Why are we more concerned for this man who left a girl dying under the wheels of his car than for the victims family?Throw him out of the country.

An Iraqi asylum seeker who knocked down a 12-year-old girl and left her to die while banned from driving has won the right to remain in the UK.

Aso Mohammed Ibrahim, 31, from Blackburn, Lancashire, faced deportation but successfully invoked human rights legislation granting him the right to a “family life” in the UK.

Victim Amy Houston’s father Paul, who campaigned for Ibrahim’s deportation, is outraged by the judge’s decision, made earlier this week.His local MP, Justice Secretary Jack Straw, has vowed to take up the case and the UK Border Agency is also considering an appeal.

Amy Houston was trapped under the wheels of Ibrahim’s vehicle in November 2003 and died later in hospital.

Ibrahim, who ran off from the scene, was jailed for four months by Blackburn magistrates for driving while disqualified and failing to stop after an accident.He was already banned from driving when he committed the offence.Ibrahim went on to flout his driving ban in 2006 when he was caught driving while disqualified and with no insurance.

Mr Houston, of Darwen, told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph: “I can’t believe the decision the judge has come to.”He vowed to keep fighting for Ibrahim’s deportation “for the rest of my life” and added: “What a Christmas present for him and what a terrible one for my family.”

Ibrahim was due to be deported after he was taken into the custody of the UK Border Agency last October.

But the Iraqi Kurd claimed it was too dangerous to return to his homeland and won the right to stay in Britain after a lengthy series of appeals.Full story Independent

The latest news from Christmas Island:

Christmas Island’s detention facilities reached their capacity of 1,400 regular beds last Thursday, and now about 60 asylum seekers are now being housed in tents..

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison is outraged.

“I think it’s outrageous that we’re in a situation now that we’ve had so many boat arrivals that these people will have to spend these hot summer months under tents” he said. Anger as asylum seekers housed in tents

Firstly, I reckon that someone who has escaped the Taliban, fled using dodgy people smugglers, and sailed to Australia on a ramshackle fishing boat skippered by people who have never sailed that far before is not going to worry too much about being HOT!

Secondly, if Mr Morrison is concerned that the asylum seekers might suffer because they have to sleep in tents, how can he support the return of the Temporary Protection Visa that drove people mad and drove them to suicide with its inhumane conditions? TPV agonyScott Morrison is

An Asylum Christmas Carol, originally written in the Howard/Ruddock era. Who knew we would need to dust it off once more?

Here it is, with some minor changes, for your enjoyment on this Sunday Funday.

Happy shopping!

“I saw three ships come sailing in to Christmas Bay, to Christmas Bay

I saw three ships come sailing in to Christmas Bay in the morning.

And what was in these ships all three in Christmas Bay, in Christmas Bay,

A half a thousand refugees in Christmas Bay in the morning

And what were they all looking for in Christmas Bay, in Christmas Bay,

They sought a friendly foreign shore in Christmas Bay in the morning

But on the way we turned them round from Christmas Bay, from Christmas Bay,

Piss off you bastards, Ho ho ho, in Christmas Bay in the morning

It matters not from where you’ve come to Christmas Bay, to Christmas Bay,

It’s peace on earth, goodwill to some, in Christmas Bay in the morning”

Enter the doors of Trinity Methodist Church, in Four Elms Road, Cardiff. Families who fled the Iraq war in 2003 mingle with Eritrean families who have only just arrived following the latest eruption of ethnic violence. They are attending a weekly group called Space 4 U to give some emotional and administrative support to those seeking sanctuary in the United Kingdom.

The UK’s Home Office terms them asylum seekers, considering the state of some of these families home countries it is very likely they will be given refugee status within six months to a year and allowed to live and work in the UK.

The latest quarterly statistics from the Home Office put the number of asylum cases which are unresolved at 29,070, of this number three per cent live in Cardiff. Between 65 and 75 per cent will be turned down on their first asylum application. Their case will then be transferred to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT). This court based appeal process is slow, and is the chief explanation given by the UK Border Agency for the large number of unresolved cases.

I spoke to Steven Hill, Reverend of Trinity Methodist Church, he outlined the work they do and highlighted how important it is to confront social issues around those seeking sanctuary:

If you spend a while walking around and talking to people at Space 4 U  you will notice some who seem sombre, giving advice to new comers, making tea, and working with the volunteers. Space 4 U provide the platform where those seeking sanctuary can, for a few hours a week, relax, play games and just be at peace.

These sombre few are peopled deemed to be failed asylum seekers. Their initial case has been turned down and they now either subsist on relatives or in most cases exist on assistance from the government.

Scared of being named publicly, for fear of reprisal, they asked to remain anonymous.

An Armenian man, 38, living in Cardiff, has been in the UK for eight years, he left Armenia because he had been subjected to political persecution. His initial case was turned down in 2001, now married with a stepchild the Home Office are in possession of his wife’s passport until his appeal is decided. He said:

“I respect the Government and the people of the United Kingdom, they have been good to me, but I have become like a ghost, they have lost sight of me. It is just inconceivable that it has taken eight years and my case has not even been breathed on since it was first heard.

“My initial claim for refugee status was turned down because I could not provide the evidence they required. I was in and out of detention centres until 2005 when the Home Office attempted to deport me. I was taken to Heathrow but I would not get on the plane. As a result I was badly assaulted by the security company contracted to put me on the plane, I was hospitalised with a punctured lung, fractured ribs and severe bruising.

“The police investigation into my assault found no evidence which could take the people responsible to court.

“The government look at asylum seekers like a bee hive, they want to reach into the issue and come out with honey, but they are fearful if they really delve into it, dig deep into the issue, they will stir up a swarm which will hurt them very badly.”

Another long-term asylum seeker, a Sri Lankan Tamil, fled from ethnic persecution with his family.  His case has been lodged with the AIT for over a decade. He and the Armenian man spoke to me about the need to change public opinion to give the government more leverage to help them:

Under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, to be recognised as a refugee, you must have left your country and be unable to go back because you have a well-founded fear of persecution because of your  race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a particular social group. The UK Border Agency and the Home Office hold this as the key stone of their policy.

An Iraqi man, 61, fled from his home in Baghdad to Lebanon in 2001 because he was subjected to persecution and torture from Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party . He stayed in Lebanon until 2003 when Saddam Hussein was deposed. He returned to Iraq for two years and then feld to Britian. He has been allowed to work but has not been given refugee status.

One of his most painful experiences was when he lent his taxi to a friend for the day. The bus was destroyed in a roadside bomb in Baghdad, targeted by religious fanatics at the height of the conflict.

Welsh Assembly Member Jenny Randerson, and Cardiff Councillor Nigel Howells, gave their political opinion in regards to the current resources allocated to deal with asylum cases. Watch this video stream to hear what they said:

In relation to the efficiency of the asylum system, a spokesman from the UK Border Agency said:

“We will continue to support failed asylum seekers financially and allow them to remain in the UK until the temporary situation which is preventing them from returning home changes. This is called ‘Section 4 support’ as it is provided under the terms of section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.”

