “Meanwhile, the Norwegian decision comes just a month after a report sanctioned by Indonesia’s House of Representatives confirmed that the Freeport mine in Papua is causing severe damage to the environment.”Papua shooting suspects want trial in Timika
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura July 7, 2006
Seven suspects set to stand trial over the killing of two American teachers and their Indonesian colleague in Timika, Papua province have refused to stand trial
in Jakarta, their lawyer said Thursday. They were scheduled for the first hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court on Tuesday but declined to attend, sending a letter to their lawyer not to appear in court. "They are refusing to attend the trial on the grounds that they want to be tried in Timika, the site of the incident," said their lawyer, Johnson Panjaitan, on Thursday. He said he had received an invitation from the court to attend Tuesday's trial along with a copy of the indictment. "But I didn't attend the court proceedings as per my clients' request," he said. In cooperation with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the police arrested 12 Papuans, including Anthonius Wamang, who was indicted by a U.S. grand jury in 2004 for the killings. Five were later released. The seven suspects, including Wamang, have officially been named suspects. They were flown to Jakarta and were set to stand trial Tuesday for the ownership of illegal arms and actions resulting in death. Johnson said he found the relocation of the trial from Timika District Court to Jakarta unreasonable. He said the transfer was made following an order from the Supreme Court chief justice in February 2006. "The Supreme Court has no right to move the trial, it's the justice minister who has the authority to do so based on a proposal from the Supreme Court chief as stipulated in the Criminal Code," he asserted.Johnson said he had not seen any instruction from the justice minister to move the trial venue. "So there's no reason for holding the trial in Jakarta," he said, adding that
the move would not guarantee justice for the Papuans. He said the trial was moved to Jakarta due to security concerns, especially the security of 12 American witnesses. "I've coordinated with community and religious leaders to help ensure security if the trial is conducted in Timika," he said. Meanwhile, director of the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy for West Papua (Els-Ham), Alloysius Renwarin, said the Amungme tribe, led by Papuan feminist Yosepha Alomang who is also an Amungme tribal leader, had asked the Timika District Court to let the seven suspects be tried in Timika. National Police chief Gen. Sutanto said previously the 2002 killing of an Indonesian and two American teachers in Papua were caused by local separatist soldiers firing at civilians by mistake, saying there was no evidence the Indonesian Military (TNI) had been involved, despite the claims of activists here and abroad. The incident led to strained ties between Indonesia and the United States, with the U.S. Congress cutting off assistance to the TNI in 2003 amid suspicions of the involvement of some of its members. The January arrests came after Washington restored military ties in November 2005 as a reward for Indonesia's assistance in the U.S.-led war on terrorism</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: #ff6600; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: blue 5.25pt double">Papuan separatist leader calls for international help
RNZI Posted at 03:55 on 06 July, 2006 UTC
A Papuan separatist leader has called for international help in the face of what he calls genocide in the Indonesian province. The Kotega Tribal Chairman, Benny Wenda, also claims that Indonesia could wipe out the Melanesian people of Papua within a generation Mr Wenda was speaking after he delivered a petition containing 730 signatures to the office of the British Prime Minister in London this week. “We know that Indonesia committed crimes against humanity in West Papua. We’re now calling it genocide. So, people who love human beings, please help. Because, in almost 25 years or 50 years, my people will disappear from this earth.” The British All-Party Parliamentary Group on West Papua had earlier called for an EU fact-finding mission to Papua, and for it to include Amnesty International, other human rights groups, and foreign journalists. There has been no response from the Indonesian Embassy in London to Mr Wenda’s claims.Concern is growing about the spread of HIV/AIDS in Papua
Cendrawasih Pos, 7 June 2006
[Summary] TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights CampaignConcern is growing about the spread of HIV/AIDS in Papua. Dozens of officials are known to be infected as well as five preachers. At least 82 students have AIDS and another 112 have the HIV virus. The chair of the Commission to Combat AIDS, Constan Karma said that most of the infected students are between 15 and 19 years old. The spread of the disease is much faster in Papua than elsewhere in Indonesia. Of the infected students, 60 per cent are Papuans and the rest are newcomers (from
elsewhere in Indonesia). Karma said these alarming figures point to the spread of free sex among students. These are the people who enjoy more nutritional food. This means that they grow faster and also spend more time watching CDs or
pornographic films.Karma said that all sections of the community should work together to prevent the further spread of AIDS. He said it was very unfortunately that back in 2003, the then governor, Solossa (now deceased) and the head of the GKI church did not believe that anyone in Papua was infected with AIDS, whereas already then 170 persons were known to have been infected. A study in 2004 about the spread of the disease in Jayapura in 2004 found that government officials were most active in engaging in free sex. Free sex was very widespread in Papua, said Karma and religious leaders should play a part in dealing with the problem.The Secretary of the provincial government, Andi Baso Bassaleng was concerned about the spread of the virus among government officials. This means that their families will also be infected. He said that government officials need to earn the respect of the rest of society. He urged officials to take much greater care in protecting their families and others in their surroundings from catching the virus. He said much more should be done to spread the word about the extreme danger of
