Immigration Minister Chris Bowen says a rumour the asylum seeker boat that crashed onto rocks at Christmas Island was tracked after it left Indonesia is untrue.
The bodies of 28 asylum seekers have been recovered so far after Wednesday morning's disaster.
Among the confirmed 42 survivors are three Indonesian crew members, the government says.
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The wooden Indonesian fishing boat had more than 70 people on board.
The men, women and children are believed to be of Iraqi, Iranian and Kurdish origin.
"The boat ... came to the attention of the relevant border protection agencies as it approached Christmas Island," Mr Bowen told Sky News on Thursday.
"But I think you've seen, and every Australian has seen, just how bad the seas were around Christmas Island at that time. They were treacherous seas which made contact made with that boat impossible."
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor described the weather conditions as horrendous.
"There were ... cyclonic conditions. There were very high swells. There was low visibility," Mr O'Connor told reporters.
"Those who had fallen into the water and those that were engaged in the rescue were working in what was described as working in a washing machine of water. That's how rough the seas were."
Mr Bowen defended the speed with which the asylum seekers were given help, saying naval and Customs boats had to sail from a different part of the island where they had been sheltering from the poor weather.
"They were not at Flying Fish Cove. They were in a different part of the island some distance away.
"They were there because that is the best place to shelter during very, very rough seas. And they made it as quickly as possible to Flying Fish Cove to provide whatever assistance they could to the boat that was breaking up on the rocks."
Hazara News WA provides the latest news and updates of when it happens.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Detention crisis can be avoided
THE Coalition's pledge to stop the boats was no meaningless slogan and it worked.
GRUESOME protests, riots, brawls, self-harm, destruction of property and overcrowding have all returned to our immigration detention network.
If there are shoes to be thrown, then this government must take responsibility for the humanitarian consequences of its failed decisions on asylum policy.
The rolling crisis in immigration detention is the product of Labor's decision to dismantle the strong policy regime it inherited from the Coalition. Stopping the boats is not a slogan for the Coalition. It is the proven record and stated objective of our border protection and immigration policies.
Last week I addressed the Lowy Institute to discuss these issues. My purpose was not to announce new policy, but place the Coalition's proven policies in a broader international and regional context. My intention was to foster debate about where international refugee policy should be heading.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
The responses are not simple. Nor are they confined to any one measure. To focus on any one measure, as some have done, misses the more important point.
Refugee policy has become distracted by a myopic and misplaced global focus on developed country resettlement. We need to get the focus off resettlement and on to providing support to people in more desperate situations in countries of first asylum and to help people return safely home.
Domestic policies that encourage secondary movement of people, beyond their country of first asylum, to seek resettlement in countries such as Australia, work against this objective. They divert resources, policy effort and attention from the more desperate.
Western attention is too focused on the few presenting on our shores, at the expense of the many in greater need elsewhere.
Fewer than 1 per cent of the world's refugees will gain access to resettlement and 80 per cent of them live in developing countries. Furthermore, the reason more and more people will find themselves in this situation in the future will not be due to a specific fear of persecution, as defined by the UN Refugee Convention, but because of more general mortal threats, including war, famine, disease, corruption, natural disaster, economic collapse or any combination of the above.
Our international system, underpinned by the UN Refugee Convention and Protocol, is not designed or interpreted to address these threats and challenges. Our response must exist at three levels. First, domestic policy should not encourage or reward secondary movement or people smuggling. The policies we took to the last election remain our primary response and first line of defence.
Temporary protection visas, third-country processing in Nauru, safe return of boats where it can be done, presumption against refugee status for those who discard their documentation, tighter appeals processes consistent with UNHCR global practice, return of failed asylum-seekers and priority processing for off-shore humanitarian applications are the suite of measures the Coalition will employ to put our domestic settings in order.
At a regional level, we must continue the co-operative enforcement, security and intelligence work we commenced when last in government to frustrate people smuggling. We should not, however, set up a regional processing centre that draws more people to our region, as proposed by the Gillard government.
To make my point, I suggested that any genuine regional solution should not focus on Asia Pacific, where we do not have a regional refugee crisis, but on central Asia, where we do.
Afghanistan accounts for one in four of the world's refugees. About 2.4 million Afghans are living in Pakistan and Iran.
Such a solution should be driven by the international community, in particular the UNHCR, not unilaterally by Australia.
The agreement should seek to deliver greater support to countries of first asylum, such as Pakistan and Iran, from the international community to improve living conditions in the camps. It should facilitate an orderly return program for safe transfer back to Afghanistan and it should work to prevent secondary movement to other parts of the world.
This is not a new idea. It is modelled on the successful arrangements put in place in the late 1970s and late 80s to deal with the Indochinese refugee crisis at that time.
Australia's response was to increase our resettlement intake to 20,000 a year and to support the establishment of offshore processing centres, including at Galang in Indonesia.
Between 1976 and 1989, just over 2000 people arrived in Australia by boat. We have had more people arrive by boat since the election.
Australia's involvement in any internationally agreed refugee solution for central Asia should involve increasing our intake of Afghan refugees from processing centres established by the UNHCR and returning any Afghan asylum-seekers who have sought to enter Australia, to those or other centres established in central Asia for that purpose.
This suggestion is put forward to highlight the approach the UNHCR should be taking more broadly to address the issue of irregular people movement, and to demonstrate the misdirected nature of the Gillard government's proposal for East Timor.
There is also the issue of the Refugee Convention and Protocol. Our commitment should be to the world's refugees, not to an imperfect document written post World War II and updated in the 60s, struggling to meet contemporary demands.
The convention's great success is to have established the principle of non-refoulement in international law. Its great failure is to advantage those who present in a signatory country, over those who languish in camps in countries of first asylum.
The victims of this inequity are the immobile, those without the resources, strength or flexibility to make the journey and pay the smuggler. In most cases this means women and children.
This inequity can only be addressed by taking on the issue of secondary movement. That is where we must now focus the refugee debate.
Scott Morrison is opposition spokesman on immigration.
Reporter: Scott Morrison
The Australian
Hazara News Western Australia Established since 2008
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
Email
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
GRUESOME protests, riots, brawls, self-harm, destruction of property and overcrowding have all returned to our immigration detention network.
If there are shoes to be thrown, then this government must take responsibility for the humanitarian consequences of its failed decisions on asylum policy.
The rolling crisis in immigration detention is the product of Labor's decision to dismantle the strong policy regime it inherited from the Coalition. Stopping the boats is not a slogan for the Coalition. It is the proven record and stated objective of our border protection and immigration policies.
Last week I addressed the Lowy Institute to discuss these issues. My purpose was not to announce new policy, but place the Coalition's proven policies in a broader international and regional context. My intention was to foster debate about where international refugee policy should be heading.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
The responses are not simple. Nor are they confined to any one measure. To focus on any one measure, as some have done, misses the more important point.
Refugee policy has become distracted by a myopic and misplaced global focus on developed country resettlement. We need to get the focus off resettlement and on to providing support to people in more desperate situations in countries of first asylum and to help people return safely home.
Domestic policies that encourage secondary movement of people, beyond their country of first asylum, to seek resettlement in countries such as Australia, work against this objective. They divert resources, policy effort and attention from the more desperate.
Western attention is too focused on the few presenting on our shores, at the expense of the many in greater need elsewhere.
Fewer than 1 per cent of the world's refugees will gain access to resettlement and 80 per cent of them live in developing countries. Furthermore, the reason more and more people will find themselves in this situation in the future will not be due to a specific fear of persecution, as defined by the UN Refugee Convention, but because of more general mortal threats, including war, famine, disease, corruption, natural disaster, economic collapse or any combination of the above.
Our international system, underpinned by the UN Refugee Convention and Protocol, is not designed or interpreted to address these threats and challenges. Our response must exist at three levels. First, domestic policy should not encourage or reward secondary movement or people smuggling. The policies we took to the last election remain our primary response and first line of defence.
Temporary protection visas, third-country processing in Nauru, safe return of boats where it can be done, presumption against refugee status for those who discard their documentation, tighter appeals processes consistent with UNHCR global practice, return of failed asylum-seekers and priority processing for off-shore humanitarian applications are the suite of measures the Coalition will employ to put our domestic settings in order.
At a regional level, we must continue the co-operative enforcement, security and intelligence work we commenced when last in government to frustrate people smuggling. We should not, however, set up a regional processing centre that draws more people to our region, as proposed by the Gillard government.
To make my point, I suggested that any genuine regional solution should not focus on Asia Pacific, where we do not have a regional refugee crisis, but on central Asia, where we do.
Afghanistan accounts for one in four of the world's refugees. About 2.4 million Afghans are living in Pakistan and Iran.
Such a solution should be driven by the international community, in particular the UNHCR, not unilaterally by Australia.
The agreement should seek to deliver greater support to countries of first asylum, such as Pakistan and Iran, from the international community to improve living conditions in the camps. It should facilitate an orderly return program for safe transfer back to Afghanistan and it should work to prevent secondary movement to other parts of the world.
This is not a new idea. It is modelled on the successful arrangements put in place in the late 1970s and late 80s to deal with the Indochinese refugee crisis at that time.
