Friday, 6 November 2009
A Question
If it is not safe for more than half of its 1,100 international staff in Afghanistan, people that have round-the-clock armed guards, why is the country still considered safe enough to continue returning asylum seekers against their will, people who have fled political/religious/sexual persecution and who remain in fear of their lives?
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Weasel Words From Woolas?
Immigration Minister Phil Woolas has intervened in the controversy over recent deaths of military personnel in Afghanistan by claiming that one of the roles for the military is to prevent people fleeing Afghanistan and becoming asylum seekers! Talk about scarping the bottom of the barrel.
The Afghan war, which the Labour Party started in 2001 in concert with the US*, is surely the biggest 'push factor' involved in creating Afghan asylum seekers and a Talibanised country after any withdrawal of British troops would hardly make the situation worse.
He claims that "our (the government's) evidence is that the number of asylum seekers coming to the EU would significantly increase." What is this evidence Phil? Please publish it.
* Woolas was a lowly Treasury-funded Assistant Whip back then.
The Afghan war, which the Labour Party started in 2001 in concert with the US*, is surely the biggest 'push factor' involved in creating Afghan asylum seekers and a Talibanised country after any withdrawal of British troops would hardly make the situation worse.
He claims that "our (the government's) evidence is that the number of asylum seekers coming to the EU would significantly increase." What is this evidence Phil? Please publish it.
* Woolas was a lowly Treasury-funded Assistant Whip back then.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Latest News From The 'Indonesia Solution' Saga
Sunday night saw the loss of another boat of Sri Lankan asylum seekers off of the northern coast of Australian. The boat, carrying 39 people, sank 350 nautical miles north-west of the Cocos Islands, an Australian territory (1000 km NW of the mainland). 39 members of the crew have been rescued by a LNG tanker and a Taiwanese fishing boat, but the remaining 11 are all feared dead. The survivors are currently aboard the LNG Pioneer, which will take them to Christmas Island 1000 km east of the Cocos for medical checks, immigration processing and mandatory detention.
Meanwhile, the 2 week old stand-off aboard the MV Oceanic Viking continues, with some of the 78 Tamils on board are continuing to threaten suicide if they are forced to return to Indonesia. They claim that conditions on board the Australian customs vessel are continuing to deteriorate and the 9 month old baby amongst them is suffering particularly.
The Tamils have continued to be able to phone the outside media and have claimed that if they cannot go to Australia: "We'd like to go to another resettlement country, otherwise we can't live in the world". It has also emerged, from a note thrown overboard, that at least 37 of the Tamils have already been issued refugee status certification* by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Jakarta.
According to Pamela Curr from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Melbourne,
"Most of these people have been in Indonesia for years waiting for a place to call home. They are recognised as refugees but this is no guarantee of resettlement. Refugees have been warehoused in Indonesia since 2001 by first the Howard and then the Rudd Government." she said. "Eventually people realise that they must help themselves as no one else will help them. This is why the boats will continue to come from Indonesia where there are currently 2,107 people registered with UNHCR who are going nowhere."
The other asylum seeker boat recently in the news also continues its stand-off with the Indonesian authorities. The Jaya Lestari 5 has been anchored off the Indonesian port of Merak harbour for more than 3 weeks with 255 Tamils on board, most originally from the notorious Manik Farm concentration camp in Sri Lanka. Pamela Curr again: "They are deeply traumatised and fear being returned to camps if they hand them selves over to the Indonesian government. 3 people from this boat have been hospitalised and 5 people with little children have left the boat because of the children. Last week water was restricted and no medical care given for conjunctivitis which was sweeping through the boat. Over 30 cases reported on Friday."
"IOM and Indonesian officers are pressuring the people to disembark. However after living in camps in Sri Lanka these people are not ready to commit to camps in Indonesia. This boat has dropped out of the media gaze - please watch carefully as they need us to ensure that their rights are respected."