This is true for many cases but, as with those above, some fall into a grey area which means they cannot be sent home but are also not allowed to be a functioning member of society in the UK.

Frances Ballin,75,of Lisvane, is a human rights campaigner and one of a committed number of  Welsh volunteers at the Trinity Methodist Church. She runs a Tesco voucher scheme to help support those seeking sanctuary. The Home Office is soon to replace this system by a  closed debit card payment system called Azure. She spoke out over a letter sent to her local MP by the Minister of State Phil Woolas, which outlines the principles of the new scheme:

Irfan John, 46, from Pakistan, is the Synod Enabler for Ethnic Minority Congregations in Wales, he was granted refugee status and now works to help those less fortunate than himself, he said:

“ Due to globalization people are moving around the world, British people settle else where and foreign people come here to settle. Those who come to the UK seeking help do not need your money ,all they need is your smile.”

The Trinity Methodist Church is one of a number small bright gems in the lives of people who have come seeking sanctuary, both in Cardiff and across the UK. The chain which will turn the tide of public opinion around to help them starts with you.

A dark cloud has gathered over my head in the past few days, and its name is Abbott’s Liberals (shame that they further besmirch such and honourable adjective!).

Work ‘choices’, climate denial, and a harder line on asylum seekers. But what can a harder line be?

I have written about Sharman Stone’s hardline rants, but  apparently she is a moderate:

“It will be essential that the moderates that remain in the party continue to steer through the middle ground, ensuring that the real grassroots of the party continues to build in multicultural communities,” Dr Stone said. “

Immigration was so difficult because you were sandwiched between the left and the right wing of the party. I happened to believe that I was steering the right path and I had a lot of support for that, including, of course, from the leader at the time.” Liberals steer to the right on boats

As blogger Armagnac Daddy (yes, that’s the name!) says, how much more draconian could the Liberal policy be?

“Do they want to kill them? I’m being serious, there’s not much left. Do they want us to finally, once and for all, dump the Convention itself and its core rule of non refoulement? Just send people back to war zones, overt oppression, torture, genocide, whatevs?”

Zareen Tag is a woman from the Hazara ethnic group in Afghanistan. Nearly all of the Afghans who have arrived by boat in Australia since 1999 come from group.

Zareen returned to Afghanistan in 2004 to record some of the history of persecution that the Hazaras have suffered.

The video she made is shocking, and explains completely why so many Hazaras have fled.

Remember too that when Zareen filmed this, it was a time of comparative peace in Afghanistan. Things have become much worse in the last two years.

Climate change has been centre stage this week in Australian politics, with careers being made and lost over the best ways to counter its effects.

The other ‘hot’ issue, asylum seekers, took a back seat for a few days, but will no doubt be back on page one soon and will focus on how to stop them arriving.

The ‘right to leave’, which was the dominant discourse and driver of UNHCR policy until the early 1990s, has changed to the ‘right to remain’ in one’s home country. This change has led to the increasing protection of borders, rather than of people who are fleeing  persecution, and lip service to the idea of ‘preventive protection’, that is supporting changes in the source nation to ‘dry up’ the flow of refugees.

At the Barcelona Climate Change Talks 2009 last month, displacement related to climate change was addressed. Parties were urged to begin to address  ”internal and cross-border migration and displacement” and identify ways to “respond to the needs of affected populations” who are displaced by the effects of climate change.

Refugees International sums up the situation facing us:

There are currently 41.2 million people displaced by conflict. Estimates indicate that 50 million to 1 billion people will be displaced by climate change over the next 50 years. The most immediate threats from climate change are in the form of storms of increasing intensity, such as Cyclone Nargis in Burma; greater incidence of drought and floods that make traditional livelihoods unsustainable; and increased conflicts over access to limited resources. The war in Darfur derives, in part, from conflict over scarce resources as the desert expands. Other dramatic impacts are also predicted in the long term, such as the disappearance of island states like the Maldives. Forced Displacement Must Be Included in Copenhagen Climate Agreement

Looks like another reason to stop squabbling about climate tactics.

There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we now know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. These are things we do not know we don’t know.

In this famous statement of 2003, Donald Rumsfeld deftly unlocked the challenges facing American politics with all the unknowingly unknown-ness of post-modernity. Especially now, under the auspices of that dirty word which the postmodern pioneer Ihab Hassan recently referred to as the G-word – Glooobalisation – might we find a trough of unknowns complicating humanity’s eternal search for truth.

It is in these same furrows that Omer Fast ploughs with his video works: exemplars of the thoroughly contemporary problematic of truth seeking. In the shadow of the technological overlords who exacerbate an already unfathomable expanse of existence as we don’t know it, simple questions of origin become impossible locks to unpick, and fascinating scabs to pick at.

Fast’s most recent work is a three part video-installation entitled Nostalgia, showing currently at the South London Gallery in Camberwell, in which a multifaceted and disparate tale unfolds out of a simple recollection of how to create an animal trap from sticks.

Omer Fast - Nostalgia I

Part I presents us with audio commentary alongside footage to illustrate this simple technique, whilst Part II depicts an interview between the artist and an African man seeking asylum in London from which this central recollection appears to have originated.

Using techniques similar to those employed in his 2007 video work The Casting – images of the interviewer and interviewee as well as their narrative are edited clumsily in and out of view/earshot, problematising the truthfulness of the narrative presented to us – the conversation appears awkward, nay falsified. We aren’t sure whether what we are watching is staged or not.

Omer Fast - The Casting

 The conversation veers in and out of poignancy as the artist probes into the man’s upbringing, giving rise to the very questions of known and unknown which I attempted to formulate earlier. Most tellingly, the man’s response to Omer’s request for information about the landscape outside of his childhood home achieves the perfectly simplistic response of

     Outside is outside. You know? Earth, trees, people, dogs…

Before describing the neighbours’ house more specifically as

     Normal! The same. It looks like our house.

In these terms, what is known is reasonably exemplified as that closest, that experienced: the most subjective reasoning for normality. Yet it also comments on shared experience in the form of basic living conditions, “earth, trees, people, dogs”… houses. Our experience of life is suddenly not so different from anyone’s. It is in the minutiae that differences occur.

The final part of the instillation compounds the problems, however. It is a complicated and cyclical set of stories – never ending – which appear to explain one another, yet which don’t seem perfectly unified. Using the animal-trap as their central tenet, it would appear that we have in fact walked into what Boris Johnson referred to as a giant bear trap in a famed episode of Have I Got News For You. Omer Fast treats us to the story of English Asylum seekers stealing their way into an unnamed West African country which might offer them better living conditions and the hope for a better life, and the trap becomes a telling metaphor. We have been treated to a discourse on authorship, and on what filmmaking is and can be etc.

This is the place of rewritten histories, as is art, and as are memories.

Omer Fast - Nostalgia III

The exhibition reminded of a similarly intriguing multi-platform video work by Lindsay Seers entitled It Has to Be This Way shown at Matts Gallery in Mile End earlier this year.

Linday Seers - It Has To Be This Way

Lindsay Seers - It Has to Be This Way

Centering around the above installation in which the main story was told simultaneously through two spectacle like video portholes, the work creates a multi-dimensional and multi-referential web at the centre of which is the story of retracing her missing sister’s steps.

Lindsay Seers - It Has To Be This Way

The work speeds through her sisters story by way of the history of Queen Christina’s ‘Roman Period’ (her sister’s research topic), alchemical meanderings (part of the historical story as well as an erstwhile paradigm for the artistic process, disturbed here by the inexactitudes of retracing memories and spinning yarns), her sister’s boyfriend’s letters and photos, and to add a wonderfully contrived level of falsification to the whole thing, an historian called M. Anthony Penwill’s take on the whole matter, recreated lovingly as a document to be taken away from the exhibition.

M. Anthony Penwill - It Has To Be This Way

To pen down the substance of this work seems impossible, and the above, laboured explanation appears to me a far cry from the fun I had participating in the work. One truly felt involved as the story unfolded, half murder-mystery, half existential treatise. The alchemical properties of the images which sat at the centre of the work – Seers developed the entire work out of a series of found photos – appears the perfect embodiment of the truthful/useful/useless-ness of images. As do Fast’s animal traps.

Lindsay Seers - It Has To Be This Way

Such self-mythological meanderings and uncertain histories appear to me similar to a sub-genre of historical memory I have recently become aware of. Most recently presented to me in a new book by Eduardo Galeano entitled Mirrors: Stories of Almost Everyone, this genre appears to manifest itself as collaged presentations of history. The book intends to tell the story of the world by way of the most incidental yet extrapolatable stories of mankind, as short (sometimes just a few sentences) vignettes concerned at arms length with world events give a better picture of reality than the faceless presentation of facts.

The idea reminded me of Geert Mak’s majesterial In Europe, in which the Dutch journalist traveled through Europe to the sites of the last century’s most telling moments, retracing the steps of those affected by and proximate to it with personal manifesto, again presented in short vignettes. Truth is found somewhere inbetween the memories and stories of those affected by it, without ever going so far as to acclaim its own truth. Collaged expression appears most capable of rendering an approximation of a truth.

If outside is outside, and our experience is shared, the details are what make each of us different, and no-one’s truth is any different from, or any better than, or any nearer to the TRUTH than any other. We all make up the collage.

Community noticeboard on the Island, after the news that the detention centre capacity would be expanded to 2200.

I saw this news item yesterday about Pakistani migrants caught in Hong Kong after sea journey from China, and it got me thinking. Pakistani asylum seekers? (The body of the news item identifies the ‘migrants’ as refugees).

I haven’t heard of Pakistani nationals who are refugees, but Pakistan has (reluctantly) hosted hundreds of thousands of Hazara Afghan refugees for several decades, and I have met some ethnic Afghan Hazaras who were born in ‘camps’ in Pakistan.

This led me to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants’ report on refugees in Pakistan, which makes clear why there has been a surge in numbers of Afghan Hazaras attempting to reach Australia by boat.

Some quotes from USCRI:

“Early 2009 Pakistani police continued a crackdown on unregistered Afghans begun late in the previous year and by March local courts were ordering the deportation of some 60 per month for lack of legal documents to remain under Section 14 of Foreigners Act.  The courts also imposed jail sentences of five to ten days and fines of 1,000 to 2,000 Rupees (about $13-25).

“In April, police authorities closed Jalozai camp outside Peshawar, the largest in Pakistan and home to over 70,000 people.  The Government’s chief refugee commissioner promised not to evict them forcibly or to cut off food aid, water, and electricity until the last refugee left the camp, but authorities demolished about 500 Afghan-owned shops at the camp and cut off power and water anyway.  Residents could return to Afghanistan—and 3,000 did—or rebuild homes in other camps in the Punjab or North West Frontier Provinces at their own expense.  Many had lived in the camp for decades.

“In October, officials accused some 50,000 Afghan refugees in the Bajaur tribal area near the border of links to militants, ordered them to leave the area, and began deporting them and arresting those who returned.  Authorities also threatened to bulldoze their homes and ordered local residents to cut business ties with them and to evict them from houses and shops they were renting.  Officials said they arrested at least 40 Afghans and would deport them and shut down Afghan-owned shops in the area.  About 168,000 fled to other parts of northwest Pakistan but some 20,000 Pakistanis and Afghans went to Afghanistan’s neighboring Kunar province”.

See also ‘Indonesian solution’ for asylum seekers should be ‘Pakistan solution’

>>>>26<<<<

Watching This Tonight !!!!!!

Your Going To Love This

OUTRAGEOUS !!!!

Taxpayers pay £1,600-a-week for family of ex-asylum seekers to live in luxury five-storey home

A Somali family are living in a luxury £1.8million five- storey house in central London funded by the taxpayer. Nasra Warsame, 40, has lived with seven of her children and her elderly mother in the six-bedroom house since October.

Westminster council pays the £1,600-a-week rent for the former asylum seeker.

The fully-furnished house, within walking distance of the West End, has three sitting rooms and four bathrooms. The main lounge has two leather sofas, a flat-screen television and a glass coffee table. Annual rent for the house would cost £83,200. Mrs Warsame’s home is part of an impressive 1960s development of modern apartments and houses. There is a large glass sculpture situated in the middle of a courtyard outside the family’s front door. It is understood the rent being paid by the council is twice the going rate for a property in the area. It is unclear why this is the case. Meanwhile, Mrs Warsame’s husband Bashir Aden, 50, and another of their children are living in a separate property in nearby Camden.

He said they live separately because the family is too big to fit under one roof. His two-bedroom flat is also paid for by housing benefit. Outside the family’s main house yesterday Mr Aden, a butcher, said: ‘I’ve already had too much trouble with this house. ‘Yes, it is true I live in Camden, and yes, my wife lives here, but she has a lot of problems with this at the moment.’ Mrs Warsame and her seven children, aged from two to 16, first lived in a house in Maida Vale, North-West London, but were moved because it was thought to be too small by council officials. The weekly rent, which was also covered by housing benefit, is understood to have been £800. Mr Aden said: ‘That place was overcrowded. They moved her here for the children.’ An estate agent showed the family the spacious five-floor property near Edgware Road Underground station.