Australia's response was to increase our resettlement intake to 20,000 a year and to support the establishment of offshore processing centres, including at Galang in Indonesia.
Between 1976 and 1989, just over 2000 people arrived in Australia by boat. We have had more people arrive by boat since the election.
Australia's involvement in any internationally agreed refugee solution for central Asia should involve increasing our intake of Afghan refugees from processing centres established by the UNHCR and returning any Afghan asylum-seekers who have sought to enter Australia, to those or other centres established in central Asia for that purpose.
This suggestion is put forward to highlight the approach the UNHCR should be taking more broadly to address the issue of irregular people movement, and to demonstrate the misdirected nature of the Gillard government's proposal for East Timor.
There is also the issue of the Refugee Convention and Protocol. Our commitment should be to the world's refugees, not to an imperfect document written post World War II and updated in the 60s, struggling to meet contemporary demands.
The convention's great success is to have established the principle of non-refoulement in international law. Its great failure is to advantage those who present in a signatory country, over those who languish in camps in countries of first asylum.
The victims of this inequity are the immobile, those without the resources, strength or flexibility to make the journey and pay the smuggler. In most cases this means women and children.
This inequity can only be addressed by taking on the issue of secondary movement. That is where we must now focus the refugee debate.
Scott Morrison is opposition spokesman on immigration.
Reporter: Scott Morrison
The Australian
Hazara News Western Australia Established since 2008
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Out dated Government rejects refugees claims
LATEST NEWS
Published by MAZ
The Australian Government have recently implemented a new view on the issue of Asylum seekers who arrive by boat to Australia. The government have decided that further arrivals of Refugees by boat who are from Afghanistan or Sri Lankan nationality will have their claims suspended for 6 and 3 months respectively. It is suggested by the Government that the official channels such as UNHCR should be used, but there are many views on this suggestion as it differs from individual applicants. The government have had independent reviews of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, as a result believes that such countries, are stable in all forms or are becoming stable to a reasonable level. The majority of the asylum seekers who arrive by boat to Australia from Afghanistan are Hazara people. During the independent review, Hazara’s were prosecuted in many regions of Afghanistan, on the bases of cultural differences, religious beliefs and political ideologies. Since the independent review, all asylum seekers who arrived later than the 9th of April 2010 will have their claims suspended. Since the independent review, the situation has worsened in Hazara situated regions, such as Behsud, Daimerdad and many other regions in which Hazara’s live. The areas of Behsud and Daimerdad have become occupied by Kochi’s since the finalisation of the Independent review; as a result the independent review is not a valid source for the Australian Government to use, in terms of suspending the Hazara asylum seekers claims for a refugee status.
Kochi’s have attacked these areas and have burned all forms of shelter as well as killing all those who stand on their way, or are of Hazara ethnicity. It is believed that more than 50 people are dead, more than a dozen children are among those, and all of those are of Hazara ethnicity. All residents (estimated to be 10,000 people) from those areas have become refugees, and are fleeing their home for protection in other areas. More than fifty education facilities have been burned down and many religious landmarks have been destroyed, such as Mosques.
While such discrimination is happening, more than 30 Hazara’s who have claimed for refugee status have had their claims rejected and the Australian Government believes that they are not in risk of being prosecuted when they return to their home country. The Australian Government still follows the out dated Independent review on assessing the claims of those who are in detention centres around Australia.
This border security is becoming a battle ground for this year’s election, as well as the mining tax subject. To contribute to the Rudd Government’s declining popularity according to independent polls, will be the subject of the war against terrorists (Al-Qaida/ Taliban). Recent tragedy have increased the casualties of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, with two soldiers dead on the same day, taking the dead toll to 15 since the beginning of the operation and the highest since the Vietnam war. Both the Labour and Liberal party are yet to make any comments or suggestions on weather Australia are committed for the long run, or is there any progress since the beginning of the whole operation. There is growing concern within the country as to whether the war in such a region is important to the country and there are doubts as to the prospects of stability within the region, despite a bloody battle for 9 years.
Reporter MAZ
Hazara News Western Australia Established since 2008
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
Email
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
Published by MAZ
The Australian Government have recently implemented a new view on the issue of Asylum seekers who arrive by boat to Australia. The government have decided that further arrivals of Refugees by boat who are from Afghanistan or Sri Lankan nationality will have their claims suspended for 6 and 3 months respectively. It is suggested by the Government that the official channels such as UNHCR should be used, but there are many views on this suggestion as it differs from individual applicants. The government have had independent reviews of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, as a result believes that such countries, are stable in all forms or are becoming stable to a reasonable level. The majority of the asylum seekers who arrive by boat to Australia from Afghanistan are Hazara people. During the independent review, Hazara’s were prosecuted in many regions of Afghanistan, on the bases of cultural differences, religious beliefs and political ideologies. Since the independent review, all asylum seekers who arrived later than the 9th of April 2010 will have their claims suspended. Since the independent review, the situation has worsened in Hazara situated regions, such as Behsud, Daimerdad and many other regions in which Hazara’s live. The areas of Behsud and Daimerdad have become occupied by Kochi’s since the finalisation of the Independent review; as a result the independent review is not a valid source for the Australian Government to use, in terms of suspending the Hazara asylum seekers claims for a refugee status.
Kochi’s have attacked these areas and have burned all forms of shelter as well as killing all those who stand on their way, or are of Hazara ethnicity. It is believed that more than 50 people are dead, more than a dozen children are among those, and all of those are of Hazara ethnicity. All residents (estimated to be 10,000 people) from those areas have become refugees, and are fleeing their home for protection in other areas. More than fifty education facilities have been burned down and many religious landmarks have been destroyed, such as Mosques.
While such discrimination is happening, more than 30 Hazara’s who have claimed for refugee status have had their claims rejected and the Australian Government believes that they are not in risk of being prosecuted when they return to their home country. The Australian Government still follows the out dated Independent review on assessing the claims of those who are in detention centres around Australia.
This border security is becoming a battle ground for this year’s election, as well as the mining tax subject. To contribute to the Rudd Government’s declining popularity according to independent polls, will be the subject of the war against terrorists (Al-Qaida/ Taliban). Recent tragedy have increased the casualties of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, with two soldiers dead on the same day, taking the dead toll to 15 since the beginning of the operation and the highest since the Vietnam war. Both the Labour and Liberal party are yet to make any comments or suggestions on weather Australia are committed for the long run, or is there any progress since the beginning of the whole operation. There is growing concern within the country as to whether the war in such a region is important to the country and there are doubts as to the prospects of stability within the region, despite a bloody battle for 9 years.
Reporter MAZ
Hazara News Western Australia Established since 2008
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
Friday, March 19, 2010
ABC Four Corners: Get your voice heard
HAZARA NEWS WA EXCLUSIVE
LATEST NEWS: Friday 19th March
HNWA has been in contact with ABC Four Corners, and HNWA would like to publish the following information with respect to ABC Four Corners (Karen Michelmore). The following images are the relevent documents that HNWA have permission to post:
For more info with respect to the given documents please conatact
or
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LATEST NEWS: Friday 19th March
HNWA has been in contact with ABC Four Corners, and HNWA would like to publish the following information with respect to ABC Four Corners (Karen Michelmore). The following images are the relevent documents that HNWA have permission to post:
For more info with respect to the given documents please conatact
Karen Michelmore
Michelmore.Karen@abc.net.au
Researcher
Four Corners
ABC TV
or
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HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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Friday, March 12, 2010
32 asylum seekers rescued off Australian coast
LATEST NEWS: 2100 WAST (2 hours ago)
Australia rescued 32 people seeking asylum this week after spotting them floating on boats off the country's northwest coast.
The asylum seekers were spotted on two different boats Thursday sailing near the Tiwi Islands, the Australian Ministry of Home Affairs said. The group said they wanted to come to Australia.
The two separate rescues highlights the problem of smugglers taking asylum seekers on these dangerous trips, Australian officials said.
"People smuggling is a deplorable act with organizers putting innocent people's lives at risk. The Australian government is pleased that the group is safe," said Brendan O' Connor, minister for home affairs.
Australian officials did not say what country the asylum seekers were from. In the past, Australian officials have strongly criticized human traffickers.
Last year Prime Minister Kevin Rudd attacked smugglers after an explosion aboard a boat carrying Afghan refugees killed three people and injured more than 40 others near Ashmore.
"People smugglers are engaged in the world's most evil trade and they should all rot in jail because they represent the absolute scum of the earth," Rudd said at the time.
-CNN
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
Australia rescued 32 people seeking asylum this week after spotting them floating on boats off the country's northwest coast.
The asylum seekers were spotted on two different boats Thursday sailing near the Tiwi Islands, the Australian Ministry of Home Affairs said. The group said they wanted to come to Australia.
The two separate rescues highlights the problem of smugglers taking asylum seekers on these dangerous trips, Australian officials said.
"People smuggling is a deplorable act with organizers putting innocent people's lives at risk. The Australian government is pleased that the group is safe," said Brendan O' Connor, minister for home affairs.
Australian officials did not say what country the asylum seekers were from. In the past, Australian officials have strongly criticized human traffickers.
Last year Prime Minister Kevin Rudd attacked smugglers after an explosion aboard a boat carrying Afghan refugees killed three people and injured more than 40 others near Ashmore.
