http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/children-in-jail-on-smuggler-charges/story-e6frg6nf-1225951374315
Children in jail on smuggler charges PAUL MALEY From: The Australian November 11, 2010 12:00AM BOYS as young as 14 are being held in Australian maximum-security adult jails and tried for people-smuggling offences despite having birth certificates that prove they are minors, Indonesian officials say. The Australian has uncovered details of four jailed Indonesian nationals who claim to be underage, revelations that could strain Canberra's relationship with Jakarta at a time when the Gillard government needs Indonesian goodwill for its planned regional processing centre. The figure could be higher, as the Indonesian consulate says there are at least five people in the adult prison system claiming to be minors. The four alleged juveniles are being held in the general population of the West Australian prison system, with claims some are as young as 14. In at least two cases, the Indonesian consulate in Perth has provided extracts of official birth certificates, which, it says, prove the age of its citizens, both of whom are facing a mandatory five-year jail terms for people-smuggling offences. One of the young men has a birth certificate extract listing his date of birth as January 12, 1996. He is accused of crewing an asylum boat that was intercepted on December 18 last year. His lawyer, David McKenzie, said his client was being held in Western Australia's Albany prison after his transfer from immigration detention. "Could you imagine if this was an Australian-born person?" Mr McKenzie said. "People would be outraged. If there was any doubt about their age they wouldn't be sitting in an adult prison." The Australian is aware of three other individuals who claim to be underage: one who has a birth certificate giving his date of birth as June 4, 1993; another who has no birth certificate, but who claims to be under 18; and a fourth Indonesian, who may soon be appearing in the Children's Court, who claims to be just 14. The fourth Indonesian's lawyer, Matthew Holgate, said the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions had provided him with an extract of his client's birth certificate, as well as letters from the principal of his school, an Islamic junior high school in Sulawesi, and from the chief of his village. "The two letters say this person's enrolled at our school, and we'd like to have him back," Mr Holgate said. His client's birth certificate put his date of birth as December 14, 1995, Mr Holgate said. Three of the Indonesians are scheduled to appear at age-determination hearings in Perth Magistrates Court next Wednesday, while a fourth is due to appear on December 8. Indonesian consular official Andalusia Dewi said her office was aware of "at least" five jailed Indonesians claiming to be underage. The Australian Federal Police relies on wrist X-rays to determine the skeletal maturity of the captured Indonesians, many of whom lie about their age to escape prosecution. But there is serious doubt about the reliability of the test, with one pediatric radiologist, David Christie, describing it as "amazingly inaccurate". Dr Christie said wrist X-rays had an error margin of up to 26 months in boys aged 17 years old. "It's a test, but it's a relatively poor test," he said. Ms Dewi rejected suggestions that some of the birth certificates provided could be forgeries, saying that they were official documents. Related Coverage a.. Corby case long way to go - Gillard Adelaide Now, 7 days ago b.. Indonesian people-smugglers clog system The Australian, 7 Oct 2010 c.. Bali ringleaders apologise The Australian, 21 Sep 2010 d.. End of innocence for Bali's next generation The Australian, 10 Sep 2010 e.. Gillard backs Corby's plea for clemency The Australian, 29 Jul 2010 End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
