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
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
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
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 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
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
Email
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
HAZARA NEWS WESTERN AUSTRALIA
www.hazarawa.blogspot.com
hazaranewswa@yahoo.com
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