"People smugglers are engaged in the world's most evil trade and they should all rot in jail because they represent the absolute scum of the earth," Rudd said at the time.
-CNN
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Sunday, March 7, 2010
More than 100 passengers: Asylum-seekers `on the beaches', Coalition claims
ASYLUM-SEEKERS could soon breach Australia's borders and arrive "on our beaches" if the latest boat arrival off the coast of Western Australia is any guide, the opposition claimed yesterday.
Two boat arrivals in 24 hours, with more than 100 passengers on board, have prompted concerns that the government's offshore processing centre at Christmas Island could soon reach capacity.
The latest boat arrived 25 nautical miles northwest of Adele Island, which is about 100km off the Kimberley coast, carrying 28 passengers and two crew.
"This boat was intercepted only a stone's throw from Western Australia's coast," opposition border and customs spokesman Michael Keenan said yesterday.
"How much longer will it be before they begin to arrive on our beaches?
"The public deserves an explanation as to how this latest arrival was allowed to get within 100km of Western Australia."
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the Rudd government was on track for record boat arrivals following the watering down of the Coalition's border control policies since the election -- a claim the government dismissed yesterday as using selective data.
There are 1914 asylum-seekers and 28 crew being held on Christmas Island, which has a current capacity of 2040.
Those numbers do not include the 31 passengers and crew picked up yesterday near Adele Island.
The government remains committed to offshore processing on Christmas Island because this allows the commonwealth to restrict the legal avenues asylum-seekers have to appeal against rejected claims for refugee status.
But West Australian Premier Colin Barnett warned yesterday that the government's policies were "falling short", and said boatpeople were being sent the wrong message.
"Australia may well need to look at another detention area," Mr Barnett said.
"I would prefer not on the mainland. Once people get on to the Australian mainland they automatically get a further set of rights, and this is putting huge cost to the Australian community," the Premier said.
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship is already using tents to ease Christmas Island's accommodation shortage and hopes to buy more land to build staff accommodation.
If the department can build new accommodation, asylum-seeker family groups could be moved out of a cramped construction camp and into some of the department-owned accommodation where 288 immigration workers now live.
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said yesterday the conflicts in Asia were responsible for the surge in asylum-seekers.
"We are expanding capacity at Christmas Island to meet anticipated needs," Ms Gillard said.
-The Australian
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Two boat arrivals in 24 hours, with more than 100 passengers on board, have prompted concerns that the government's offshore processing centre at Christmas Island could soon reach capacity.
The latest boat arrived 25 nautical miles northwest of Adele Island, which is about 100km off the Kimberley coast, carrying 28 passengers and two crew.
"This boat was intercepted only a stone's throw from Western Australia's coast," opposition border and customs spokesman Michael Keenan said yesterday.
"How much longer will it be before they begin to arrive on our beaches?
"The public deserves an explanation as to how this latest arrival was allowed to get within 100km of Western Australia."
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the Rudd government was on track for record boat arrivals following the watering down of the Coalition's border control policies since the election -- a claim the government dismissed yesterday as using selective data.
There are 1914 asylum-seekers and 28 crew being held on Christmas Island, which has a current capacity of 2040.
Those numbers do not include the 31 passengers and crew picked up yesterday near Adele Island.
The government remains committed to offshore processing on Christmas Island because this allows the commonwealth to restrict the legal avenues asylum-seekers have to appeal against rejected claims for refugee status.
But West Australian Premier Colin Barnett warned yesterday that the government's policies were "falling short", and said boatpeople were being sent the wrong message.
"Australia may well need to look at another detention area," Mr Barnett said.
"I would prefer not on the mainland. Once people get on to the Australian mainland they automatically get a further set of rights, and this is putting huge cost to the Australian community," the Premier said.
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship is already using tents to ease Christmas Island's accommodation shortage and hopes to buy more land to build staff accommodation.
If the department can build new accommodation, asylum-seeker family groups could be moved out of a cramped construction camp and into some of the department-owned accommodation where 288 immigration workers now live.
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said yesterday the conflicts in Asia were responsible for the surge in asylum-seekers.
"We are expanding capacity at Christmas Island to meet anticipated needs," Ms Gillard said.
-The Australian
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Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Navy intercepts asylum seeker boat: 57 asylum seekers
LATEST NEWS: 0854 WAST
The 17th asylum seeker boat to arrive in Australian waters this year has been intercepted near Christmas Island off the coast of north-west Australia.
57 people were on board the latest asylum seekers boat which was intercepted by the navy.
A statement from Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said the boat was intercepted by HMAS Wollongong last night, 13 nautical miles away from Christmas Island.
Fifty-seven people are on board the boat.
They are now being taken to Christmas Island for health and security checks.
-ABC
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The 17th asylum seeker boat to arrive in Australian waters this year has been intercepted near Christmas Island off the coast of north-west Australia.
57 people were on board the latest asylum seekers boat which was intercepted by the navy.
A statement from Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said the boat was intercepted by HMAS Wollongong last night, 13 nautical miles away from Christmas Island.
Fifty-seven people are on board the boat.
They are now being taken to Christmas Island for health and security checks.
-ABC
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Saturday, February 27, 2010
Asylum-seekers spark change to ASIO mandate
Australia's domestic spy agency will soon have the power to crack people-smuggling syndicates using bases overseas as the government beefs up its border protection laws.
Beset by a steady flow of asylum-seeker boats, the government last night announced plans to extend ASIO's mandate beyond the prevention of espionage and terrorism.
The Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, the Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, and the Home Affairs Minister, Brendan O'Connor, outlined changes that would allow ASIO to investigate foreign intelligence that it was previously stopped from pursuing.
Australians who fund people-smuggling ventures, and those who seek to exploit asylum seekers and endanger lives, will face fines of up to $220,000 or 20 years' jail under the plan.
David McKnight, associate professor of journalism at the University of NSW who has written extensively about ASIO, said the changes underlined a shift in ASIO's responsibilities.
''This is quite a significant change. It highlights a trend that's pushing ASIO into the investigation of crimes rather than national security. The tendency is for ASIO to operate more like a police force.''
The government will also expand ASIO's ability to tap phones and intercept communications by allowing it to target non-state actors, such as criminal groups.
-SMH
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Beset by a steady flow of asylum-seeker boats, the government last night announced plans to extend ASIO's mandate beyond the prevention of espionage and terrorism.
The Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, the Immigration Minister, Chris Evans, and the Home Affairs Minister, Brendan O'Connor, outlined changes that would allow ASIO to investigate foreign intelligence that it was previously stopped from pursuing.
Australians who fund people-smuggling ventures, and those who seek to exploit asylum seekers and endanger lives, will face fines of up to $220,000 or 20 years' jail under the plan.
David McKnight, associate professor of journalism at the University of NSW who has written extensively about ASIO, said the changes underlined a shift in ASIO's responsibilities.
''This is quite a significant change. It highlights a trend that's pushing ASIO into the investigation of crimes rather than national security. The tendency is for ASIO to operate more like a police force.''
The government will also expand ASIO's ability to tap phones and intercept communications by allowing it to target non-state actors, such as criminal groups.
-SMH
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Local police chief `fooled'; migrants flee to Australia: 45 Asylum seekers from Afghanistan have fled
LATEST NEWS: 2130 WAST
Up to 41 asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Turkey fled to Australia by chartered boat after a local police chief was said to have been fooled by a telephone caller who is now suspected to have been a people smuggler.
An unidentified caller who claimed he was an official at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta ordered West Sabu Police chief First Insp. Kalansansius Dhosa to release the asylum seekers then in his custody.
The caller, now suspected to have been a member of a human trafficking ring in West Nusa Tenggara, asked the West Sabu Police to release the asylum seekers because they were about to be moved to Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.
As the boat containing the asylum seekers arrived at the Sabu Raijua Port, it suddenly changed course and headed off in the direction of Australia.
East Nusa Tenggara Police chief Brig. Gen. Antonius Bambang Suedi confirmed the details of the escape.
"The caller is believed to have been at the port, so when the immigrants arrived, they were immediately placed on the boat to Australia," said Bambang.
"According to the explanation from the West Sabu Police chief, he was tricked into releasing the immigrants without police escort and allowing them to continue their trip to Kupang. It *then* turned out that the boat was not going to Kupang but headed instead in the direction of Australia," he added.
But the police account was challenged by a local Sabu community leader, Markus Dima, who claimed that the asylum seekers bought their freedom by bribing the police, as reported by AP.
Bambang said the fleeing group had most likely already arrived at Ashmore Island, a low-lying uninhabited Australian territory bordering Indonesia. The group of islands concerned were previously sometimes considered part of the Rote Ndao Regency of East Nusa Tenggara and have been used by traditional Indonesian fishermen.
The group of asylum seekers had entered Indonesian territory illegally because they did not have visas. They had been detained for six weeks at the police station at Sabu.
The escapees were part of a group of 55 immigrants detained on Sabu Island since Jan. 13. The other 14 are being held in Kupang.
Bambang said he had asked police at the Sabu Raijua Port to hold the immigrants until immigration authorities arrived, but they were cheated by an unidentified caller. "We will examine the West Sabu Police chief," he said.