this deadly disease. This should be done also in the print and electronic media. Responding to criticisms that the regional government was not doing enough
to spread information, Karma said that a much larger sum of money had been allocated to the problem in 2006 than previously; three times as much, he said. The amount allocated in 2005 was known to be Rp 5.8 billion which means that the allocation in 2006 will have reached Rp. 16 billion or more.</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: #ffcc00; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: blue 4.5pt double">What's Wrong in Papua
Opinion The Age (Melbourne) Thursday, June 29, 2006
by Kenneth DavidsonTHE chief criticism of John Howard's decision to reinstitute the Pacific Solution to deal with the threat of hundreds of Papuans fleeing military persecution and economic dispossession is that, in his desperation for a friendly personal relationship with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, he is dealing with the symptoms of the problem, not the substance. Surely the first question should be to determine what is causing the problem, not how Australia deflects the problem by buying space for refugee gulags in failing South Pacific states. A large part of the answer can be found in an excellent report, Environmental Impacts of Freeport-Rio Tinto's Copper and Gold Mining Operation in Papua, published in May by the Indonesian non-government organisation WALHI, or Indonesian Forum for Environment. The report, so germane to the crisis now tearing the Coalition apart and consuming a huge amount of media attention, has received virtually no attention.It is a story of corruption and environmental damage on a massive scale that are impoverishing the Papuan people who, when they protest about their dispossession, are put down by an Indonesian military paid by the company (with a substantial Australian interest via Rio Tinto) for protection. It is the richest copper and gold mine in the world, extracting fabulous riches for its owners, managers and shareholders. Rio Tinto's profits from the mine alone in 2005 amounted to $330 million. The mine is Indonesia's biggest taxpayer, paying Jakarta $1.6 billion in 2005, but only a small fraction of this money reaches the Papuan provincial and local governments. Millions more is syphoned off by the Indonesian military and officers who, in common with the military throughout Indonesia, are expected to be responsible for raising 70 per cent of their operating budgets. Despite the wealth produced by Freeport and other extractive operations throughout Papua, the province is the poorest and most environmentally degraded in Indonesia. According to WALHI, "millions of hectares of unique rainforest have disappeared from legal and illegal logging operations and palm oil plantations in West Papua. Large numbers of indigenous Papuans have been displaced by the granting of timber concessions on their land, without compensation. Logging has contributed to increased flooding and forest fires ∑ while the loss of farm and crop lands left thousands facing starvation". "Mining in Papua is particularly associated with environmental and human rights abuse of the worst kind, and has contributed to West Papua's ranking as the most polluted province in Indonesia," WALHI said. A key finding of the report is that Freeport-Rio Tinto has failed to comply with government orders to amend its dangerous waste management practices despite years of official findings that the company is in breach of environmental regulations. Nor has it made public any independent external audits since 1999, breaching its environmental permit requirements.The report states that "the environmental destruction which surrounds PT Freeport Indonesia reflects a neglect for the law in the name of economy and because of political pressure, proof of the invulnerability of corporate power". Injustice, environmental vandalism and moral turpitude on this scale cannot withstand public scrutiny. Unless the implicit genocide policy is reversed, global outrage will lead to Papuan independence irrespective of the preferences of the Australian pro-Indonesia lobby. Both Yudhoyono and Howard know that announcements that Australia recognises Indonesia's claims to Papua must be seen against a background of public opinion, which is already overwhelmingly sympathetic to the plight of the Papuans. This was shown by a recent Newspoll that found 76 per cent of the respondents agreed with the proposition that "the people of West Papua should have the right to self-determination ∑ including the option of independence". The recent history of Australia's official and popular attitude towards the independence of East Timor shows that in a democracy, public opinion based on perceptions of fairness and justice will eventually displace official policies based on Realpolitik. The film showing the Santa Cruz massacre of peaceful demonstrators by the Indonesian military in 1991 was the beginning of the end of Indonesia's occupation of East Timor.Australia has nothing to gain from a flood of Papuan refugees attempting to escape political persecution by trying to reach Australia even if they can be successfully diverted to Nauru and other failed states that are prepared to take on Australian responsibilities in return for money, or, for that matter, from Papuan independence. Above all, Australia must not become an agent for corruption throughout the region for a policy primed for failure. It is in both Australia's and Indonesia's long-term interests to make Papua a place fit for human beings who can be reconciled with Jakarta. But this means getting the military under control and getting Freeport-Rio Tinto to face its responsibilities. This means supporting Yudhoyono and other progressive democratic forces in Indonesia who are trying to rein in the military as well as using Australian leverage over Rio Tinto. Kenneth Davidson is a senior columnist.</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: red; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: blue 5.25pt double">Migration changes consider Indonesia's concerns: Vanstone
ABC Online Last Update: Wednesday, June 14, 2006. 8:17pm (AEST)
Senator Amanda Vanstone says the Federal Government has "taken into account the concerns of Indonesia" in putting forward changes to migration laws. The changes will see all asylum seekers arriving by boat processed offshore in places like Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island. The laws were proposed after 42 Papuans were granted temporary protection visas, sparking a diplomatic row with Indonesia.