‘The new house we moved into in October is a nice house and it is in a nice area,’ Mrs Warsame said. ‘It is quiet and it is convenient and we do not want to leave. ‘It is better than the house we were living in in Maida Vale which was quite small. We were getting complaints from neighbours that the children were being too noisy.’ Mrs Warsame and her husband fled unrest in Somalia in 1991 and claimed asylum in Britain. They have since been granted citizenship and all of their children were born here. But the family could be evicted from their house, as it is claimed it has been rented out illegally. Philippa Roe, of Westminster council, said: ‘It’s important to note that the amount of housing benefit payable for tenants is determined by government policy and not local councils. This rate is calculated and updated on a yearly basis according to the value of the local rental market. We have absolutely no discretion in this area. ‘Property rents in Westminster are among the highest in the country so it is perhaps unsurprising that a family claiming housing benefit for a property of this size would need to submit a claim for this amount. ‘We would, however, like to see the entire housing benefit system changed to enable councils to have more control and essentially the ability to limit the amount of money claimed where appropriate.’ Last year it was revealed Afghan single mother Toorpakai Saiedi and her seven children were given a £1.2million property complete with 100ft garden by Ealing council in West London. Mrs Saiedi, 35, received £170,000 a year in benefits. Some £150,000 of that is paid to a private landlord for the seven-bedroom house. A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: ‘We capped the Local Housing Allowance in April because it was unacceptable that a small number of people received exceptionally high levels of Housing Benefit. ‘We want the system to be fair, both to families in need and the taxpayer.’

Tunes

SAD

Mother-of-two stabbed to death after putting up banners announcing her ‘divorce party’

A mother of two was killed as she prepared for a party to celebrate her divorce. The body of Katrina Jones, 34, was found with stab wounds on Friday afternoon in her home after police received reports of a domestic disturbance. Neighbours watched as her ex-husband Brian Jones, 63, was led crying from the house in handcuffs. Earlier that day Miss Jones had put banners reading ‘Divorce Party’ in the windows of the house in Marske, near Middlesbrough. Neighbours said the nine-year marriage had run into trouble last year and Mrs Jones, a housewife, filed for divorce this February. The couple had an 11-year-old son, while Mrs Jones also had an 18-year-old son from a previous relationship who does not live with the family. Neighbours said it was the third marriage for bodybuilding nightclub bouncer Mr Jones. They claimed he had a flat elsewhere but had moved in with an elderly neighbour next door to his former wife. One neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘By about 3.10pm the street was swarming with police officers and I knew something serious had happened because there was a forensic team in white suits. No one knows how she died yet but we are all absolutely shocked. ‘She was a really bubbly woman and she had moved on from the split with Brian – she had a new partner.

‘Brian was arrested in the house, but I don’t know what happened. He is 5ft 11in but really wide, and she was 5ft if that and quite slight. Her sons are going to be devastated.’ A female neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: ‘Katrina had been asking for a couple of weeks where she could get a divorce party banner from because she wanted one for Friday night. ‘She had been in a really good mood that week – she always had a smile on her face anyway. Her and Brian split up because Katrina fell out of love with Brian. ‘I think he took it hard and he couldn’t accept it was over.’

As floral tributes were left outside the house last night, Mrs Jones’s mother, Jean Evans, paid tribute to her in a statement released by Cleveland Police. She said: ‘Katrina was always happy and enjoyed her life. She was a person who would do anything for anybody.’ Tributes were also paid to Mrs Jones on social networking website Facebook. One friend, Jane Curran, wrote: ‘Gone but never forgotten, we will always remember your smiling face and infectious laugh.’ A Cleveland Police spokesman said: ‘Police were called to a house just after 3pm on Friday after reports of a domestic-related incident. ‘They discovered the body of a woman in the house. She had suffered fatal stab wounds. ‘The victim has been named as Katrina Jones, 34.’ A 63-year-old local man has been charged with murder and is due to appear before magistrates in Middlesbrough today.

WHY SHOULD YOU BE CHECKED FOR LOOKING AFTER YOUR OWN CHILDREN ????  ITS EQUIVALENT TO BEING CHECKED BEFORE YOUR ALLOWED TO HAVE CHILDREN…MIND YOU…IN SOME CASES THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD THING

Home-schooling parents may face criminal record checks

Parents who teach their own children at home must undergo criminal records checks, say Government education inspectors. The estimated 40,000 parents who choose not to send their children to school should be vetted, says Ofsted.It said that parents whose records throw up suspicions should be barred from teaching their own children.

Vetting to root out any record of violence against children would be by the Criminal Records Bureau. It would reveal to local authorities parents’ criminal convictions, cautions and warnings, and even information that did not lead to a criminal conviction. It would also show any unproven complaints noted by the controversial new Independent Safeguarding Authority, set up to vet adults working with other people’s children. Parents who fail the checks could also find themselves receiving attention from child protection social workers. If accepted by ministers, the Ofsted rules would be the first state attempt to investigate and vet ordinary parents over the way they bring up their own children. The proposal brought fierce protests from family campaigners.

Norman Wells of the Family Education Trust said: ‘It is sheer madness for Ofsted to suggest that parents should be required to undergo CRB checks to be with their children between the hours of 9am and 3pm from Monday to Friday during term-time. ‘If it is deemed unsafe for children to be with their parents during normal school hours, it is equally unsafe for them to be with their parents in the evenings, at weekends and during the school holidays. ‘If Ofsted are calling for CRB checks for home-educating parents now, how long will it be before they are demanding that all parents are CRB-checked?’ Robert Whelan of the Civitas think-tank said: ‘You can no longer be a parent without a piece of paper from the state. This is a monstrous idea and it shows the danger of taking things to logical extremes.’ A Bill from Children’s Secretary Ed Balls already backs the idea of a home-schooling registration scheme where parents must set out a curriculum and allow town hall officials to inspect their homes. But in a written report to MPs on the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee, Ofsted said: ‘Registration would not of itself prevent those who have a conviction for offences against children, including parents, step-parents or privately employed home tutors, from home educating children. ‘Criminal Records Bureau checks should be a requirement of registration.’ The right of parents to educate their children at home has been enshrined in law since 1944. Parents have until now not had to register with councils or tell them what they are teaching.

Joe Bugner leaves the jungle as George Hamilton threatens to quit

Retired boxer Joe Bugner left the jungle last night after losing a Bushtucker trial. The 59-year-old went head-to-head with Hollyoaks actor Stuart Manning in a Jungle Jail trial. Each celebrity had to work out how to escape from the prison to remain in with a chance of being crowned King of the Jungle.

They had to retrieve an ultra-violet torch guarded by a snake then discover the correct combination for a padlock on a hatch and enter an underground trial. They had to find keys to unlock gates in the tunnel which were crawling with spiders, worms and other critters, before finding a final key which would unlock the escape hatch. When Stuart brushed off his spiders and emerged from his tunnel to ring a bell, Joe was shocked as he had only just discovered the codes hidden on the bars of his cell. Bugner, who entered the jungle to replace dancer Camilla Dallerup when she quit with exhaustion, said: ‘I didn’t want to go, I wanted to stay to the end.

‘I wanted Stuart to win, I’ve had a wonderful time, I knew from the word go that the youth would take over here, but the experience alone was fantastic.