Before fleeing, the illegal boat people had reportedly threatened to commit suicide if forced to move to Kupang. The asylum seekers, mostly men, reportedly attempted suicide by banging their heads on the wall, hitting their heads with hard objects and jumping at passing cars.
Australia is seeking greater cooperation from Indonesian authorities to stem the growing flow of asylum seekers passing through the archipelago with the help of people smugglers and poor fishermen.
Uninhabited Ashmore island is said to be a popular destination for asylum seekers traveling by boat because setting foot there ensures Australian officials will process refugee claims under UN rules, says AP.
Last year, authorities were able to foil attempts to smuggle around 500 illegal immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and a number of other countries to Australia, also via the East Nusa Tenggara route.
-The Jakarta Post
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Up to 41 asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Turkey fled to Australia by chartered boat after a local police chief was said to have been fooled by a telephone caller who is now suspected to have been a people smuggler.
An unidentified caller who claimed he was an official at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta ordered West Sabu Police chief First Insp. Kalansansius Dhosa to release the asylum seekers then in his custody.
The caller, now suspected to have been a member of a human trafficking ring in West Nusa Tenggara, asked the West Sabu Police to release the asylum seekers because they were about to be moved to Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.
As the boat containing the asylum seekers arrived at the Sabu Raijua Port, it suddenly changed course and headed off in the direction of Australia.
East Nusa Tenggara Police chief Brig. Gen. Antonius Bambang Suedi confirmed the details of the escape.
"The caller is believed to have been at the port, so when the immigrants arrived, they were immediately placed on the boat to Australia," said Bambang.
"According to the explanation from the West Sabu Police chief, he was tricked into releasing the immigrants without police escort and allowing them to continue their trip to Kupang. It *then* turned out that the boat was not going to Kupang but headed instead in the direction of Australia," he added.
But the police account was challenged by a local Sabu community leader, Markus Dima, who claimed that the asylum seekers bought their freedom by bribing the police, as reported by AP.
Bambang said the fleeing group had most likely already arrived at Ashmore Island, a low-lying uninhabited Australian territory bordering Indonesia. The group of islands concerned were previously sometimes considered part of the Rote Ndao Regency of East Nusa Tenggara and have been used by traditional Indonesian fishermen.
The group of asylum seekers had entered Indonesian territory illegally because they did not have visas. They had been detained for six weeks at the police station at Sabu.
The escapees were part of a group of 55 immigrants detained on Sabu Island since Jan. 13. The other 14 are being held in Kupang.
Bambang said he had asked police at the Sabu Raijua Port to hold the immigrants until immigration authorities arrived, but they were cheated by an unidentified caller. "We will examine the West Sabu Police chief," he said.
Before fleeing, the illegal boat people had reportedly threatened to commit suicide if forced to move to Kupang. The asylum seekers, mostly men, reportedly attempted suicide by banging their heads on the wall, hitting their heads with hard objects and jumping at passing cars.
Australia is seeking greater cooperation from Indonesian authorities to stem the growing flow of asylum seekers passing through the archipelago with the help of people smugglers and poor fishermen.
Uninhabited Ashmore island is said to be a popular destination for asylum seekers traveling by boat because setting foot there ensures Australian officials will process refugee claims under UN rules, says AP.
Last year, authorities were able to foil attempts to smuggle around 500 illegal immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and a number of other countries to Australia, also via the East Nusa Tenggara route.
-The Jakarta Post
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Asylum seeker boat intercepted near Ashmore Islands carrying 10 passengers
A SUSPECTED asylum seeker boat with 10 passengers aboard has been intercepted near the Ashmore Islands of northwestern Australia.
It is the 14th boat to have arrived in Australian waters so far in 2010.
Border Protection Command said the boat was intercepted at 11.35am (AEDT) today, 16 nautical miles north of the Ashmore Islands.
There are believed to be 10 passengers on board, along with three crew members, a statement from Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor's office said.
They will be taken to Christmas Island where they will undergo security, identity and health checks.
-NEWS.COM
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It is the 14th boat to have arrived in Australian waters so far in 2010.
Border Protection Command said the boat was intercepted at 11.35am (AEDT) today, 16 nautical miles north of the Ashmore Islands.
There are believed to be 10 passengers on board, along with three crew members, a statement from Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor's office said.
They will be taken to Christmas Island where they will undergo security, identity and health checks.
-NEWS.COM
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Indonesia stops 93 AFGHAN asylum seekers
LATEST NEWS: 2055 WAST
Indonesian police say they are detaining 93 Afghan asylum seekers suspected of trying to reach Australia.
Lt. Col. Herukoco, chief of Sukabumi district police, says police stopped three minibuses carrying the Afghans including five woman and three children early Saturday in Indonesia's West Java province near Jakarta.
Herukoco, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, says the group told police they left their war-ravaged homeland to start new lives as refugees in Australia.
He says the group did not have Indonesian visas and has been transferred to an immigration detention centre while their identities are confirmed.
-AP
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Indonesian police say they are detaining 93 Afghan asylum seekers suspected of trying to reach Australia.
Lt. Col. Herukoco, chief of Sukabumi district police, says police stopped three minibuses carrying the Afghans including five woman and three children early Saturday in Indonesia's West Java province near Jakarta.
Herukoco, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, says the group told police they left their war-ravaged homeland to start new lives as refugees in Australia.
He says the group did not have Indonesian visas and has been transferred to an immigration detention centre while their identities are confirmed.
-AP
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Saturday, February 20, 2010
Questions raised over mystery asylum boat: 105 feared drowned
The family of an Afghan man who's gone missing en route to Australia have called on the Federal Government to find out what may have happened to him. The family fears that Mirza Hussain Jaffari was on a boat which may have sunk after leaving Indonesia in October.
Last month, members of the Afghan community in Brisbane expressed concern about the vessel, which they think had more than 100 people on board. But the Australian Government says it knows nothing about the boat.
In early October, Mirza Hussain Jaffari apparently called his family from Indonesia, saying he was on a boat about to head towards Australia. He said 107 people were on the boat, which was new.
Mirza Hussain Jaffari's cousin, Jaffar Hussain, is speaking from Afghanistan.
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: Mirza Hussain Jaffari spoke to his family in early October, probably the 2nd of October at midnight when he last time called his family and said that he's now leaving for Australia by boat.
DAVID WEBER: He did not say where he was leaving from?
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: No he did not mention about the place he was leaving from because he was, maybe he didn't thought it necessary because his family doesn't know about Indonesia at all. He said that there are other Hazaras, other Afghans, who are on board.
DAVID WEBER: Why did Mirza Hussain Jaffari leave Afghanistan?
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: There are various reasons. The first thing is really security and political instability in Afghanistan. These village has been under attack for the last three years by Taliban-supported Kuchi tribes.
DAVID WEBER: Does he have a wife and children?
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: No he does not have a wife and children. He has a mother, three sisters, one younger brother.
DAVID WEBER: So it was a big decision for him to go because he had people relying on him in Afghanistan?
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: Yes it was a very difficult decision for him and we also don't know how he paid thousands of dollars to smugglers to take him to Australia. Where did he find it from? Maybe he sold a part of his land or something.
DAVID WEBER: Mr Hussain has called on the Australian Government to hold an investigation, and release any information it may have.
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: If they are in the custody of the Australian Government, if they are held in any detention centres, the families have not heard from their relatives for last three months and they are very much concerned and worried.
If the Australian Government does not have any information about the boat, we appeal from the Government of Australia to contact the authorities in Indonesia and start a search and rescue operation for them.
DAVID WEBER: A spokesman for the Federal Government says there's no evidence that a boatload of more than 100 people left Indonesia on or about October the 2nd and he says it's only speculation that a vessel sank.
-ABC
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Last month, members of the Afghan community in Brisbane expressed concern about the vessel, which they think had more than 100 people on board. But the Australian Government says it knows nothing about the boat.
In early October, Mirza Hussain Jaffari apparently called his family from Indonesia, saying he was on a boat about to head towards Australia. He said 107 people were on the boat, which was new.
Mirza Hussain Jaffari's cousin, Jaffar Hussain, is speaking from Afghanistan.
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: Mirza Hussain Jaffari spoke to his family in early October, probably the 2nd of October at midnight when he last time called his family and said that he's now leaving for Australia by boat.
DAVID WEBER: He did not say where he was leaving from?
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: No he did not mention about the place he was leaving from because he was, maybe he didn't thought it necessary because his family doesn't know about Indonesia at all. He said that there are other Hazaras, other Afghans, who are on board.
DAVID WEBER: Why did Mirza Hussain Jaffari leave Afghanistan?
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: There are various reasons. The first thing is really security and political instability in Afghanistan. These village has been under attack for the last three years by Taliban-supported Kuchi tribes.
DAVID WEBER: Does he have a wife and children?
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: No he does not have a wife and children. He has a mother, three sisters, one younger brother.
DAVID WEBER: So it was a big decision for him to go because he had people relying on him in Afghanistan?
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: Yes it was a very difficult decision for him and we also don't know how he paid thousands of dollars to smugglers to take him to Australia. Where did he find it from? Maybe he sold a part of his land or something.
DAVID WEBER: Mr Hussain has called on the Australian Government to hold an investigation, and release any information it may have.