Senator Vanstone has told the 7:30 Report the changes will help maintain good relations with Indonesia. "We are taking into account what the Indonesians want because they are very helpful to us on border protection," she said. A Senate inquiry has recommended the Government not proceed with the bill. There is also concern among backbenchers about the laws, with Liberal Senator Judith Troeth threatening to cross the floor to vote against the Government. Senator Vanstone stresses the changes only extend the current laws, which see asylum seekers arriving on Australia's islands processed offshore. "It is the singular most successful border protection policy we've got," she said. "There's been very few people arrive offshore by boat because of offshore processing." But she says the Government is considering changes to the bill to accommodate the concerns of the Senate committee and the backbenchers. "Nothing's finalised but it's not true to characterise that, as we're not interested in making concessions," she said. Third country resettlement Senator Vanstone has also reiterated that the Government will endeavour to find a third country to take any arrivals found to have a genuine claim for protection. "We've made it very clear that we would prefer ... to get people protection in other countries," she said. "The requirement in the [refugee] convention is that we make sure their claim is heard and protection is offered. "There is no entitlement for people to say Australia is where I want my claim heard and that is where I want my protection offered."</div><div style="padding-right: 4pt; padding-left: 4pt; background: blue; padding-bottom: 1pt; padding-top: 1pt; border: red 6pt double">Papuans give legislation marching orders
The Australian Monday, June 19, 2006
by Richard KerbajHUNDREDS of protesters, including four Papuan refugees, yesterday rallied against the Howard Government's proposed migration bill that would lock asylum-seekers in offshore detention centres. The four refugees, who joined more than 300 protesters outside the Melbourne Museum, were among the 42 Papuans who fled to Australia from Indonesia by boat in January and were eventually granted temporary protection visas by the Immigration Department. Angry protesters attacked the bill and called for Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone to be "locked up". Speaking through a translator, the four refugees told The Australian they opposed the bill and welcomed the protest. Immigration lawyer David Manne, who represents the Papuans, told the crowd that the Migration Amendment Bill would violate Australia's legal International obligations. "These amendments are far more radical than anything that we've seen before," he later told The Australian. "Australia's very commitment to the protection of vulnerable people in need is at stake." The Migration Amendments Bill was introduced after Indonesia reacted angrily to the decision to grant protection visas to the Papuans in March. The bill proposes all asylum-seekers arriving by boat be processed in offshore centres such as Nauru. Presently, asylum-seekers who make it to Australia are processed in mainland detention centres. The proposed laws have sparked division in the federal Government, with Liberal backbencher Judi Moylan reserving her right to vote against the bill or abstain during a Coalition partyroom meeting. Democrats leader senator Lyn Allison told protesters the bill would bring disgrace and shame to Australian citizens. She said the bill would allow the Government to "completely avoid any obligation to even consider taking people who are refugees who arrive here". Senator Allison said some refugees were suffering from health problems such as mental illnesses as a result of their detainment. "Mental illness is so common for people being held in year after year," she said. The Australian Democrats leader praised the protesters for opposing the proposed laws, saying: "The cruel treatment of people who seek asylum in this country brings shame upon us all." An inquiry into the bill by the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee last week revealed the bill's "broad incompatibility with the rule of law" and its potential to breach Australia's obligations under international law if it were to be pushed through.</div><img src="./Editor/TinyMCE/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-sealed.gif" border="0" alt="Sealed" title="Sealed" width="18" height="18" />REPOSTING <img src="./Editor/TinyMCE/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-kiss.gif" border="0" alt="Kiss" title="Kiss" width="18" height="18" />BY <img src="./Editor/TinyMCE/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-yell.gif" border="0" alt="Yell" title="Yell" width="18" height="18" />EDOWAY <img src="./Editor/TinyMCE/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-cool.gif" border="0" alt="Cool" title="Cool" width="18" height="18" />YUNUS<img src="./Editor/TinyMCE/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-innocent.gif" border="0" alt="Innocent" title="Innocent" width="18" height="18" />