Archive for October, 2010

PRESS RELEASE: Citizens Against an Australian asylum seeker processing centre in Timor-Leste

| October 29, 2010

Timor-Leste speaks out against Australia’s asylum plans PRESS RELEASE 11 October 2010 For immediate release *************** Tonight Ms. Dinorah Granadeiro, Director of Timor-Leste‚s NGO Forum, presented a public petition to the Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship at an invitation only reception in Dili. The petition opposes an Australian asylum seeker processing centre in Timor-Leste. […]

Read More

IMMIGRATION MINISTER IGNORES SUICIDE ATTEMPT AND GENEVA APPEAL TO HALT DEPORTATION OF CHINESE FAMILY

| October 29, 2010

Media Release October 29, 2010 Despite a communication from the Geneva-based Special Rapporteur on Torture with the UN High Commission on Human Rights to the Department of Foreign Affairs, requesting a halt to any removal of members of a Chinese Christian family, the Minister for Immigration has refused to intervene to stop the deportation of […]

Read More

IMMIGRATION MINISTER URGED TO HALT DEPORTATION OF CHINESE FAMILY

| October 28, 2010

Media Release, October 28 2010 Refugee advocates have called on the Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, to act urgently to prevent the deportation of a Chinese family, scheduled to be removed from Villawood detention centre tomorrow morning (Friday 29 October). Last minute efforts are being made to get new information to the Minister documenting the danger […]

Read More

TEN ASYLUM SEEKER FAMILIES AT LEONORA ON HUNGER STRIKE

| October 22, 2010

Media Release October 22, 2010 The parents of ten families at the Leonora detention centre are on hunger strike. The families are believed to be Kurdish, Iranian an Iraqi family. All have been rejected at their first refugee assessment hearing. They have all been in detention between six and ten months. It is unclear whether […]

Read More

REFUGEE GROUPS REJECT GILLARD’S MORE DETENTION SOLUTION

| October 18, 2010

Media Release October 18, 2010 Refugee groups are horrified with Julia Gillard’s announcement that the minority Labor government will open more detention centres. Of particular concern is the centre for housing family groups at Inverbrackie, South Australia. “It is a disgrace that the government is opening yet more detention centres. This is not even an […]

Read More

REFUGEE ADVOCATES WELCOME CHILDREN OUT OF DETENTION ANNOUNCEMENT BUT MANDATORY DETENTION HAS TO GO

| October 16, 2010

Media Release, 16 October 2010 Refugee groups have welcomed statements from the Immigration Minister that asylum seekers’ families and children are to be released from immigration detention. “The announcement gives the lie to constant statements by the Rudd and Gillard governments that children were not in detention centres. Children have been in detention since Christmas […]

Read More

MERAK ANNIVERSARY – THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT MUST ACT TO RE-SETTLE TAMIL REFUGEES

| October 8, 2010

THREE RETURNED TAMIL REFUGEES DISAPPEAR IN SRI LANKA Media release October 8, 2010 A year ago, then prime Minister Kevin Rudd called Indonesian president Yudhoyono requesting that the Indonesian navy intercept a boat carrying 254 Tamil asylum seekers to Australia. The boat was the subject of international attention after the asylum seekers refused to disembark […]

Read More