Indonesia flouts asylum housing deal

20 November 2009 | 04:44:05 PM | Source: AAP, SBS Staff

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Kevin Rudd announced this week that women and children from the Oceanic Viking wouldn't be held in 'prison like' facilities in Indonesia - but there was new evidence today that this was not the case. (AP)

The Indonesian government has apparently ignored Australian suggestions over housing asylum seekers from the Oceanic Viking, as images emerged of women and children locked behind bars.

Refugee advocates say Indonesia is holding women and children from the Oceanic Viking behind bars so Australia can't renege on its promise to resettle the group promptly.

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Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said this week the women and children among the 78 Sri Lankans would not be held in prison-like facilities at the Tanjung Pinang centre.

But pictures out of Indonesia show them locked behind bars in a building next to the detention centre, where the men are being held and processed.

Some female asylum seekers say they were expecting different arrangements after the Prime Minister assured Parliament they would not be in detention.

A Labor frontbencher says the situation is unfortunate, but the government will continue to lobby Indonesia to accept its policy.

"Our policy is that the women and children ... shouldn't be behind razor wire and bars," Simon Crean told Sky News.

"What we've got to try and do is to continue to urge ... them to accept our policy."

Indonesia 'forcing Australia's hand'

But The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre says Indonesia doesn't want to give Australia the opportunity to back down from its commitment to resettle the group in as little as four weeks.

"They are not giving Australia an opportunity to renege by putting them in the community where things could go slow," campaign coordinator Pamela Curr told AAP.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says it's concerning Mr Rudd broke his word.

"(Mr Rudd) stands up and shakes his fist in mock indignation at the fact that women and children were in detention centres under the previous (Howard government) regime," he told reporters in Queanbeyan.

"(But) now has arrangements with the Indonesia (where) plainly they are."

The Refugee Council of Australia believes that Indonesia simply doesn't have the resources to hold them in the community.

More work needed on regional arrangements

President John Gibson says the situation also shows that a lot more work is needed to improve regional arrangements.

"It's obviously not what the intention of the arrangement was, to have women and children kept in confined circumstances," he told AAP.

"The only positive aspect of this is that I suspect the processing will be timely and they will be removed."

Meanwhile, another boatload of asylum seekers was intercepted in Australian waters on Friday - the 44th this year.

The federal government says the 53 suspected asylum seekers onboard will be taken to the Christmas Island detention centre for processing

 

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Your Comments

24 Nov 2009 15:11 AEST

Mick

From: Brisbane

where is the equality?

Why all the outburst about "Women and Children" being behind bars? These people are all from the same boat, why treat the women differently? I can understand the children but they would probably prefer to be with their parents, bars or not. This seems like a step backward in equality - and from our PM.

Agree (1 people agree)
Disagree (0 people disagree)
 

21 Nov 2009 8:46 AEST

dumb azz

From: syd

Asylum Seekers and Refugees are criminals. Send them back!

yes, i agree with 'roliwli' (he should rename to 'little-willi' instead), Yes, all these 'asylum seekers' are criminals. We should send them back to where they came from. After that lets send back all the people whose ancestors came only 200 years ago as CRIMINALS.

Agree (3 people agree)
Disagree (3 people disagree)
 

21 Nov 2009 7:53 AEST

Glen

From: Wollongong

migrating to Australia

I am a migrant to Australia - in 1971, with BOSS - the Apartheid Bureau of State Security paying the family home regular visits and threatening detention. We did not hijack a ship. we knocked on the door of the Australian Embassy and did what they told us - step by step. It took 18 months to go through the careful screening process but we got here. And have neveer regretted it. Migrant screening is thorough and necessarily slow.

Agree (7 people agree)
Disagree (0 people disagree)
 

20 Nov 2009 19:30 AEST

Proud Aussie

From: sydney

"Australian values"?

wow, I feel so proud to be AUSTRALIAN!! wow, we put children and women behind bars. aaahhh feel so good. Keep up the Australian values, fellow AUSTRALIANS. Don't you all feel so good for being so 'TOUGH' in turning back people fleeing for their lives. So we get Indonesia to do the dirty work for us and behave like we are such nice, proud people. Yayyyy...

Agree (7 people agree)
Disagree (11 people disagree)
 

20 Nov 2009 19:09 AEST

roliwili

From: Alice Springs

asylum seekers

The Indonesian government have done the right thing by imprisoning the 78 illegals off the OV! They have committed several crimes, and should be treated as criminals! I would like to see the Indonesians prosecute them for hijacking the OV - among other crimes related to unauthorised travel, and, deliberately sabotaging their own boat - in the first place! The Indonesians should summarily deport all foreigners who have no valid reason for being in Indonesia! And, shut down IOM & UNHCR.

Agree (18 people agree)
Disagree (4 people disagree)
 

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