JAFFAR HUSSAIN: If they are in the custody of the Australian Government, if they are held in any detention centres, the families have not heard from their relatives for last three months and they are very much concerned and worried.
If the Australian Government does not have any information about the boat, we appeal from the Government of Australia to contact the authorities in Indonesia and start a search and rescue operation for them.
DAVID WEBER: A spokesman for the Federal Government says there's no evidence that a boatload of more than 100 people left Indonesia on or about October the 2nd and he says it's only speculation that a vessel sank.
-ABC
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Thursday, February 18, 2010
Asylum seeker boat intercepted: 41 Passengers
Latest News: 2300 WAST
Another boat carrying asylum seekers has been intercepted off Australia's north coast.
The boat carrying 41 passengers and four crew was found north-west of Ashmore Islands.
The Federal Government says those on board will be taken to Christmas island for health, security and identity checks.
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says the number of asylum seekers arriving in Australia is out of control.
"This year in 2010 we've had 13 boats arrive, we've had more than 700 people arrive on those boats in just seven weeks," he said.
"This is an extraordinary level of arrivals for a new year. In this period of time it took six months last year to have that many people arrive, so it really is escalating.
"If it continues at this rate at 100 people a week, then we could see 5,000 people arrive this year.
"That would eclipse all previous records and they're arriving because of the policies of this Government.
"Last year, the UNHCR's own figures for the nine months to September showed that Australia's asylum applications increased five times as much as they did around the world."
Meanwhile, the NT inquest into the deaths of five Afghan asylum seekers who were killed when their boat exploded last April heard criminal charges could be laid.
Three Afghan refugees are accused of deliberately setting fire to the SIEV 36 near Ashmore Reef.
Counsel assisting the coroner, Stephen Walsh, QC, said the evidence suggested that the three Afghan refugees acted together to implement a plan and the explosion was caused by a series of deliberate acts.
Mr Walsh told the inquest the fatal explosion could have been prevented if the Navy had fully searched the SIEV 36, secured the unleaded petrol on board, and confiscated all matches and lighters.
-ABC
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Another boat carrying asylum seekers has been intercepted off Australia's north coast.
The boat carrying 41 passengers and four crew was found north-west of Ashmore Islands.
The Federal Government says those on board will be taken to Christmas island for health, security and identity checks.
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says the number of asylum seekers arriving in Australia is out of control.
"This year in 2010 we've had 13 boats arrive, we've had more than 700 people arrive on those boats in just seven weeks," he said.
"This is an extraordinary level of arrivals for a new year. In this period of time it took six months last year to have that many people arrive, so it really is escalating.
"If it continues at this rate at 100 people a week, then we could see 5,000 people arrive this year.
"That would eclipse all previous records and they're arriving because of the policies of this Government.
"Last year, the UNHCR's own figures for the nine months to September showed that Australia's asylum applications increased five times as much as they did around the world."
Meanwhile, the NT inquest into the deaths of five Afghan asylum seekers who were killed when their boat exploded last April heard criminal charges could be laid.
Three Afghan refugees are accused of deliberately setting fire to the SIEV 36 near Ashmore Reef.
Counsel assisting the coroner, Stephen Walsh, QC, said the evidence suggested that the three Afghan refugees acted together to implement a plan and the explosion was caused by a series of deliberate acts.
Mr Walsh told the inquest the fatal explosion could have been prevented if the Navy had fully searched the SIEV 36, secured the unleaded petrol on board, and confiscated all matches and lighters.
-ABC
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Sunday, February 14, 2010
IMPORTANT NEWS TO THE PUBLIC: 105 Afghan Asylum Seekers
Hazara News Western Australia
It is believed that 105 Afghan asylum seekers have been feared to have drowned on the month of October 2009. As a result, several inquiries have been made to HNWA from relatives and friends of those who might be aboard that boat.
One enquiry is from: Sayed Ali'Sha
The following are the names of his relatives and friends who are originated from "Malistan" a town in Afghanistan:
To contact Sayed Ali'Sha for more on that bases: hussaini516@yahoo.com
If you believe that you might know any one from that boat or in fact any relative info regarding the asylum seekers, then please don't hesitate to contact us at hazaranewswa@yahoo.com or visit us at www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
To contact Hazara News Western Australia: hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
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It is believed that 105 Afghan asylum seekers have been feared to have drowned on the month of October 2009. As a result, several inquiries have been made to HNWA from relatives and friends of those who might be aboard that boat.
One enquiry is from: Sayed Ali'Sha
The following are the names of his relatives and friends who are originated from "Malistan" a town in Afghanistan:
+ Sayed Sha Chaman
+ Dawood
+ Kazim
+ Sarwar'Sha
+ [hajiawgho]* * note: name may be spelled incorrectly
To contact Sayed Ali'Sha for more on that bases: hussaini516@yahoo.com
If you believe that you might know any one from that boat or in fact any relative info regarding the asylum seekers, then please don't hesitate to contact us at hazaranewswa@yahoo.com or visit us at www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
To contact Hazara News Western Australia: hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
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Saturday, February 13, 2010
Abbott vows to stop asylum seekers: 48 asylum seekers arrive
A coalition government would return to a hardline stance on asylum seekers, turning some boats back and creating a class of visas which don't confer permanent residency to those granted protection.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott made the Liberal Party's intentions clear in Darwin on Saturday, warning that at the current rate there was likely to be 5000 asylum seekers arrive by boat by the end of the year.
He said Labor had inherited a robust and effective border protection system but it had been progressively unwound, paving the way for the current border crisis.
"I am concerned that people are going to be brought directly to the mainland," he told reporters.
"And it seems that under Mr Rudd, boat people have got a highway to Australia and it's no wonder that they keep coming."
Mr Abbott said the opposition had formed a special shadow cabinet committee to formulate strategies to stop the flow of asylum seeker arrivals, which could be implemented from day one of a coalition government.
An effective border protection policy required four key elements, starting with a rigorous commitment to offshore processing, he said.
It would also feature a special visa category for unauthorised arrivals to ensure that permanent residency was not an automatic right while governments should be prepared, under the right circumstances, to turn back boats.
"The coalition is committed to pursuing policies based on these principles to ensure that Australia's borders are safe," Mr Abbott said in a joint statement with opposition justice and customs spokesman Michael Keenan and immigration spokesman Scott Morrison.
The coalition committee will comprise Mr Keenan as convenor, Mr Morrison, opposition deputy leader Julie Bishop, defence spokesman David Johnston, shadow attorney-general George Brandis, opposition parliamentary secretary Jason Wood and former coalition immigration minister Philip Ruddock.
But a spokesman for Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said the Rudd government already did much of what Mr Abbott proposed, while other elements were a return to discredited coalition policies with which Mr Ruddock was associated.
"It's essentially working back to the Howard policies of the past and we are not surprised by that," he said.
The spokesman said the government already worked extensively with source countries and regional nations to stem the flow of asylum seekers while the former Howard government had tried temporary protection visas - and they proved a dismal failure.
The major point of difference was the proposal to turn boats around, he said.
"Our current policy which we think is working is that we escort boats, if they are seaworthy, to Christmas Island where their claims are processed."
The most recent boat arrived in Australian waters on Friday evening, the 12th so far this year.
The vessel, intercepted by a navy patrol boat off Ashmore Island, carried 48 passengers and two crew.
A total of 667 asylum seekers have arrived by boat this year and all have been transported to Christmas Island for processing.
The government is planning to expand the facility from its current 1800 bed capacity to 2300.
-AAP
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Opposition Leader Tony Abbott made the Liberal Party's intentions clear in Darwin on Saturday, warning that at the current rate there was likely to be 5000 asylum seekers arrive by boat by the end of the year.
He said Labor had inherited a robust and effective border protection system but it had been progressively unwound, paving the way for the current border crisis.
"I am concerned that people are going to be brought directly to the mainland," he told reporters.
"And it seems that under Mr Rudd, boat people have got a highway to Australia and it's no wonder that they keep coming."
Mr Abbott said the opposition had formed a special shadow cabinet committee to formulate strategies to stop the flow of asylum seeker arrivals, which could be implemented from day one of a coalition government.
An effective border protection policy required four key elements, starting with a rigorous commitment to offshore processing, he said.
It would also feature a special visa category for unauthorised arrivals to ensure that permanent residency was not an automatic right while governments should be prepared, under the right circumstances, to turn back boats.
"The coalition is committed to pursuing policies based on these principles to ensure that Australia's borders are safe," Mr Abbott said in a joint statement with opposition justice and customs spokesman Michael Keenan and immigration spokesman Scott Morrison.
The coalition committee will comprise Mr Keenan as convenor, Mr Morrison, opposition deputy leader Julie Bishop, defence spokesman David Johnston, shadow attorney-general George Brandis, opposition parliamentary secretary Jason Wood and former coalition immigration minister Philip Ruddock.
But a spokesman for Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said the Rudd government already did much of what Mr Abbott proposed, while other elements were a return to discredited coalition policies with which Mr Ruddock was associated.
"It's essentially working back to the Howard policies of the past and we are not surprised by that," he said.
The spokesman said the government already worked extensively with source countries and regional nations to stem the flow of asylum seekers while the former Howard government had tried temporary protection visas - and they proved a dismal failure.
