Former Australian Border Force commissioner says he ‘accepts without equivocation’ that deserving cases were ‘thwarted’
Category: Asylum stalag
The question all Australians should ask is this: What sort of country are we? Are we selfish or are we generous? Are we willing to mistreat terrified human beings who have the courage, and the initiative, to escape to safety?
Source: Getting The Facts Straight On Refugee Resettlement | Julian Burnside
Australia’s Nauru detention center has been criticized by human rights groups and compared to a ‘concentration camp’
Source: Australian Detention Center Unsafe for Children | Al Jazeera America
Scott Morrison will sign a refugee resettlement deal with Cambodia
- 2 hours ago September 24, 2014
IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison will sign a controversial refugee resettlement deal with Cambodia at the end of the week.
But details of the agreement won’t be made public until after it is signed off in Phnom Penh on Friday.
The Abbott government only confirmed a deal had been reached after the Cambodian government announced Mr Morrison’s impending visit.
Under the agreement, asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat and are found to be refugees after being processed offshore on Nauru or Manus Island in Papua New Guinea could voluntary choose to be resettled in Cambodia.
They will have freedom of movement and work rights.
Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison, during Question Time in the House of Representatives. Picture: Gary Ramage Source: News Corp Australia
Mr Morrison, earlier in September, said the arrangement was not about “just putting people somewhere and looking the other way”. Labor is demanding the government release details of the agreement.
It was “completely unacceptable” that Australians were being forced to rely on Cambodia for news of an agreement the government was preparing to sign, opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles said.
He asked how Cambodia was an acceptable location to send refugees when the coalition rejected a Gillard government proposal to resettle asylum seekers in Malaysia.
The government previously has defended the plan by saying Cambodia is a signatory to the UN Convention on Human Rights. However, the Greens and refugee groups have cited the country’s human rights record and poor economic status.
The Greens have vowed to vote against the “dirty deal” if and when the government seeks parliamentary approval for the agreement. As one of the poorest nations in the world, Cambodia struggled to look after its own citizens, let alone the refugees Australia wants to “dump” there, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
Women and young girls especially would be at extreme risk of abuse and exploitation.
“The moment those young girls walk off a plane in Cambodia, their lives will be at risk,” she told reporters.
“I don’t believe any thinking Australian would want us to capitulate to moral blackmail”
What sort of PM is Tony Abbott? to come out with a statement like that? It suggest some “moral turpitude” of which the government is guilty & has no intention of stopping even if blackmailed. In a lot of countries eg USA it’s breaking the law. Rolf Harris tried to refuse to capitulate to moral blackmail and he’s in jail.
Eric Abetz comes out yesterday and said yes there were some 11 trivial suicide and self harm attempts by some mothers behind razor wire. However they have been medically attended to now. Both Abbott, Abetz and their right wing media suggest that acts of self harm and attempted suicide are t minor strategical behaviours? Under the Mental Health Act these behaviours are far from trivial patients are generally transferred to ECU. The women have been behind razor wire for 12 months and are clinically depressed and in fear of their children’s poor and deteriorating health. They apparently wanted their children adopted out of detention for their their safety and medical well-being. How hard is that for a mother? Mothers in desperation do desperate things. If Abbott or Abetz found the women in their households doing these minor things would it be a cup otea and an aspirin?
Where is our minister for No Information Scott Morrison? He must be grinding his teeth over the political ineptitude of his leader Tony Abbott and Senator Abetz. There are 120 spin doctors from two departments who are not doing their job, ask Andrew Bolt. No Morrison is in Sri Lanka being tortured by the news from home and the assurance from Sri Lankan police that those asylum seekers returned to face illegal departure charges will get ‘enhanced detention’. What on earth is this special form of detention? No information is available.
Abbott and Morrison also need Malcolm Fraser like a hole in the head who has pointed out that transferring 150 asylum seekers to a navy vessel in International waters and not Australian waters is tantamount to Piracy on the High Seas and another morally questionable act. But I guess Labour has to suffer Bob Carr the media chasing Paris Hilton of their party who stood up to defy Canada, UK and UN by saying he thought Sri Lanka was a fine place to return asylum seekers. They have no record of human rights abuse. Serial rapists would love Carr on the parole board.
olddogthoughts 