‘I can now go home to my grandchildren and tell them what it was all about.’ He said he wanted Stuart to be crowned King of the Jungle. Speaking to Ant and Dec after leaving the camp, he said: ‘I was so happy for Stuart and he was the one that showed the most interest in going out last. Over this short period of time I got to like him very much. He has determination but wasn’t overly exhuberant.’ But he added: ‘I think I was rigged. I couldn’t find the numbers and my torch didn’t work.’

Stuart was relieved to return to camp. He said: ‘I really thought I was going today. I was a little worried. Joe’s fought Ali and the best fighters in the world. He’s so mentally strong. I’m sorry Joe is leaving, he will be missed, he made us all laugh.’ The celebrities appeared pleased to see Manning return, with a a visibly happy Sabrina Washington declaring: ‘I didn’t want Stuart to go, I was relieved he stayed. ‘I’m really happy he’s back.’ Gino declared he had his pal back and said ‘The “bromance” can continue’ while George Hamilton backed Stuart to win after saying he looked on him ‘as my son’. But he then confided in told Kim Woodburn he wasn’t planning to stay until the end of the show.

He said: ‘It’s about me saying I’m not helping this camp except in morale, I’m not doing anything. So if I take that attitude then it’s best I left. ‘I can help the odds if I step out. At my age , the time I have with people I care about is important, Barbara is here and we have no time together I don’t see purpose for me to stay. I want you to know that. I’m going to think about this tomorrow.’ Meanwhile there were other antics back at camp. The celebrities were given a glass of wine at dinner but they soon complained that it smelt like vinegar and named it ‘Chateau Dunny’. George started dancing, Justin began singing and ended up serandaing to Gino with Starry, Starry Night and kissing him.

Stuart and Sabrina encouraged Gino to kiss Justin but it was the interior designer who made the move when he picked up a bit of plastic and placed it between his and Gino’s mouth and then locked lips. Sabrina and Stuart ended up having a heavy conversation about children and marriage. Stuart told her: ‘There have been too many things that we’ve said and agreed on… and it’s… well, we’ll talk about it when we get out of here…’ There was tension earlier in the camp after the celebrities won chocolate and the chance for one of them to use a mobile phone after completing a Treasure Hunt challenge. Kim, Justin and Stuart all agreed that the phone call should be made by one of the men who had children either Gino, Jimmy or George. However, Sabrina really wanted the chance to talk to her mum. Gino and Jimmy agreed that as their children could watch the show, George should be allowed the phone call but Stuart then backed Sabrina’s chance to win the call and they drew straws Justin pulled the shortest straw but got upset at having to choose. In the end he chose George.

Lying on his hammock clearly upset by the decision he was forced to take, Justin cried as he said to Sabrina: ‘I know how much you love your mum and important it is for you to talk to your mum, I’m sorry.’ But Gino complained that the decision showed how selfish two people in the camp were, indicating Sabrina and Stuart. George spoke to his girlfriend Barbara after producers failed to get hold of his son in America.He told her: ‘I miss you more than you can imagine and I’m holding on as long as I can here.

‘I’m having such a positive time here, it’s so good for my health and it’s an amazing bunch of people. When I first started out I thought it might be a negative thing but it’s so good.’ No one was evicted from the camp last night to the surprise of the campmates. ‘What is going on?’ asked Kim. ‘It’s got to be a double tomorrow,’ said Justin. ‘Perhaps we’ll never leave,’ joked Jimmy White.

Alexandra Burke goes GaGa in studded leotard as she shows Jamie Archer and Jedward how it’s done

They all know how it feels to perform in front of Simon Cowell’s intense glare every Saturday night. But as Alexandra Burke showed X Factor rejects Jamie Archer and Jedward tonight, theres a lot more to being a star than impressing Cowell, even if he is the most influential man in pop. Alex, the winner of last year’s show, put in an energetic performance as she took to the stage at the T4 Stars of 2009 event, at Earls Court in west London.

Going GaGa: Alexandra Burke shows the new batch of X Factor stars how its done as she performs onstage at T4’s Stars of 2009 at Earls Court in London

Impressive: Alex and her dancers put in an energetic performance

Dressed in a leotard decorated with silver studs, leggings and black leather gloves, she showed off her finely honed dance moves as she pe Amongst the audience were Jedward and Archer – who have both been voted off this year’s show.

Still chasing the dream: X Factor reject Jamie Archer on stage

Jedward mania: The Grimes twins made an appearance

Archer had earlier showed he hasn’t given up dreams of stardom, as he performed to the crowd.Cowell’s domination of the music industry was further demonstrated by boyband JLS, who drove the excitable audience into a frenzy.Despite missing out to Alex on last year’s show, they are fast becoming Britain’s biggest boyband.

Thrilling the fans: JLS caused uproar when they appeared onstage

We love them: Excited girls while JLS perform

Other performers included The Saturdays, who sparkled in matching silver sequinned mini dresses. Rival girlband The Sugababes chose daring PVC outfits, with revealing cutout sections. Florence, from Florence And The Machine went for a glamous look in a peach floor-length chiffon dress. And American star Ke$ha arrived in nothing more than a pair of patterned tights.

Daring: The Sugababes wore very revealing PVC and cutout outfits

Glitzy girls: The Saturdays chose silver sequins for their performance

Ke$ha and Florence from Florence and the Machine

WHAT A DI**HEAD

Man has nipples tattooed on his bum

Cheeky Jay Norwell is such a big fan of breasts he’s had a pair of nipples tattooed on his bottom.

The 28-year-old from Reading’s strange tribute to the female form was inspired by a topless pic of Lily Allen in a lad’s mag”I love boobs so I thought I should have my own,”

Why ???????????…Having said that…He does appear to have a Christmas tree tattoo on his head !!

If this is true …I take back any nice comment I have ever made about Joe Bugner…..I loathe people who behave in this way !!

Beast Joe Bugner beat me, says ex

Ex-wife Melody tells of horror of living with boxer who smashed her in the face and cheated on her more than 100 times The ex-wife of I’m A Celebrity star Joe Bugner told last night how he beat her black and blue during their 10-year marriage. And Melody Bowd revealed that the ex-heavyweight boxer is a rotten father who has abandoned one of his own sons – having convinced himself the child was fathered by another man. Millions have watched Bugner trying to provoke other I’m A Celeb contestants with ­his outlandish views, but viewers will be shocked to learn of his wife-beating past. Today Melody reveals how:

• SHE needed stitches after the 6ft 4in ring star smashed her face in;
• Bugner cheated on her more than 100 times, including while she was pregnant and recovering in hospital from a car crash;
• He refused to pay a penny in maintenance for his three children after they split, despite his massive wealth;
• She now scrapes by on benefits while Bugner lives in luxury with his second wife Marlene in Australia’s Gold Coast.