The major point of difference was the proposal to turn boats around, he said.
"Our current policy which we think is working is that we escort boats, if they are seaworthy, to Christmas Island where their claims are processed."
The most recent boat arrived in Australian waters on Friday evening, the 12th so far this year.
The vessel, intercepted by a navy patrol boat off Ashmore Island, carried 48 passengers and two crew.
A total of 667 asylum seekers have arrived by boat this year and all have been transported to Christmas Island for processing.
The government is planning to expand the facility from its current 1800 bed capacity to 2300.
-AAP
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Asylum seekers threaten suicide-57 asylum seekers in Indonesian detention centre
A GROUP of 57 asylum seekers shipwrecked en route to Australia is refusing to enter an Indonesian detention centre, with at least three threatening suicide.
The Afghans were left stranded on the eastern Indonesian island of Sabu when their boat was ruined by heavy seas on January 13.
Indonesian authorities now want to move the asylum seekers into a detention centre in nearby Kupang, in West Timor.
But the Afghans - 50 men, five women and two children - insist they want to continue their journey to Australia.
"Two tried to commit suicide by banging their heads into a wall," senior local official Dominggus Widu Hau said.
"One tried to slit his wrist, but it didn't happen.
"They are now in better condition and have joined their friends again."
Officials from the International Organisation for Migration are in talks with the Afghans, who are being housed in an old mosque, Widu Hau said.
-Herald Sun
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The Afghans were left stranded on the eastern Indonesian island of Sabu when their boat was ruined by heavy seas on January 13.
Indonesian authorities now want to move the asylum seekers into a detention centre in nearby Kupang, in West Timor.
But the Afghans - 50 men, five women and two children - insist they want to continue their journey to Australia.
"Two tried to commit suicide by banging their heads into a wall," senior local official Dominggus Widu Hau said.
"One tried to slit his wrist, but it didn't happen.
"They are now in better condition and have joined their friends again."
Officials from the International Organisation for Migration are in talks with the Afghans, who are being housed in an old mosque, Widu Hau said.
-Herald Sun
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Monday, February 1, 2010
Asylum-seeker boat sneaks into Christmas Island cove: 181 Asylum Seekers
LATEST NEWS: 2350 WAST
THE Department of Immigration and Citizenship was taken by surprise yesterday when Christmas Island residents spotted a large boat carrying almost 200 asylum-seekers motoring into Flying Fish Cove.
Residents of the suburb known as The Kampong saw the boat from the windows of their waterfront flats as it approached the jetty shortly after 3pm local time yesterday (7pm AEDT).
The navy vessel HMAS Larrakia was standing off the cove when the boat arrived, and Immigration officers rushed to the scene.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said last night the boat had 181 passengers, including women and children, and four crew on board. It is understood some of those on board are Hazaras from Afghanistan.
The process of unloading the asylum-seekers began about 4pm.
They are the ninth boatload of asylum-seekers to be unloaded at Christmas Island this year.
Before this boatload, there were 1595 asylum-seekers in the island's detention centre, which has a capacity of 1848.
-The Australian
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THE Department of Immigration and Citizenship was taken by surprise yesterday when Christmas Island residents spotted a large boat carrying almost 200 asylum-seekers motoring into Flying Fish Cove.
Residents of the suburb known as The Kampong saw the boat from the windows of their waterfront flats as it approached the jetty shortly after 3pm local time yesterday (7pm AEDT).
The navy vessel HMAS Larrakia was standing off the cove when the boat arrived, and Immigration officers rushed to the scene.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said last night the boat had 181 passengers, including women and children, and four crew on board. It is understood some of those on board are Hazaras from Afghanistan.
The process of unloading the asylum-seekers began about 4pm.
They are the ninth boatload of asylum-seekers to be unloaded at Christmas Island this year.
Before this boatload, there were 1595 asylum-seekers in the island's detention centre, which has a capacity of 1848.
-The Australian
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Asylum seekers charged over riot
LATEST NEWS: 0930 WAST
Australian Federal Police have charged 11 asylum seekers following a brawl at a detention centre on Christmas Island that left 40 people injured.
Police say the men, aged between 21 and 36, face a total of 23 charges including riot, assault and possessing weapons.
The charges relate to a fight at the North West Point Immigration Detention Centre on November 21 last year.
It is understood the men appeared before the Christmas Island Magistrates Court on Wednesday afternoon.
Ian Rintoul from the Refugee Action Coalition says the conditions at the detention centre, not the asylum seekers, are to blame for the riot.
"At the time we were told there was no damage to the detention centre," he said.
"It just seems to me to be entirely vindictive that the Federal Police and the Government are pursuing the asylum seekers for a fight that was really created by conditions inside the detention centre."
Last year it was reported that 150 Afghan and Sri Lankan asylum seekers attacked each other with pool cues, tree branches and broom handles.
Staff at the centre brought the riot under control within 30 minutes.
Thirty-seven detainees received medical treatment on the island and another three were flown to Perth with broken bones. Five security staff were also injured in the clash.
Refugee campaigners said overcrowding led to the violence, but the Government said tension had been building at the centre for some time, due partly to concerns from some Sri Lankans that their asylum applications would fail.
At the time, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the riot could affect the refugee applications of the asylum seekers involved.
-ABC
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Australian Federal Police have charged 11 asylum seekers following a brawl at a detention centre on Christmas Island that left 40 people injured.
Police say the men, aged between 21 and 36, face a total of 23 charges including riot, assault and possessing weapons.
The charges relate to a fight at the North West Point Immigration Detention Centre on November 21 last year.
It is understood the men appeared before the Christmas Island Magistrates Court on Wednesday afternoon.
Ian Rintoul from the Refugee Action Coalition says the conditions at the detention centre, not the asylum seekers, are to blame for the riot.
"At the time we were told there was no damage to the detention centre," he said.
"It just seems to me to be entirely vindictive that the Federal Police and the Government are pursuing the asylum seekers for a fight that was really created by conditions inside the detention centre."
Last year it was reported that 150 Afghan and Sri Lankan asylum seekers attacked each other with pool cues, tree branches and broom handles.
Staff at the centre brought the riot under control within 30 minutes.
Thirty-seven detainees received medical treatment on the island and another three were flown to Perth with broken bones. Five security staff were also injured in the clash.
Refugee campaigners said overcrowding led to the violence, but the Government said tension had been building at the centre for some time, due partly to concerns from some Sri Lankans that their asylum applications would fail.
At the time, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the riot could affect the refugee applications of the asylum seekers involved.
-ABC
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Australian of the Year sets off debate on asylum seeker detention; Professor Patrick McGorry
LATEST NEWS: 0930 WAST
He's been Australian of the Year for just a day, but acclaimed psychiatrist Professor Patrick McGorry has spent it embroiled in controversy. Professor McGorry accepted his award, and then touched off a new row on the politically volatile issue of asylum seekers by pointing out the mentally corrosive effects of Australia's detention policies. He woke to find newspaper headlines declaring it an attack on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on the issue.
MOTTRAM: Australians have long prided themselves on the 'fair go' and frank speaking. So it should perhaps have been no surprise to the Australian government that this year's Australian of the Year, internationally renowned psychiatrist Professor Patrick McGorry, would speak about the mental health implications of 15 years of detaining asylum seekers.
McGORRY: The detention centres were, you could almost describe them as factories for producing mental illness and mental disorder.
MOTTRAM: Immigration detention had been an "absolute disaster" that Australia must not repeat, Professor McGorry said, citing research in such august journals as The Lancet and adding that he was talking about previous policy. But his reference to past practices was not enough to prevent major newspapers from splashing headlines like: "Australian of the Year attacks Rudd over refugees".
At a time the Professor was especially empowered to sell his message about continuing shortfalls in mental health policy in Australia generally, he was having to clarify his immigration detention views.
McGORRY: I actually said that the Rudd Government was doing an excellent job of digging us out of a very deep hole, they may not have got to the top of the hole yet but I was trying to encourage them to keep going and I certainly wasn't critical of the present Government's policies. The direction of them is very good.
MOTTRAM: The Professor managed to briefly stop the Prime Minister at yet another Australia Day event to explain his comments. And while Mr Rudd was reassuring, it's unlikely the government will have welcomed a new spotlight on the contentious issue. The Opposition leader, Tony Abbott, deflected the Professor's criticism of immigration detention as applied under the previous government of which Mr Abbott was a member and will doubtless feature in another day's newspaper and television coverage of the issue.
ABBOTT: The pity of the current government's policies is because they've sent the wrong signal to people smugglers, you've got more people coming, you've got more people in detention and you 've got more people who give rise to the kind of concerns that Professor McGorry has expressed.
MOTTRAM: Those pressing a human rights based view of the issue, like the Australian Greens, seized the chance to stress that while other remote detention centres have been closed, the Rudd government retains the centre on Christmas Island, that's now almost full.
HANSON-YOUNG: They are inappropriate facilities. And we must not forget that there are also children detained there. So the impact on their mental health is quite severe.
MOTTRAM: The Immigration minister Chris Evans, also at a noisy Australia Day ceremony, defended the government's efforts to protect the health of detainees, particularly attempts to speed up processing times.
