Whilst the men appear to currently be on Christmas Island the plans to remove them to Indonesia and then to be sent back to Sri Lanka remain. To refold these men back to Sri Lankan would not only place each of these mens lives at grave risk but would be the greatest breach of the Refugee Convention in 50 years in Australia. This act would signify our government saying you may wish to apply for a asylum but we are going to abandon our clearcut legal obligations to allow you to do so and return you to potential danger.
Howard has categorically refused to let the men so much as lodge their applications for asylum in Australia, which is their rights under the law of Australia AND international law. Remember, ***arriving in Australia unauthorised, by boat, even with no papers, is NOT illegal! Sending people back to a place where they may suffer persecution is called 'refoulement', and it is strictly and unambiguously prohibited under international law as a fundamental principle aimed at protecting the rights and the lives of the world's most vulnerable people.
Let's also remember that the Government has just completed work on an 800-bed $360 million detention facility on Christmas Island. It is ready and waiting to receive these asylum seekers, and although i abhor the existence of such a facility, it is vastly preferable that
it should be put to use while these men's claims are processed, rather than sending them back to a situation of grave danger.
It is a serious concern that our Government has decided that this kind of behaviour is OK, especially in light of the fact that it has been
proven that at least 9 men and 3 children have been killed upon return from Australia to their homelands in recent years.
近年、オーストラリアから強制送還された少なくとも9人の成人と3人の子どもがその後殺害されたことが分かっている現状を踏まえて、この政府がこのような決定をすることをOKとみなすのは大きな懸念といえます。
PLEASE TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO SEND A BRIEF EMAIL TO PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING THESE DECISIONS.
どうか、少し時間をとってこの決定に対してEmailを送ろう!
Here are a few points you may like to make:
いくつかのポイントは:
* "Everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution" Article 14, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
人権宣言の14箇条で「誰もが迫害から逃れる権利を有する」とあること
* Article 33 of the 1951 Refugees Convention *ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITS* sending people back to a country or territory where they may face danger. This is exactly what we're about to do!
1951年の避難民協定の33箇条で「ASを危険のある地域・国に送り返すことは禁止」されている。
*These 83 people are the first asylum seekers to arrive by boat in Australia in over a year. Some areas in Europe get 1500 asylum
seekers A DAY!
今回の83人のASは過去1年でボートでオーストラリアに到着した最初のASである。
* Some of the poorest countries in the world are the most generous hosts of asylum seekers. Ethiopia, Eritrea etc... Iran and Pakistan
both hold over 2 million refugees each. Australia takes 0.05% of the world's refugee burden.
* Historically, asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia are found to be genuine refugees in 92% of cases.
歴史的に、オーストラリアにボートで到着するASは、そのケースの92%が正真正銘のASある。
Think about it like this:
people don't uproot their lives, leave their families and get in a leaky boat for 10 days to travel to a strange country unless they are
SERIOUS about the dangers that face them at home.
人々が10日もかけて、しかもボートで見知らぬ国へよほどのことがない限りわたってこない。
The Government:
PM John Howard - you'll have to contact him using this form: http://www.pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm
ジョンハワードへのメールは上記リンクから。
Kevin.Andrews.MP@aph.gov.au - Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews.