Afghan who tried to return but ended up in dire straits

BOARDING the ill-fated boat of asylum seekers in Indonesia last week, Ali Talash must have had a strange sense of deja vu.

Now lying injured in the Royal Perth Hospital, it was Mr Talash's second trip to Australia on an Indonesian boat.

In 1999, as the Taliban's control of Afghanistan tightened and the persecution of his Hazara community increased, Mr Talash said goodbye to his wife and children. He was taken by people smugglers through Pakistan and Iran, then flown to Malaysia and on to Indonesia, where he boarded a boat.

That boat was intercepted and he spent about a year in immigration detention before being granted a temporary protection visa. He moved to Auburn, in Sydney's south-west, and spent the next four years working as a tiler.

But as the war in Afghanistan progressed he became hopeful his country may have stabilised.

Mr Talash, who is in his 40s, was depressed and missing his wife and children, whom he could not see because the conditions of his visa meant he was not allowed to leave Australia.

So in 2003 he decided to go back to Afghanistan.

Mr Talash called a friend in Perth, Salman Rahmani, and told him of his decision.

"I said, 'If you go maybe you will (get) killed' — but he said, 'It's been so long, I must see my family'," Mr Rahmani said.

"He said he couldn't sleep in the night, he was very worried about his children and after he went back to Afghanistan it was very bad.

"It's sad, because Ali Talash missed (his chance to get) a permanent visa. Everybody else, me, our friends, we got permanent visas and became citizens, but he went home. By now he would have been a citizen, it's very sad."

But when Mr Talash returned to Afghanistan he found it still a violent, chaotic place and decided to try to get his family to Australia.

Increasingly frustrated by the lack of help from Australian embassies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, earlier this year he decided to make a perilous return journey.

The boat carrying him and 48 other asylum seekers was intercepted by the Australian Navy, and before they reached the safety of Christmas Island, there was an explosion on board, knocking many of them into the water.

Mr Rahmani's son Jarajo Zirak, 20, has been going to Royal Perth Hospital every day since Friday, trying to get information about Mr Talash's condition.

Mr Talash's wife called Mr Zirak on Friday, scared her husband had died. So far, Mr Zirak has been able to tell only that Mr Talash is alive, with officials unwilling to give details.

"She called me and was crying and was worried," Mr Zirak said. "She called me last night and I said there was no news yet. For the first few days she called me every two hours."

Indonesia stops nearly 900 asylum seekers: AFP

Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner Mick Keelty says authorities in Indonesia have stopped nearly 900 suspected asylum seekers from travelling to Australia since September last year.

Thirteen boatloads of asylum seekers have arrived in Australia in the past five months.

The Navy intercepted the latest boatload near Ashmore Island off the north-west coast of Australia on Sunday.

"Since September 2008, in Indonesia, there have been 40 identified disruptions comprising of 887 foreign nationals suspected of being in transit or have entered Indonesia for the purpose of travelling to Australia illegally," Commissioner Keelty said.

Police yet to reveal cause of fatal boat blast

Five people were killed in the April 16 explosion near Ashmore Reef. (File photo) (Department of Defence)

Northern Territory Police are still to determine whether a fatal boat explosion near Ashmore Reef last month was a result of sabotage or an accident.

They have interviewed 41 asylum seekers who were on the boat, known as the SIEV 36.

Five people were killed in the April 16 explosion.

Of the 44 people rescued, three remain in a stable condition at the burns units of the Royal Perth and Royal Brisbane hospitals.

Earlier this month, government sources told the ABC fuel was deliberately poured on the boat deck as a threat, after the Navy intercepted the vessel.

It is alleged those on board feared they would be turned back to Indonesia.

However, the head of the Afghan community in Western Australia says some of the survivors now in immigration detention say it was an accident.

The Immigration Department is still to interview the survivors.

The asylum seekers are believed to be from Afghanistan, but the department cannot formally identify them until their interviews are finished.

Immigration says its focus remains on providing support and welfare to the group.

Protest in Australia Against the Rape Law

Protesters holding banner in front of Afghanistan Embassy, Canberra Australia.

Tuesday May 12, 2009–- Afghanistani Australians from around Australia gathered in Canberra to voice their concern over the increasing Talibanization of Afghanistan as well as to condemn Afghanistan’s now infamous Rape Law. Protesters shouted slogans against the shameless move by religious fundamentalists to further rid women of their basic rights in clear violation of United Nations declaration on Human Rights, to which Afghanistan is a signatory. They further urged the Australian public and government to use their influence to ensure Human Rights are upheld in Afghanistan.

Large number of protesters were women.

The protesters, majority of who were women, took their concerns to the Australian Parliament House and later to the gates of the Afghanistan Embassy in Canberra where they formally filed their protest with the Afghanistani Ambassador to Australia, who promised to pass the concerns of the protesters to authorities in Kabul.

Some of the articles in The Shi’a Personal Status Law that are in gross violation of the Human Rights are as follows:

• Treatment of women as sex objects
• Legalization of marital rape, including the obligation on women to submit to their husbands’ sexual desires at a minimum of four times a week.
• Age discrimination, legalization of marriage at 16 for girls and 18 for boys
• Legalization of forced marriages
• Child Abuse and Child Marriage, thereby the legalization of intercourse with a minor
• Allowing men to have multiple wives
• And more …

Protesters demanded the Australian Govt. to use its influence against the Rape Law.

Demands:

1. All the people of Afghanistan should have the right to enjoy freedom, liberty, freedom of speech as well as the right to exercise their belief.
2. All marriages should be voluntary and sexual relationship within marriage should be on voluntary basis too.
3. We demand the abolition of laws that allow men to have multiple wives.
4. Women are not the property of men. The obligation on them to be subjects to their husbands’ permission must be abolished.
5. We urge the Australian government to condemn ‘The Rape Law’ and use its influence to ensure Human Rights are upheld in Afghanistan.
6. The Shiite Personal Status Law is in gross violation of Human Rights, it is a cruel attacked against women. It must therefore be repealed and its provisions eliminated without any delay.

Protesters demanded the Rape Law must be repealed.

English Telefilm “Guiltless” by Hazaragi Drama Association

Quetta– English Telefilm, “Guiltless” by Hazaragi Drama Association is to be released soon.

HDA while talking to HazaranewsPK said their telefilm is pending due to financial problems of HDA and requested the Hazara business community and diaspora abroad to contribute financial assistance. Director of HDA and writer of “Guiltless” Muhammad Ali Dana told their new film is about the consecutive target killing of Hazaras in Quetta Pakistan. The story of the film focuses on a family victim of terrorism.

Muhammad Ali Dana, Director of HDA is the writer of “Guiltless”. Script of the film has been edited by Professor Nazir Hussain. Paragon Academy’s Sajjad Asim and Learners Academy’s Mehdi and Abbas have also contributed in the script. Actors of the film include Nazir Hussain Danish, Abay Danish, Mujtaba, Hina Batool, Mehdi, Abbas and Salman. Acting instructors included actor of Pakistan Television, Najeebullah Hazara and artist, Naseem Javed. Background Damboora of the film is played by Khair Ali Shahristani.

Actors of Guiltless, by Hazaragi Drama Association.

M Ali Dana told HazaranewsPK they have finalized the film. Its release is pending due to financial problems of HDA. Contributions can be made at Account Number 60382-4, Shabbir Hussain, Habib Bank Limited, Complex Branch Quetta.

HDA presented its first stage show in 1996. It has produced about 26 dramas yet including Mullah e Na Mullah and Londoni, written by Shaheed Hussain Ali Yousafi.

Recording to Guiltless, by Hazaragi Drama Association.

April 29th 2009: Hazaragi Drama Association (HDA) has appealed to Hazara businessmen and affluent members of society to ensure their financial contributions wholeheartedly to the association for releasing successfully the English movie named as “Guiltless” made on merciless target killings of innocent Hazara citizens in Quetta , a press release of HDA made available to this website on Thursday said.

The HDA, has made the televised-film, “Guiltless”, in English language which focused on the current waves of terrorism and brutal target killings of innocent Hazaras who have been fallen victims in the recent waves of acts of terror mercilessly and guiltlessly in Quetta .

The Drama Association has appealed to affluent Hazara tribesmen to contribute financially in favour of