At her home in Huntingdon, Cambs, Melody said: “If the people in the camp think he’s hard work and a pain in the a***, I can assure them he’s 1,000 times worse. “He is a beast who cheated on me, broke me, beat me and destroyed my life. “I’ll never forgive him. He’s utter filth and the people watching him on TV should know what he’s really like.” Ex-heavyweight champion Bugner, 59, has been on his best behaviour in the Australian jungle. But he has already upset Mis-Teeq singer Sabrina ­Washington during a row over ­rations. And he’s had busts-ups with camp matriarch Kim Woodburn over his sexist attitudes. Melody, also 59, first met ­Bugner when she was 16 and he was 17. He was about to embark on a fight career that would go on to make him a household name. The pair were married in August 1968 and their first child, Amy, was born two years later. Through Joe’s glory years ­Melody was the glamorous blonde on his arm and, as a 22-year-old in 1973, she posed for pictures kissing him ­adoringly as he left to battle ­Muhammad Ali in Las Vegas. In the course his career, Bugner held the ­British, ­Commonwealth and European heavyweight championships. Melody said: “I loved him unconditionally. He was ­charming and attentive… to start with. “As he became famous I met stars like Tom Jones, Gregory Peck and Vincent Price. Joe was as big a name back then as David ­Beckham is today. But there were always two sides to Joe. I began to see how volatile he was.” Melody said Bugner first beat her up in 1969, at their home in St Ives, near Huntingdon. She said: “I was so shocked I left him for several days. When I returned, as soon as I walked in he knocked me ­flying.On another occasion he beat me up in front of guests at a dinner party when I knocked over a wine glass.” In 1973, 5ft 3in Melody even needed butterfly stitches – normally given to boxers in the middle of a bout – after one of Bugner’s attacks. She said: “We were at a farm helping friends harvest their crops. I was finding it difficult to change gears on an old lorry I was ­driving and one of Joe’s friends went to help me. Joe misunderstood the situation and went mad. “I got into the car and drove away, but he followed me into the house and ­battered me. I had a pink jumper on and by the time he was finished it was red. “I wouldn’t go to hospital, so his friend had to give me six butterfly stitches as if I was a boxer in the ring.” But the worst beating came in 1974 on a romantic holiday to Antigua, after Joe flew into a jealous rage when ­Melody spoke to another man. “Joe was very drunk and slapped me round the face,” she said. “He knocked me on to the ground in front of all these horrified people.” Joe then chased his terrified wife around the hotel pool, raining blows down on her. She said: “I was almost knocked out and thought, ‘Oh God, he’s going to kill me.’ He kicked me several times until I was helped away. I spent the next night in hospital. ­All Joe could do later was sob like a baby. “He was so ­pathetic and I forgave him ­because I loved him. I never ­reported him to the ­police. I didn’t think anyone would ­believe me.” After Amy, now 40, they had two more children together: Joe Jr, now 39, and James, 33. And it was while Melody was ­pregnant with James that Bugner ­committed one of his most ­sickening betrayals. She said: “I had a head-on car crash and I was in hospital for about five weeks. In that time Joe had lots of women back at our house.” When James was just 10 months old, Melody ­decided she had had enough and left Joe, divorcing him in 1978. She said: “If I had stayed I would be six feet under by now.” Soon after ­moving in with his new wife Marlene, Bugner phoned Melody, convinced that James, nicknamed Lolly, was ­actually another man’s child. Melody said: “He rang up out of the blue and said: ‘I have a question to ask. Is Lolly my son?’ I told him, ‘Of course he is.’ Then I broke down crying. I was never ­unfaithful to Joe.” James last saw Bugner nearly eight years ago and said last week, “I don’t know my dad. I never have done.” Living abroad, Bugner was able to duck maintenance payments for the three children. Melody said, “Joe only paid one year of maintenance. He still owes me 19 years.” Bugner actually bragged about hitting Melody and cheating on her in a 1990 interview. He said: “The only think I do regret is I didn’t beat her hard enough and knock sense into her. Last night Melody said: “He is trying to come over as a ­reasonably normal human being on TV, but I see nothing other than a bully and a scumbag.”

Todays WTF??????

Klu Klux Klan Fun Day

 

The most basic right that all refugees and  asylum seekers have is that of non-refoulement – that is, not to be returned to the danger they are fleeing.

Countries that are signatories to the UN Refugee Convention are bound by international law not to do so.

Almost without exception, Afghan Hazaras who reach Australia are determined by the Australian Immigration Department to have legitimate claims to protection as refugees.

If Australian can keep them from arriving, however, then other things can happen. And they do. Especially when, like Indonesia, the countries they are attempting to transit are not Convention signatories.

Thanks to Pamela Curr for alerting me to the following news report, roughly translated (by Google) as follows:

Metrotvnews.com, Tangerang: A total of 26 illegal immigrants from Afghanistan, Tuesday (24/11), were deported by the Immigration Officer Banten Province. They were caught when going to Australia in the waters of the Sunda Strait, Pandeglang. All the immigrants, 14 adults and 12 children, were deported through the International Airport Soekarno-Hatta. They secured the Police Air and Air Jakarta for not having an official immigration documents. (RAS)

View the news clip, with vision of a Hazara family being deported, at Metro TV News.com

I was at an academic conference last week, and it struck me how it seems that the default attitude is ‘doom and gloom’.

Racism? Marginalisation? The gap between rich and poor? Australian xenophobia? Yep, they are all rampant, you could think.

I am writing a PhD thesis about the success of integration of Hazara holders of Temporary Protection Visa holders into Australian society.

It’s a good news story.

And every so often I worry that it is not dark enough to be taken seriously.

But I am a natural optimist, and always am amazed by how many Australians welcome new settlers, and not by numbers who don’t want them.

The blogger at PoliticalOwl brought my attention to the most recent Morgan survey of what Australians see as the important issues, and the good news is that only 7% of Australians rate asylum and refugee issues as the most important problem facing Australia.

This is up from 1% last May, and 0 last November – but still – I see it as good.

‘Pollyanna’ Possie

(CFD.net.au – Contract for Difference, Share, Forex, ETFs, Commodities Traders) – Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard says the plight of 255 Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers who were attempting to make it to Australia is in the hands of the Indonesian government.

The asylum seekers‘ boat was intercepted by Indonesian authorities after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd personally spoke to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and is now moored at a port in Western Java.

Last night members of the group made a direct plea to Mr Rudd for help, telling reporters they were fleeing “genocide” in Sri Lanka and feared being killed if they were returned to the country.

“We came until the last point believing that Australia will accept us into their country,” said one asylum seeker, identified as “Alex”.

But Ms Gillard says the asylum seekers‘ fate is a matter for Indonesia.

“Matters in Indonesia are dealt with by the Indonesian Government,” she said.

“Our message is very clear. We say to people who are engaged in people smuggling, they are engaged in a vile trade that seeks to profit off human misery, and anything we can do to stop people smugglers plying that vile trade, we will do.”

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull, who has stepped up his attack against the Government’s asylum seeker policies, says the asylum seekers should not be allowed to come to Australia.