In other news. the report, ‘Behind Australian Doors: Examining the Conditions of Detention of Asylum Seekers in Indonesia’, drawn up by lawyer and refugee advocate Jessie Taylor after visiting 11 places of detention in Indonesia in July, and interviewed 250 people, has been released and is causing a stir in Australia. She found that asylum seekers in Indonesia are routinely beaten and denied clean water and medical care in detention centres paid for in part by Australian taxpayers.** "Beatings usually occur after escapes from detention facilities, as a 'punishment' of remaining detainees for the escape of others"
''Detainees suffer malnutrition, depression, anxiety, skin diseases, vomiting and diarrhoea, and have been subject to violent beatings by Indonesian authorities."
“Conditions in asylum seekers’ accommodation ranges from acceptable to appalling”, said Taylor. “In the worst places, we saw babies and children behind bars, with filthy drinking water, deprived of basic education, malnourished and very, very frightened”.
“Particularly confronting were conversations with unaccompanied minors, many of whom are housed in immigration jails with adult male populations.”
Commenting on the report, Jack H Smit from WA Human Rights group Project SafeCom said, "We cannot do otherwise than point the finger of this indictment fairly and squarely at the following - and in this ranking of order as placed: (1) the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Indonesia, (2) the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Indonesia, (3) Australia as the only country that has signed the Refugee Convention and that funds operations of IOM and UNHCR in Indonesia, and (4) Indonesia - as a country that has an intent to become a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and that strives to advance further in signing and ratifying other International Conventions."
One consequence of the MV Oceanic Viking saga and this report is that the Australian trade unions have put out a call for the 78 Tamil asylum seekers to be allowed to go to Christmas Island*** so they can be processed in Australia. And the Australian Council of Trade Unions even took out a newspaper advertisement on Monday, calling on the government to take a more humane approach to asylum seekers. Needless to say the rightist opposition have seized on these incidents to attack the government's position, claiming that the news of the Oceanic Viking Tamils having been in Indonesia for up to five years prior to there recent attempt to get to Australia puts paid to the government's claims alleged recent increase in 'boat people' is due to push factors in Sri Lanka.
To cope with the apparent failure of the government's 'Indonesia Solution', the capacity of the Christmas Island detention facility is being increased from 1200 to 2000 beds, with some sources claiming as high as 2300 places. Chris Evans, the Immigration Minister, has also reiterated their commitment to mandatory detention on the Island and claimed that the children held there are not in fact held in the Islands detention facilities, they are being held in building purpose built for construction workers on the island and includes a range of recreational facilities and en-suite rooms. That's alright then?****
Serco, the company that took over the running of Christmas Island and all of Australia's detention facilities on a 5-year contract in October, have also come under criticism for announcing tough new visiting restrictions that require 24-hours notice and security screening to airport standards.
* Having refugee status, they are unable to be returned to Sri Lankan due to international agreements on 'non-refoulement'.
** Among the 2000 people held in prisons, detention centres and compounds across the country, there are refugees who had previously been granted temporary protection in Australia.
*** According to Pamela Curr, there are currently 50 people in Christmas island detention centres who hold UNHCR refugee cards.
**** The Christmas Island facilities and the offshore immigration processing project has recently been subject to a scathing report from the Australian Human Rights Commission prior to Serco staring their contract.
Meanwhile, the 2 week old stand-off aboard the MV Oceanic Viking continues, with some of the 78 Tamils on board are continuing to threaten suicide if they are forced to return to Indonesia. They claim that conditions on board the Australian customs vessel are continuing to deteriorate and the 9 month old baby amongst them is suffering particularly.
The Tamils have continued to be able to phone the outside media and have claimed that if they cannot go to Australia: "We'd like to go to another resettlement country, otherwise we can't live in the world". It has also emerged, from a note thrown overboard, that at least 37 of the Tamils have already been issued refugee status certification* by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Jakarta.
According to Pamela Curr from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Melbourne,
"Most of these people have been in Indonesia for years waiting for a place to call home. They are recognised as refugees but this is no guarantee of resettlement. Refugees have been warehoused in Indonesia since 2001 by first the Howard and then the Rudd Government." she said. "Eventually people realise that they must help themselves as no one else will help them. This is why the boats will continue to come from Indonesia where there are currently 2,107 people registered with UNHCR who are going nowhere."