EVANS: One of the reasons its been proven to be more dangerous if you like than prison sentences is that people don't know when they're going to get out. They've got no idea how long they were to be kept there. That was the system under the Howard government. We've vastly improved the detention facilities, the support they get and the processing times and so I think we've got the balance right.
MOTTRAM: But after his initial embarassment at coverage of his remarks Professor McGorry, who's particular specialty is youth mental health, continued to speak to the media about immigration detention and its impact on those who've often already experienced torture and trauma. And he says he wants to visit the Christmas Island facility during his tenure as Australian of the Year.
-ABC RADIO
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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Email
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He's been Australian of the Year for just a day, but acclaimed psychiatrist Professor Patrick McGorry has spent it embroiled in controversy. Professor McGorry accepted his award, and then touched off a new row on the politically volatile issue of asylum seekers by pointing out the mentally corrosive effects of Australia's detention policies. He woke to find newspaper headlines declaring it an attack on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on the issue.
MOTTRAM: Australians have long prided themselves on the 'fair go' and frank speaking. So it should perhaps have been no surprise to the Australian government that this year's Australian of the Year, internationally renowned psychiatrist Professor Patrick McGorry, would speak about the mental health implications of 15 years of detaining asylum seekers.
McGORRY: The detention centres were, you could almost describe them as factories for producing mental illness and mental disorder.
MOTTRAM: Immigration detention had been an "absolute disaster" that Australia must not repeat, Professor McGorry said, citing research in such august journals as The Lancet and adding that he was talking about previous policy. But his reference to past practices was not enough to prevent major newspapers from splashing headlines like: "Australian of the Year attacks Rudd over refugees".
At a time the Professor was especially empowered to sell his message about continuing shortfalls in mental health policy in Australia generally, he was having to clarify his immigration detention views.
McGORRY: I actually said that the Rudd Government was doing an excellent job of digging us out of a very deep hole, they may not have got to the top of the hole yet but I was trying to encourage them to keep going and I certainly wasn't critical of the present Government's policies. The direction of them is very good.
MOTTRAM: The Professor managed to briefly stop the Prime Minister at yet another Australia Day event to explain his comments. And while Mr Rudd was reassuring, it's unlikely the government will have welcomed a new spotlight on the contentious issue. The Opposition leader, Tony Abbott, deflected the Professor's criticism of immigration detention as applied under the previous government of which Mr Abbott was a member and will doubtless feature in another day's newspaper and television coverage of the issue.
ABBOTT: The pity of the current government's policies is because they've sent the wrong signal to people smugglers, you've got more people coming, you've got more people in detention and you 've got more people who give rise to the kind of concerns that Professor McGorry has expressed.
MOTTRAM: Those pressing a human rights based view of the issue, like the Australian Greens, seized the chance to stress that while other remote detention centres have been closed, the Rudd government retains the centre on Christmas Island, that's now almost full.
HANSON-YOUNG: They are inappropriate facilities. And we must not forget that there are also children detained there. So the impact on their mental health is quite severe.
MOTTRAM: The Immigration minister Chris Evans, also at a noisy Australia Day ceremony, defended the government's efforts to protect the health of detainees, particularly attempts to speed up processing times.
EVANS: One of the reasons its been proven to be more dangerous if you like than prison sentences is that people don't know when they're going to get out. They've got no idea how long they were to be kept there. That was the system under the Howard government. We've vastly improved the detention facilities, the support they get and the processing times and so I think we've got the balance right.
MOTTRAM: But after his initial embarassment at coverage of his remarks Professor McGorry, who's particular specialty is youth mental health, continued to speak to the media about immigration detention and its impact on those who've often already experienced torture and trauma. And he says he wants to visit the Christmas Island facility during his tenure as Australian of the Year.
-ABC RADIO
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www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
Authorities intercept eighth asylum boat this year; 48 passengers and 3 crew
LATEST NEWS: 0930 WAST
AUTHORITIES have intercepted another boatload of suspected asylum-seekers in Australian waters -- the eighth this year.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said the boat, carrying 48 passengers and three crew, was intercepted by HMAS Launceston just before midnight on Tuesday, 12 nautical miles northeast of Ashmore Reef.
Mr O'Connor said the asylum-seekers had been transferred
to a Customs ship and would be taken to Christmas Island for "security, identity and health checks".
Former federal police commissioner Mick Palmer, who headed the inquiry into the wrongful detention of Cornelia Rau for 10 months in 2004 and 2005, called for asylum-seekers to be brought to the mainland.
Mr Palmer said the experience of detention was inherently stressful for refugees, many of whom were victims of war or torture, meaning they required specialist carers and counselling services.
"The current overcrowding on Christmas Island would make that level of care very difficult," Mr Palmer told The Australian.
According to the Immigration Department, there are 1564 people on Christmas Island, 200 of whom are living in tents. The facility was designed for just 400 people but has been reconfigured to hold 1848 following the arrival last year of almost 3000 boatpeople.
Mr Palmer said he fully understood the dilemma governments faced in managing refugee flows.
"But we should never allow the ends to justify the means," he said.
His comments follow those of newly named Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry, who labelled detention centres "factories" for mental illness.
-THE AUSTRALIAN
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Email
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AUTHORITIES have intercepted another boatload of suspected asylum-seekers in Australian waters -- the eighth this year.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said the boat, carrying 48 passengers and three crew, was intercepted by HMAS Launceston just before midnight on Tuesday, 12 nautical miles northeast of Ashmore Reef.
Mr O'Connor said the asylum-seekers had been transferred
to a Customs ship and would be taken to Christmas Island for "security, identity and health checks".
Former federal police commissioner Mick Palmer, who headed the inquiry into the wrongful detention of Cornelia Rau for 10 months in 2004 and 2005, called for asylum-seekers to be brought to the mainland.
Mr Palmer said the experience of detention was inherently stressful for refugees, many of whom were victims of war or torture, meaning they required specialist carers and counselling services.
"The current overcrowding on Christmas Island would make that level of care very difficult," Mr Palmer told The Australian.
According to the Immigration Department, there are 1564 people on Christmas Island, 200 of whom are living in tents. The facility was designed for just 400 people but has been reconfigured to hold 1848 following the arrival last year of almost 3000 boatpeople.
Mr Palmer said he fully understood the dilemma governments faced in managing refugee flows.
"But we should never allow the ends to justify the means," he said.
His comments follow those of newly named Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry, who labelled detention centres "factories" for mental illness.
-THE AUSTRALIAN
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
Asylum seekers blocked from rescue boat, inquest told
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Picture by Australian Custom
LATEST NEWS: 0913 WAST
A member of the Australian Defence Force raised his foot and connected with the heads of two asylum seekers to block them from clambering onto a rescue boat, an inquest has heard.
Corporal Sharon Jager has told a coronial inquest that she was blown into the water by a blast on the SIEV 36 asylum seeker boat near Ashmore Reef last April.
The incident left five Afghan asylum seekers dead.
Corporal Jager said her life jacket did not open and she was struggling to get onto a Navy boat that had come to rescue her.
"[Able Seaman Adrian Medbury] has moved along and he has physically removed the two asylum seekers, saying 'Get the f--- off her, get the f--- of her' as he dragged me into the boat," she told the inquest.
"I saw him raise one of his feet, connect with the asylum seekers, from what I saw it was the head."
The inquest has previously heard that Navy personnel rescued members of the Defence Force before asylum seekers, which is Navy procedure.
Earlier, the naval officer in charge of the boat shortly before it exploded broke down while giving evidence.
The inquest has already heard evidence the fire on the SIEV 36 was deliberately lit with matches or a cigarette lighter.
Chief Petty Officer Faunt told the inquest if he had been in charge of the naval party that first boarded the boat he would have confiscated lighters and matches, whether or not there was petrol on board.
Later, when he was on board the boat, he did not have enough manpower to take the items from the passengers.
But he said in hindsight he should have removed matches from the boat's cabin.
Chief Faunt has suffered post traumatic stress disorder since the fatal blast in April last year.
He was overcome with emotion when asked how much sleep he had had in the time leading up to the explosion, leading to the inquest being briefly adjourned.
He said Navy personnel did not stand back and were active in rescuing the boat's passengers.
The inquest continues.
-ABC
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
Email
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
LATEST NEWS: 0913 WAST
A member of the Australian Defence Force raised his foot and connected with the heads of two asylum seekers to block them from clambering onto a rescue boat, an inquest has heard.
Corporal Sharon Jager has told a coronial inquest that she was blown into the water by a blast on the SIEV 36 asylum seeker boat near Ashmore Reef last April.
The incident left five Afghan asylum seekers dead.
Corporal Jager said her life jacket did not open and she was struggling to get onto a Navy boat that had come to rescue her.
"[Able Seaman Adrian Medbury] has moved along and he has physically removed the two asylum seekers, saying 'Get the f--- off her, get the f--- of her' as he dragged me into the boat," she told the inquest.
"I saw him raise one of his feet, connect with the asylum seekers, from what I saw it was the head."
The inquest has previously heard that Navy personnel rescued members of the Defence Force before asylum seekers, which is Navy procedure.
Earlier, the naval officer in charge of the boat shortly before it exploded broke down while giving evidence.