“If they seek the protection of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees in Indonesia then they should be dealt with accordingly. But they should not be rewarded for this effort by being admitted into Australia,” he said.

The latest boat carrying 56 asylum seekers arrived in Australian waters on Tuesday.

The recent influx has filled the Christmas Island detention centre almost to capacity and the Government is sending about 80 demountables to the island to cope with increased numbers of asylum seekers.

But when asked about the contingency plan today Mr Rudd said he was not aware of it.

“On the detail of that I can’t comment. I’ve not seen that report,” he said.

Source: Asylum seekers' fate up to Indonesia: Gillard

Pamela Curr of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre sent me this comment in an email today, and I think it is worth posting verbatim:

“We have the Indonesian Navy interdicting and shooting at boats on the high seas, now the Sri Lankan Navy are also doing our bidding- what’s next? Getting the Taliban to bomb the Hazaras as they struggle on foot and donkey through the mountain passes to Quetta where they might set out for Australia.”

TENSIONSonan asylum-seeker boat have resulted in 15 peopleleavingthe vessel after a fight between those who want stay andthose who want to leave…. From The Australian. Full story

This site may contain information about: boat engine. The blog is also related to: boat pictures.

Al Jazeera seems to have got closer than any other news service to the business of people smuggling.

Crikey featured this video today that shows Afghan asylum seekers arriving in West Timor, on a boat bound for Australia, and an interview with a smuggler.

The passage from West Timor is apparently the shortest to Australia, but still takes 72 hours on a fishing boat.

We learn that about 50 people are involved in each operation – at $US 10,000.00, that’s $250 each – if it’s divided equally. Not a get rich quick scheme – or get rich easily, especially for the boat operators who know that there are regularly boats that don’t make it.

Will someone please help me with this?

What is going on with Tamils on boats?

Dr Kohona claims that they are just economic migrants, and could go just 22 miles across the water to Tamil Nadu in India instead, but would not make enough money there. Tamils could volunteer as sitting ducks for the Sri Lankan navy: Dr Kohona

Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, says that Dr Kohona is deluded, And that they can’t get to India because the Sri Lankan navy would short them out of the water. Tamil refugee boats sunk by Sri Lankan navy

Michael Roberts, a dual nationality Australian/Lankan Adjunct associate professor of anthropology at the University of Adelaide says that some Australians have displayed incredulous gullibility about this issue, and that the camps where Tamils are in Sri Lanka are only surrounded by ‘one strand of barbed wire’, have shops and banks and complete medical services, and people are being moved out of them rapidly. Crude Reasoning

David Feith says that “All international media and non-governmental organisations have been locked out of the camps” and that the camps were marked by a “shortage of food and medical facilities.” Tamils’ horrific treatment makes them desperate to leave

Dr Kohona said that 54 NGOs had access to these camps U.N. Ambassador Kohona: Sri Lanka Refugee Situation Improving.

In a media release yesterday Minister Chris Evans said that 119 asylum seekers have been deported from Australia this year because they were not refugees.

“More than two thirds of a group of 50 Sri Lankans who arrived by boat in April have now been returned to Sri Lanka after they were determined not be refugees…

(The latest six) join 30 others from the same boat who returned to Sri Lanka voluntarily after their claims for protection were thoroughly assessed and it was found they had not raised any issues which might engage Australia’s obligations under the United Nations refugee convention.”

Seems to support the economic migrant theory.

But can someone explain why they did not set out in boats before the camps were filled? And why the risky journey to Australia, when it seems that in Tamil Nadu there are economic opportunities also?

I am plain confused.

UPDATE:18th November 2009

The Oceanic Viking farewells the last of the asylum seekers ..

Caption: The Indonesian government expects Australia to keep its resettlement promise.
(Reuters: Vivek Prakash)

Australia expected to resettle asylum seekers

By Geoff Thompson for AM and staff

Photo and article source:ABC News online

After four weeks off the coast of Indonesia, the Customs ship Oceanic Viking last night weighed anchor and began the journey back to Australian waters.

A few hours earlier, the last of 78 Sri Lankan asylum seekers entered a detention centre in Tanjung Pinang, ending an impasse that has kept the Federal Government on the defensive.

Next is the debate over whether the 10 women and children in the group are also in detention, or outside it, as Kevin Rudd says they are.

Read the rest of the article and listen to the news item here ….

First post on 31st October 2009

FV Taruman in foreground below being escorted by Oceanic Viking Sep 2005 AFMA

Caption: This is the Oceanic Viking arresting illegal Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) fishermen and excorting the ship back to Hobart.

Australian Government
Australian Customs and Border Protection Services
[pdf] Information about the Oceanic Viking

The Australian Government takes the protection of its sovereign territories and assets very seriously. Illegal, unreported and
unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Southern Ocean presents a
threat to Australia’s Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI)
and Macquarie Island exclusive economic zones (EEZ), its
valuable Patagonian toothfish fishery and the fragile Southern
Ocean environment.

The remoteness of the HIMI and hostile Southern Ocean sub-
Antarctic waters makes the detection and apprehension of
vessels carrying out IUU fishing even more challenging.
Illegal activity in the Southern Ocean is being fuelled by rising
fish prices, over fishing elsewhere in the world and excess fishing
capacity in northern hemisphere fishing fleets. There is concern
that, if left unchecked, such fishing could eventually lead to the commercial extinction of stocks of the Patagonian toothfish.
In response to this, the Australian Government, through the
Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, the Australian
Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) and the Australian
Defence Force, has provided surveillance and apprehension of
vessels operating illegally in this remote region. This has included
on-the-water cooperation with other countries with similar Southern Ocean interests, in particular France who share an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundaries with Australia.
The Southern Ocean Maritime Patrol and Response (SOMPR)
program provides a dedicated vessel, Oceanic Viking, which
is able to conduct year-round patrols in sub-Antarctic weather
conditions.

About the Oceanic Viking
Oceanic Viking is the Australian Customs and Border Protection
Service and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority
(fisheries) Southern Ocean patrol vessel.
The vessel is contracted from P&O to conduct year-round patrols
as part of the Southern Ocean patrol program.
The Oceanic Viking undertakes a minimum of 200 days in the
Southern Ocean per year and can conduct up to 300
days per year.

These patrols are part of Australia’s commitment to intercepting
vessels and apprehending people suspected of illegally fishing
in the ecologically fragile sub-Antarctic waters.
When not operating in the Southern Ocean, Oceanic Viking is
available to patrol Australia’s coastline.

Specifications
Length: 105 metres
Beam: 22 metres
Gross tonnage: 9075
Range: 15,900 nautical miles at 16 knots with 10 per
cent reserve
33,800 nautical miles at 12 knots with 10 per cent reserve
Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBS)
Two 9.2 metre Norsafe SOLAS approved
RHIBS powered by
twin 233hp diesel jet propulsion in 6 tonne davits, with a
range of approximately 60 nautical miles at 20 knots.

