Please take me off your list. Our office already gets your mail. many thanks -----Original Message----- From: Trudy Bray [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2000 6:11 PM To: news-clip Subject: The Age: Editorial - Treating refugee claims fairly THE AGE Editorial Treating refugee claims fairly Monday 19 June 2000 MOST Australians would hope that those who arrive on these shores seeking sanctuary are the victims of oppression, not the perpetrators of it. Nevertheless it is well-documented that among the millions of refugees who came here following World War II there were a number of Nazi war criminals. Just how many will probably never be known. Certainly, the vast majority of post-war immigrants were ``genuine'' refugees who _ and whose children and grandchildren _ have made an incalculable contribution to this society. But the revelation by Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock that among the recently arrived refugees there is at least one war criminal should surprise no one. It is almost inevitable that any country that accepts refugees is going to find that among the claimants there are some undesirable characters. Mr Ruddock says that perhaps one in 10 of the recent arrivals might be ``of interest'' to anti-terrorist authorities. This estimation is apparently based on the fact that many of the boat people are young men likely to have served in the military in their countries. Australia's mechanisms for deciding refugee status today are extremely stringent _ far more stringent than they were following World War II _ and if any of today's claimants are found to have been involved in human rights abuses then the government has a responsibility to ensure, as far as it is possible, that they are brought to justice. Nevertheless, Mr Ruddock's frequent hints about the allegedly undesirable characters of the detainees appear to be designed to shore up public support for the government's hardline attitude to them. The absurd attempt to scare off intending illegal immigrants by showing videos featuring crocodiles, snakes and sharks on television in Middle Eastern countries is another example of its overreaction to the problem of illegal immigration, which is still minor here compared with that experienced by many other developed countries. In any case, it is unlikely that those fleeing persecution will see the videos and it is most unlikely that those trying to escape punishment for human rights abuses in their own countries will be deterred by them. (It is also to be hoped that wealthy intending tourists do not see them.) Yes, it is desirable that Australia's immigration program be orderly and controlled. But Australia has an obligation under international law not to send people who face persecution back to their countries of origin. Refugee claims must be treated as genuine until they are shown to be otherwise; and even suspected war criminals are innocent until proved guilty. Attempts to label all claimants from certain regions as not genuine are unfair and inhumane. ************************************************************************* This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." ------------------------------------------------------ RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/