The inquest has already heard evidence the fire on the SIEV 36 was deliberately lit with matches or a cigarette lighter.
Chief Petty Officer Faunt told the inquest if he had been in charge of the naval party that first boarded the boat he would have confiscated lighters and matches, whether or not there was petrol on board.
Later, when he was on board the boat, he did not have enough manpower to take the items from the passengers.
But he said in hindsight he should have removed matches from the boat's cabin.
Chief Faunt has suffered post traumatic stress disorder since the fatal blast in April last year.
He was overcome with emotion when asked how much sleep he had had in the time leading up to the explosion, leading to the inquest being briefly adjourned.
He said Navy personnel did not stand back and were active in rescuing the boat's passengers.
The inquest continues.
-ABC
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
Monday, January 18, 2010
105 ethnic Hazaras feared drowned
A boatload of asylum seekers believed to have set off from Indonesian waters for Australia in October has never arrived, the Afghani refugee community says.
Brisbane-based Hassan Ghulam said worried relatives of 105 ethnic Hazaras believed to have left Indonesia on October 2 had started contacting him weeks ago.
Hazara are a Persian-speaking ethnic group who live mainly in the central region of Afghanistan.
"A young gentleman, he had a brother on that boat, he contacted me (saying) that the boat departed Indonesia on October 2 with 105 Hazaras on it," Mr Ghulam said.
"He asked if I had heard anything on the arrivals because he had had no news for quite some time."
Mr Ghulam said other Australian-based Hazaras who had learnt that their relatives were on the boat had become anxious.
Checks with the Department of Immigration and Customs and Border Protection had revealed nothing about the fate of the boat or those on board, Mr Ghulam said.
Contacts of the men had travelled to Indonesia and checked detention centres but had found no sign of them, he said.
"There was no news at all. The gentleman contacted me again and he had no news," Mr Ghulam said.
"He told me there were people who made inquiries, travelled to Indonesia, checked the detention centres et cetera and there is no sign of the 105 people."
Jack Smit of human rights group Project SafeCom Inc said it was important to know what happened to the boat and what happened during the voyage.
"If it was monitored by Indonesia on behalf of the Australian government, we need to know whether it was intercepted by Indonesian authorities," Mr Smit said.
"Conversely, if its voyage was monitored in Australian waters by Australian maritime and border protection authorities, we need to know what happened to the boat. If the boat perished, we need to hear that from the authorities."
A Department of Immigration spokeswoman said the department could not reveal the identities of asylum seekers being processed for their own protection.
But asylum seekers are granted access to telephones to contact their families on arrival, she said.
-The West
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA Copyright 2010
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Email: hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
Monday, January 11, 2010
Visa denial leaves refugees in detention-Potentially Australian Guantanamo Bay
LATEST NEWS: 1530 WAST-12/01/2010
The Federal Government says a fifth Tamil refugee has been refused a visa to live in Australia, leaving him, his wife and their children in detention limbo on Christmas Island.
There is pressure now on the Immigration Department to resettle the refugees in another country, prompting outspoken Liberal backbencher Wilson Tuckey to label Christmas Island as "potentially Australia's Guantanamo Bay".
The department earlier today confirmed that three Sri Lankan men and a woman who were on board the Oceanic Viking had been denied visas because ASIO decided they pose a security risk.
The woman has two young children and all three are being detained on Christmas Island.
Immigration Minister Chris Evans says the woman's husband has now also been refused a visa.
"There is an additional person who around the same time was found by our security agencies to have not met the public interest criteria in terms of his security assessment," Senator Evans said.
"It is the case that this man is the spouse of the mother of the two children who was onboard the Oceanic Viking."
Senator Evans will not say why the five have been refused visas.
"I don't know the nature of ASIO's finding, so I couldn't help you if I wanted to. But as you know, I wouldn't anyway," he said.
The Federal Government had promised 78 Sri Lankans quick processing to coax them off the Oceanic Viking and into an Indonesian detention centre.
Some of them have been resettled in Australia or Canada.
A spokeswoman for the Immigration Department has said Australia is continuing to search for another country to resettle them.
She said they could also choose to leave Australia voluntarily.
Mr Tuckey, who last year said he was worried terrorists could be on board boats of asylum seekers, says the Government will have difficulty resettling the visa-less refugees in another country.
"Christmas Island is now potentially Australia's Guantanamo Bay," he said.
"We could end up holding that facility in operation for years as luxury accommodation for people whom we won't let come to Australia, and yet at the same time will not be wanted by anyone else."
Opposition treasury spokesman, Joe Hockey, says Mr Tuckey has been vindicated for raising security concerns.
"More fool Kevin Rudd for coming out and saying that Wilson Tuckey should apologise," Mr Hockey said.
"I think Wilson's had a win there. He deserves recognition for the fact that of course there are going to be risks with unsolicited arrivals in Australia."
Final say
The Greens Leader, Bob Brown, says ASIO should not have the final say on whether the Tamil refugees are fit to live in Australia.
Senator Brown says the system needs to be changed.
"The last thing the Rudd Government should do is leave ASIO to be the arbiter of who comes into this country and who doesn't, to quote John Howard who gave such extraordinary powers to ASIO to determine the lives of Australians generally," Senator Brown said.
He says major determinations made by the spy agency should be scrutinised by a parliamentary committee.
"That scrutiny must be there. We must never in a democracy leave ASIO to be making decisions in such matters without there being careful scrutiny by the parliament itself," he said.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says Mr Rudd has created the problem "by caving in to the would-be unauthorised arrivals on the Oceanic Viking".
-ABC
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA Copyright 2009
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
Contact: MAZ or Deputy ADMIN
Email: hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
The Federal Government says a fifth Tamil refugee has been refused a visa to live in Australia, leaving him, his wife and their children in detention limbo on Christmas Island.
There is pressure now on the Immigration Department to resettle the refugees in another country, prompting outspoken Liberal backbencher Wilson Tuckey to label Christmas Island as "potentially Australia's Guantanamo Bay".
The department earlier today confirmed that three Sri Lankan men and a woman who were on board the Oceanic Viking had been denied visas because ASIO decided they pose a security risk.
The woman has two young children and all three are being detained on Christmas Island.
Immigration Minister Chris Evans says the woman's husband has now also been refused a visa.
"There is an additional person who around the same time was found by our security agencies to have not met the public interest criteria in terms of his security assessment," Senator Evans said.
"It is the case that this man is the spouse of the mother of the two children who was onboard the Oceanic Viking."
Senator Evans will not say why the five have been refused visas.
"I don't know the nature of ASIO's finding, so I couldn't help you if I wanted to. But as you know, I wouldn't anyway," he said.
The Federal Government had promised 78 Sri Lankans quick processing to coax them off the Oceanic Viking and into an Indonesian detention centre.
Some of them have been resettled in Australia or Canada.
A spokeswoman for the Immigration Department has said Australia is continuing to search for another country to resettle them.
She said they could also choose to leave Australia voluntarily.
Mr Tuckey, who last year said he was worried terrorists could be on board boats of asylum seekers, says the Government will have difficulty resettling the visa-less refugees in another country.
"Christmas Island is now potentially Australia's Guantanamo Bay," he said.
"We could end up holding that facility in operation for years as luxury accommodation for people whom we won't let come to Australia, and yet at the same time will not be wanted by anyone else."
Opposition treasury spokesman, Joe Hockey, says Mr Tuckey has been vindicated for raising security concerns.
"More fool Kevin Rudd for coming out and saying that Wilson Tuckey should apologise," Mr Hockey said.
"I think Wilson's had a win there. He deserves recognition for the fact that of course there are going to be risks with unsolicited arrivals in Australia."
Final say
The Greens Leader, Bob Brown, says ASIO should not have the final say on whether the Tamil refugees are fit to live in Australia.
Senator Brown says the system needs to be changed.
"The last thing the Rudd Government should do is leave ASIO to be the arbiter of who comes into this country and who doesn't, to quote John Howard who gave such extraordinary powers to ASIO to determine the lives of Australians generally," Senator Brown said.
He says major determinations made by the spy agency should be scrutinised by a parliamentary committee.
"That scrutiny must be there. We must never in a democracy leave ASIO to be making decisions in such matters without there being careful scrutiny by the parliament itself," he said.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says Mr Rudd has created the problem "by caving in to the would-be unauthorised arrivals on the Oceanic Viking".
-ABC
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA Copyright 2009
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
Contact: MAZ or Deputy ADMIN
Email: hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
Sunday, January 3, 2010
76 asylum seekers intercepted
LATEST NEWS: 04/01/2010 @ 1530 WAST
The Federal Government says another boat carrying asylum seekers has been intercepted in Australia's northern waters.
The latest boat was detected yesterday about three nautical miles north of Christmas Island.
The Government says there are 76 passengers and four crew on board the vessel.
They have been taken to Christmas Island for health, security and identity checks.
-ABC
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
or email: hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
The Federal Government says another boat carrying asylum seekers has been intercepted in Australia's northern waters.
The latest boat was detected yesterday about three nautical miles north of Christmas Island.
The Government says there are 76 passengers and four crew on board the vessel.
They have been taken to Christmas Island for health, security and identity checks.
-ABC
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
or email: hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
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