The following article was published in "The Guardian", newspaper
of the Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday,
January 23rd, 2002. Contact address: 65 Campbell Street, Surry Hills.
Sydney. 2010 Australia. Phone: (612) 9212 6855 Fax: (612) 9281 5795.
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. VOICES GROW AGAINST REFUGEE POLICY
Angry protests by asylum seekers at the Woomera refugee detention centre
have intensified over the past week and a half amid calls from Human
Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Refugee Council of Australia
and the UN for the Government to change its anti-refugee program.
by Marcus Browning
At the same time the Government has continued to implement its scheme of
diverting asylum seekers from Australian shores and into camps in
various Pacific nations.
Nearly 900 prisoners at the Woomera centre have been involved in the
protests against their inhumane treatment, some sewing their lips
together in hunger strikes. One person swallowed a toxic substance
(disinfectant).
Three separate groups are on hunger strikes says a statement by Afghan
asylum seekers in the centre. "We have no hope, we see no future. We are
ready to die.
"We only request the Australian people help us, otherwise we have no
choice but to continue the hunger strike until the end of our life."
The Woomera Lawyers Group, whose representatives have seen the hunger
strikers, said their action was a cry for help because the processing of
visas for Afghanis ground to a halt more than three months ago.
Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock's response has been predictable, and
detestable. "Every time people gain an impression that inappropriate
behaviour produces advantageous outcomes, that leads to more
inappropriate behaviour", said Ruddock.
He should know. If anything could be deemed inappropriate it is the
Government's policy of criminalising refugees.
This was noted by the international human rights organisation, Human
Rights Watch, in its annual report released last week. On the
Government's refusal to accept the refugees rescued by Norwegian
freighter the "Tampa" last year, which set the whole refugee-bashing
process in motion, the report said:
"[Prime Minister] Howard refused to let them land and reversed his
political fortunes, winning a third term in mid-November on the basis of
hard-line policies and new legislation that violated Australia's
obligations under international refugee law."
The former Australian colony Papua New Guinea has "agreed" to take up to
1000 asylum seekers a year as part of the Howard Government's Pacific
non-solution. PNG's involvement in this trafficking in people began last
October when it took 216 mainly Iraqi asylum seekers after pressure from
Australia and a bribe of $1 million.
Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said the Manus
Island army base, where the 1000 will be incarcerated, would become "an
asset" for PNG -- the country's very first immigration prison camp.
Meanwhile, the refugees locked up on the tiny island nation of Nauru -
whose government was also bribed by Australia - are to be processed by
the UN High Commission for Refugees which will approach countries such
as Canada and Sweden to resettle them.
The Refugee Council of Australia added to the growing voices of
criticism, saying New Zealand had demonstrated how it was possible to
treat refugees humanely and that Australia was primarily responsible for
those on Nauru and so should allow them to come to Australia.
"We are paying for their detention and processing", said the Council,
"therefore we have a responsibility to find a durable solution for
them."
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