The other asylum seeker boat recently in the news also continues its stand-off with the Indonesian authorities. The Jaya Lestari 5 has been anchored off the Indonesian port of Merak harbour for more than 3 weeks with 255 Tamils on board, most originally from the notorious Manik Farm concentration camp in Sri Lanka. Pamela Curr again: "They are deeply traumatised and fear being returned to camps if they hand them selves over to the Indonesian government. 3 people from this boat have been hospitalised and 5 people with little children have left the boat because of the children. Last week water was restricted and no medical care given for conjunctivitis which was sweeping through the boat. Over 30 cases reported on Friday."
"IOM and Indonesian officers are pressuring the people to disembark. However after living in camps in Sri Lanka these people are not ready to commit to camps in Indonesia. This boat has dropped out of the media gaze - please watch carefully as they need us to ensure that their rights are respected."
In other news. the report, ‘Behind Australian Doors: Examining the Conditions of Detention of Asylum Seekers in Indonesia’, drawn up by lawyer and refugee advocate Jessie Taylor after visiting 11 places of detention in Indonesia in July, and interviewed 250 people, has been released and is causing a stir in Australia. She found that asylum seekers in Indonesia are routinely beaten and denied clean water and medical care in detention centres paid for in part by Australian taxpayers.** "Beatings usually occur after escapes from detention facilities, as a 'punishment' of remaining detainees for the escape of others"
''Detainees suffer malnutrition, depression, anxiety, skin diseases, vomiting and diarrhoea, and have been subject to violent beatings by Indonesian authorities."
“Conditions in asylum seekers’ accommodation ranges from acceptable to appalling”, said Taylor. “In the worst places, we saw babies and children behind bars, with filthy drinking water, deprived of basic education, malnourished and very, very frightened”.
“Particularly confronting were conversations with unaccompanied minors, many of whom are housed in immigration jails with adult male populations.”
Commenting on the report, Jack H Smit from WA Human Rights group Project SafeCom said, "We cannot do otherwise than point the finger of this indictment fairly and squarely at the following - and in this ranking of order as placed: (1) the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Indonesia, (2) the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Indonesia, (3) Australia as the only country that has signed the Refugee Convention and that funds operations of IOM and UNHCR in Indonesia, and (4) Indonesia - as a country that has an intent to become a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and that strives to advance further in signing and ratifying other International Conventions."
One consequence of the MV Oceanic Viking saga and this report is that the Australian trade unions have put out a call for the 78 Tamil asylum seekers to be allowed to go to Christmas Island*** so they can be processed in Australia. And the Australian Council of Trade Unions even took out a newspaper advertisement on Monday, calling on the government to take a more humane approach to asylum seekers. Needless to say the rightist opposition have seized on these incidents to attack the government's position, claiming that the news of the Oceanic Viking Tamils having been in Indonesia for up to five years prior to there recent attempt to get to Australia puts paid to the government's claims alleged recent increase in 'boat people' is due to push factors in Sri Lanka.
To cope with the apparent failure of the government's 'Indonesia Solution', the capacity of the Christmas Island detention facility is being increased from 1200 to 2000 beds, with some sources claiming as high as 2300 places. Chris Evans, the Immigration Minister, has also reiterated their commitment to mandatory detention on the Island and claimed that the children held there are not in fact held in the Islands detention facilities, they are being held in building purpose built for construction workers on the island and includes a range of recreational facilities and en-suite rooms. That's alright then?****
Serco, the company that took over the running of Christmas Island and all of Australia's detention facilities on a 5-year contract in October, have also come under criticism for announcing tough new visiting restrictions that require 24-hours notice and security screening to airport standards.
* Having refugee status, they are unable to be returned to Sri Lankan due to international agreements on 'non-refoulement'.
** Among the 2000 people held in prisons, detention centres and compounds across the country, there are refugees who had previously been granted temporary protection in Australia.
*** According to Pamela Curr, there are currently 50 people in Christmas island detention centres who hold UNHCR refugee cards.
**** The Christmas Island facilities and the offshore immigration processing project has recently been subject to a scathing report from the Australian Human Rights Commission prior to Serco staring their contract.
