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Weekly Refugee Posting
Feb. 1st, 2014 06:00 pmYes folks, there's no end to it! Let's see:
First, more details from the boat on which asylum seekers allege they were tortured by Navy personnel, who forced them to burn their hands, with a Somali asylum seeker stating that he was pepper-sprayed and burned his hand trying to find his way while blinded. Phone footage taken by passengers shows a Navy member carrying a camera; the Greens have called for Navy footage from the boat to be released. (ETA: More details from the Australian, whose article throws doubt on the original allegations. It would be a great relief if those claims were untrue or misleading; but that can't be settled in the press, but only by a proper investigation.)
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison got a thorough grilling by the Senate Committee on Friday. Mr Morrison claims the government's secrecy, for example over how many boats are reaching Australian waters, is in the national interest. The Committee disagrees. (It emerges the Minister has not read the documents he claims must be kept under wraps.) We're left not knowing how many boats are still leaving Indonesia and - in other words, whether the policy is in fact working, as Mr Morrison claims, by dissuading people smugglers and their clients from making the trip.
(Combine Mr Morrison's refusal to deny that he hadn't read the documents in question with his Department's refusal to state what briefings he's had, and you have a picture of a Minister carefully covering his arse for when the truth does come out.)
Another tactic the government has refused to confirm or deny is the use of zhoozhed-up lifeboats to send asylum seekers back to Indonesia, for example when people smugglers' boats sink; one of them has apparently washed up in Java, to the chagrin of the Indonesian government.
Prison services provider Serco, which runs Australia's detention centres and WA's prisoner transport service, faces industrial action.
Formerly, asylum seekers on bridging visas, living in the community, who were charged with criminal offences would be returned to detention. Under the new leaked code of conduct, they will not need to have broken the law or be charged with a crime to be sent back to detention. Particularly enraging to me is the inclusion of bullying in the code - "making threats, spreading rumours, attacking someone physically or verbally or excluding someone from a group on purpose". When it comes to asylum seekers, the government does little else.
One asylum seeker has arrived at Christmas Island, apparently in need of urgent medical treatment. (He was apparently taken from a boat secretly being turned back.)
First, more details from the boat on which asylum seekers allege they were tortured by Navy personnel, who forced them to burn their hands, with a Somali asylum seeker stating that he was pepper-sprayed and burned his hand trying to find his way while blinded. Phone footage taken by passengers shows a Navy member carrying a camera; the Greens have called for Navy footage from the boat to be released. (ETA: More details from the Australian, whose article throws doubt on the original allegations. It would be a great relief if those claims were untrue or misleading; but that can't be settled in the press, but only by a proper investigation.)
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison got a thorough grilling by the Senate Committee on Friday. Mr Morrison claims the government's secrecy, for example over how many boats are reaching Australian waters, is in the national interest. The Committee disagrees. (It emerges the Minister has not read the documents he claims must be kept under wraps.) We're left not knowing how many boats are still leaving Indonesia and - in other words, whether the policy is in fact working, as Mr Morrison claims, by dissuading people smugglers and their clients from making the trip.
(Combine Mr Morrison's refusal to deny that he hadn't read the documents in question with his Department's refusal to state what briefings he's had, and you have a picture of a Minister carefully covering his arse for when the truth does come out.)
Another tactic the government has refused to confirm or deny is the use of zhoozhed-up lifeboats to send asylum seekers back to Indonesia, for example when people smugglers' boats sink; one of them has apparently washed up in Java, to the chagrin of the Indonesian government.
Prison services provider Serco, which runs Australia's detention centres and WA's prisoner transport service, faces industrial action.
Formerly, asylum seekers on bridging visas, living in the community, who were charged with criminal offences would be returned to detention. Under the new leaked code of conduct, they will not need to have broken the law or be charged with a crime to be sent back to detention. Particularly enraging to me is the inclusion of bullying in the code - "making threats, spreading rumours, attacking someone physically or verbally or excluding someone from a group on purpose". When it comes to asylum seekers, the government does little else.
One asylum seeker has arrived at Christmas Island, apparently in need of urgent medical treatment. (He was apparently taken from a boat secretly being turned back.)
