http://www.abc.net.au/ra/asiapac/programs/s817219.htm
EAST TIMOR: President urges Australia to allow refugees to stay
East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao has made a personal appeal to
Australia's Prime Minister John Howard on behalf of almost 2,000 East
Timorese refugees living in Australia. Most fled East Timor at the time
of the Santa Cruz massacre in Dili in 1991 and have established lives in
Australia.
But Australia no longer regards them as legitimate asylum seekers and
insists they return home now that East Timor is independent. President
Gusmao says the government's attitude lacks compassion.
26/3/2003 [ listen | audio help ]
Presenter/Interviewer: Karon Snowdon
Speakers: East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao; Australia's Immigration
Minister Philip Ruddock
SNOWDON: President Xanana Gusmao, on what he calls a personal visit to
Australia, nevertheless had a message for the Prime Minister John Howard
during a speech he gave in Sydney.
GUSMAO: "I appeal to the sensibility of the Australian authorities, in
particular to the Prime Minister of the difficult problem of East Timor
and East Timorese in Australia. I believe there is a need to consider a
new status for them with a possibility of being allowed to a welcomed
stay in Australia.
"One thousand and 6-hundred Timorese living in Australia will not incur
great hardship on the Australia economy."
SNOWDON: Sixteen hundred East Timorese living in Australia, having fled
Indonesian and militia violence, have been told they must return home
now that East Timor is independent and safe.
Many have been in Australia for ten years or more, some have married,
some were even born here.
Most feel they have more links in Australia than in East Timor and
significant community support is behind them, and as Xanana Gusmao
points out, East Timor, where almost half the people live on one
Australian dollar a day, is not at a stage of economic development to
offer them jobs, welfare or even housing.
GUSMAO: "These 1,600 Timorese will merely constitute another 1,600
mouths to be fed. Dozens of more families that we are unable to shelter."
SNOWDON: Following Australia's tougher stance generally on asylum
seekers, the government doesn't want to offer special visas which might
be taken advantage of - either by undeserving East Timorese or the
13,000 unlawful asylum seekers it says are in the country.
Earlier this week, Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock conceded however,
there might be cases where he could use his discretion to allow some to
stay.
RUDDOCK: "If you have a person who has substantial links with Australia,
and particularly an Australian citizen or permanent resident and that
might be in a spouse relationship, and in particularly if there are
children of that relationship and the children would be Australian
citizens, I think cases of that sort will be very compelling."
SNOWDON: The minister's office today added those with well founded fears
of persecution would also have their applications considered on a case
by case basis, and an official representation from President Gusmao
would also be considered.
President Gusmao says the Australian government's tough line lacks
compassion. He wants all the 1,600 to stay at least temporarily, until
East Timor gets on its feet economically - and that's unlikely to be be
soon.
But his country's own immigration policy is coming in for flack itself.
The draft law is currently before parliament and foreigners working for
non-governmment organisations claim the proposed law has draconian
provisions aimed at them.
Among them, foreigners would be banned from any political activity - a
vague, catch-all provision which could be read as marching in an
anti-war demonstration in Dili.
East Timor has benefited from the support of many Australians and other
foreigners during the hard times and even now and some are feeling
unappreciated.
Xanana Gusmao says he's yet to see the draft bill and its not
necessarily going to get his automatic stamp of approval.
GUSMAO: "I believe that we can talk more about this. We are beginning
and I believe what you raise will be a matter for public debate."
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