Stop Deportation Network Public Forum
This event will be held in Room V221 at the Vernon Square Campus of the School of Oriental and African Studies (Penton Rise, WC1X 9EW)
Monday, 2 November 2009
Belgian Detention Centres Blockaded
Saturday morning saw the simultaneous blockade of the Belgian detention centres at Merksplas, Bruges and Vottem (Liege). Around 150 protesters from across Europe were involved, with many locking-on to gates to prevent vehicle movements. 50 people were arrested inside Vottem after scaling the fence, but were later released without charge.
Pagani Update
The Pagani detention centre on Lesvos has finally closed its door (for the time being). The Camp was the location of a No Border Camp this summer and has been the focus on an on-going campaign to close it down ever since. The final straw appeared to be the joint visit two weeks ago by a junior minister (from recently renamed 1984-style the Citizen's Protection Ministry) and a UNHCR delegation. The minister and the UNHCR both condemned conditions there and the new Greek government put a plan into operation to free many of the detainees and transfer the remainder to other centres.
Last Thursday saw the first releases, with people just being pushed out of the gates onto the cold streets. Many queued for ferry tickets but, as the next ferry wasn't until the next day, they faced the possibility of sleeping out in the streets. No Borders activists however, squatted a University building to allow migrants to spend the night in from the cold. Saturday saw the last 120 migrants issued with their registration papers and leave the camp for good. No doubt the Greek authorities will give it a quick makeover, a swift lick of paint and a new name, and it will be reopened for business in the near future but activists will continue to struggle against all detention prisons.
Last Thursday saw the first releases, with people just being pushed out of the gates onto the cold streets. Many queued for ferry tickets but, as the next ferry wasn't until the next day, they faced the possibility of sleeping out in the streets. No Borders activists however, squatted a University building to allow migrants to spend the night in from the cold. Saturday saw the last 120 migrants issued with their registration papers and leave the camp for good. No doubt the Greek authorities will give it a quick makeover, a swift lick of paint and a new name, and it will be reopened for business in the near future but activists will continue to struggle against all detention prisons.
Child Detainees In The Limelight Again
Figures just released show that more than 1,300 children were held in immigration prisons around the country between July 2008 and September 2009, 328 being held in Tinsley House at Gatwick Airport between September 1 2008 and August 31 2009.* It was also revealed that between April 2004 and September 2009 a total of 889 children had been detained for more than 28 days, which can only be expressly ordered authorised by ministers.
The continued detention of children by the UK Borders Agency has been the subject of widespread condemnation, including the Children's Commissioner for England Alan Aynsley-Green, in a report entitled The Arrest and Detention of Children Subject to Immigration Control, and Refugee and Migrant Justice, formerly the Refugee Legal Centre, in the Does Every Child Matter? report. Yet, despite finally signing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child last year, the UK continues this abhorrent practice.
In other news relating to the detention of children, Kent County Council has refused to comment on allegations that five staff have been suspended from Ashford’s Milbank Centre following allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour.’ The Millbank Centre, and a £1m pilot scheme run by Migrant Helpline to house families prior to deportation, was the focus of strong criticism from the Children's Society back in June.
* The figure for the staggered 15 month period include 884 children at Yarl's Wood, Bedford (July 2008 - July 2009) and Dungavel, Lanarkshire (October 2008 - mid September 2009).
The continued detention of children by the UK Borders Agency has been the subject of widespread condemnation, including the Children's Commissioner for England Alan Aynsley-Green, in a report entitled The Arrest and Detention of Children Subject to Immigration Control, and Refugee and Migrant Justice, formerly the Refugee Legal Centre, in the Does Every Child Matter? report. Yet, despite finally signing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child last year, the UK continues this abhorrent practice.
In other news relating to the detention of children, Kent County Council has refused to comment on allegations that five staff have been suspended from Ashford’s Milbank Centre following allegations of ‘inappropriate behaviour.’ The Millbank Centre, and a £1m pilot scheme run by Migrant Helpline to house families prior to deportation, was the focus of strong criticism from the Children's Society back in June.
* The figure for the staggered 15 month period include 884 children at Yarl's Wood, Bedford (July 2008 - July 2009) and Dungavel, Lanarkshire (October 2008 - mid September 2009).
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