Australia to dump Oceania’s refugees on East Timor
Canberra (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Australia wants to dump Oceania refugees on East Timor. Newly appointed Prime Minister Julia Gillard spoke with the President of East Timor José Ramos-Horta last Monday to discuss the possible creation of a regional processing centre for refugees in his country, this in one of the poorest countries in the world where unemployment hovers around 70 per cent.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) figures, Oceania had 38,200 refugees in 2009, 22,548 in Australia, 9,703 in Papua-New Guinea and 3,289 in New Zealand.
Prime Minister Gillard said she wanted to set up a refugee centre in East Timor because of political pressures in the Australian parliament, where voices are getting louder to stop refugees from getting to the country by sea.
East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao noted that his government would approach the issue with an open mind when more details would be available. “We cannot say whether we accept or whether we don't accept it, but in principle, on a humanitarian basis, we have to participate," Mr Gusmao said.
East Timor gained independence from Indonesia after a referendum in 1999. In 2006, the tiny nation was shaken by a civil war that forced many East Timorese to flee to Australia.
In Australia, East Timor and New Zealand, Prime Minister Gillard’s proposal was met by negative comments and harsh criticism.
In Canberra, opposition leader Tony Abbott said Ms Gillard made an embarrassing mistake. "For all of Kevin Rudd's faults at least he knew something about foreign policy," he said. Kevin Rudd is the former prime minister Ms Gillard replaced.
Greens Party leader Bob Brown said it was appalling for the government to ask the poorest country in the region to take on the job of dealing with the continent’s asylum seekers.
The proposal caused a similar reaction in East Timor. “I think Timor should reject the proposal, simply because there is no condition in Timor to do that," main opposition party Fretilin vice-president Arsénio Bano said. “Economic and social conditions” prevent it because “we are one of the poorest countries in the region.”
Even East Timor's Deputy Prime Minister, Jose Luis Guterres, agrees. ''East Timor is one of the poorest countries in the world. We have huge problems,'' he said. His impoverished country is ''very unlikely'' to accept a refugee centre.
New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, was informed of Australia’s initiative, but was cautious about embracing the proposal.
Since 1992, anyone entering Australia without a valid visa has been subject to immediate mandatory detention or repatriation, including refugee claimants.
In 2008, the immediate detention of political refugees was abolished, but new rules have not yet been implemented.
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