[Greens-Media] Sen Kerry Nettle: Minister confirms her intention to send persecuted Burmese to Nauru

[Edwards, Jon (Sen K. Nettle)]

04.09.06

Minister confirms her intention to send persecuted Burmese to Nauru

Immigration Minister Senator Amanda Vanstone confirmed in answer to
Senator Kerry Nettle in question time today that she intends to send the
eight Burmese asylum seekers from the persecuted Rohingya Burmese
minority to Nauru out of reach of Australia's refugee protection law.

"The Minister knows that this ethnic minority face terrible persecution
in Burma, including being denied citizenship, forced into slave labour,
beaten and imprisoned, yet remains willing to make a political point at
their expense," Senator Nettle said.

"The Minister can and should exercise her ministerial power in the
public interest to bring these men to the Australian mainland to have
their asylum claims fairly assessed. 

"Given; 
*	Burma's appalling human rights record, 
*	the strong likelihood that these Burmese asylum seekers will be
found to be genuine refugees, 
*	the fact they have Australian based lawyers who can't be
guaranteed access to them in Nauru
*	the history of psychological damage experienced by detainees on
Nauru 
and 
*	it is highly unlikely third country resettlement could be found,
it can not be in the public interest for the Minister to do otherwise.

"The Rohingya asylum seekers fled first to Malaysia but have come to
Australia because they could not get protection in that country.

"The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants Country Report for
Malaysia in 2006 has noted that last year 20 Rohingya refugees were
deported back to Burma from Malaysia, confirming the threat these men
were under.

"To insist on the application of the 'pacific solution' policy of
sending these asylum seekers to Nauru is cruel political game playing."

Contact - Jon Edwards 0428 213 146