Accommodation
The vessel is licensed to carry 75 people.
Without a steaming party on board, there are 19 P&O crew and
56 people from Customs and Border Protection & other agencies.
With a steaming party on board, there are 25 P&O crew and 50
people from Customs and Border Protection & other agencies.

Equipment and facilities
• an emergency care and
resuscitation room staffed by an
Australian Antarctic Division doctor
• facilities to accommodate illegal foreign fishers
• operations room equipped
with secure communications
• a Forward Looking Infra-Red camera
• a TerraScan system used to predict weather conditions
• other classified systems.

February 2009
Weapons and Personal Defence Equipment (PDE)
• two .50 calibre machine guns deck mounted
• Glock pistols for Customs and Border Protection Boarding
Party officers
• other PDE equipment is also on board.

Customs and Border Protection Marine and Aviation
Unit personnel
The Customs and Border Protection Marine and Avaiation
Unit within the Maritime Operations Support Branch in Customs and
Border Protection provides personnel and logistic support to civil
vessels chartered by Customs and Border Protection to combat
illegal foreign fishing in Australia’s northern and southern waters.
All armed Customs and Border Protection Marine and Avaiation Unit boarding party personnel are required to satisfy and maintain mandatory security, medical, dental, fitness and psychometric standards as part of their conditions of employment.

Customs and Border Protection Marine and Avaiation Unit
personnel are trained in use of force, ship search and undertake
armed boardings at sea. Some staff also have specialised
hospital theatre assistant training. Officers performing the
role of tender coxswains must have the appropriate
marine qualifications.
Officers operating in the region undergo
extensive training in:
• cold climate survival and safety at sea
• use of force, including side-arms and deck-mounted
weapons
• vessel familiarisation
• medical training
• operational command
• Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and
Fisheries legislative provisions
• tactical boarding operations
• ship search techniques.

Southern Ocean Maritime Patrol and Response
Program Outputs
To detect, deter and apprehend illegal, unreported and
unregulated fishing vessels in Australia’s EEZ. This includes:
• operating a marine vessel with deck-mounted weapons in the
Southern Ocean EEZ
• undertaking marine patrols for a minimum of 200 days in the
Southern Ocean.

Delivery of other services in the Southern Ocean and Northern
waters as directed by Government.
These services include:
• j oint operations with France
• medical evacuations
• environmental checks of the HIMI for the Australian
Antarctic Division
• buoy deployment for the Bureau of Meteorology
• ad hoc engagements for the Australian Government.

Southern Ocean Maritime Patrol and Response
Program Outcomes
The desired outcomes of the SOMPR program are the protection
of:
• Patagonian toothfish fisheries around the HIMI EEZ from IUU
fishing
• Australia’s Southern Ocean waters
• the fragile Southern
Ocean environment
• the Northern Australian coast line
• other Government responses such as environmental and
security requirements.
Southern Ocean conditions
Missions to the region are challenging. Severe
weather conditions can include Force 12 gales and seas of more than 10
metres.
Average temperatures are minus two.

More information
For information on any Customs and Border Protection matters, contact Customs and Border Protection Information and Support Centre on 1300 363 263 or email information@customs.gov.au or browse the website http://www.customs.gov.au/

TV Snapshot ABC TV 1

Indonesia rules out forcing asylum seekers off Oceanic Viking

Source: ABC Radio National PM program

Listen to MP3 of this story ( minutes)
Alternate WMA version MP3 download

The Director of Diplomatic Security with the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Department says Indonesia won’t allow the forcible removal of asylum seekers from the Oceanic Viking while it’s in Indonesian waters. And Dr Sujatmiko says even if they’re forced off the ship outside Indonesian waters, they wouldn’t be welcome on an Indonesian ship.

MARK COLVIN: Indonesia has ruled out the forcible removal of asylum seekers from the Oceanic Viking while it’s in Indonesian waters.And the director of diplomatic security with the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Department says that even if the asylum seekers were removed from the ship outside Indonesian waters, they wouldn’t be welcomed on an Indonesian ship. Dr Sujatmiko said the asylum seekers would be resupplied with food and water, supplies which are expected to run out by Sunday.Dr Sujatmiko spoke with Indonesian correspondent Geoff Thompson.

DR SUJATMIKO: I went there only once yesterday and I believe that they’re living in good conditions. The ship is, I think for me, it is luxurious ship, hospital also there, doctors are there, food enough and I thought they enjoy living there, so that’s why they rejected to go to the land.

GEOFF THOMPSON: And there have been some messages they’ve thrown from the ship saying that they might self harm or commit suicide, hurt themselves if they were… if an attempt was made to remove them from the ship. Have you had any indication of that sort of thing?

DR SUJATMIKO: Well, we have not been thinking of forcing them to go to the land, because it should be voluntarily disembarking from the ship.

GEOFF THOMPSON: But if they’re receiving adequate food and water, they could stay on the ship indefinitely couldn’t they?
DR SUJATMIKO: I… that’s not… I think you better ask the master of the ship. I believe so.

GEOFF THOMPSON: Is Indonesia prepared to allow the Oceanic Viking to stay off its coast with these people on board indefinitely?

DR SUJATMIKO: We are not discussing this issue but at least we are trying the first time we are giving permission for the ships to enter Indonesian water, based on humanitarian grounds. I think this is very important one. And secondly I think what we need to send the message is that we are the country which it is not easy for any people to come inside the country, because there’s an international syndicate playing around for this game.

GEOFF THOMPSON: So that would mean the people who are on the ship you don’t want them forcibly removed and for now it’s really a waiting game just hoping that they will agree to leave voluntarily?

DR SUJATMIKO: We are not thinking of that. I mean if really they are going to force the people it’s up to Australian authorities, as long as they are not doing it in Indonesian waters.

GEOFF THOMPSON: Okay so they will not be forced from the ship in Indonesian waters, so if Australia wants to remove them from the ship it must be done outside Indonesian waters.

DR SUJATMIKO: At least what I’m thinking as long as they are in Indonesian waters they should follow our rules and regulations. As I said yesterday if they are going to disembark there is some process that we need to follow.First the medical check-up, they reject it, secondly we need to have immigration interview, they also reject it, and they said that they are committed to continue going to Australia and they’re not ready to go to Indonesia.

GEOFF THOMPSON: What if the Australian Government wanted to bring in some military personnel for instance to assist in making the people leave the ship, would Indonesia agree to that?

DR SUJATMIKO: As long as this is in the international waters I think this is up to Australia.

GEOFF THOMPSON: But they would still have to be put onto an Australian ship in international waters, they wouldn’t be able to be moved in international waters from an Australian ship to an Indonesian ship?

DR SUJATMIKO: I think the most important point is if I mean in our perspective we are assisting the Australian Government first because we have good relations and secondly because we were told that some of them are women, children and we need medical treatment. For that reasons we are giving permission for the ship to enter the Indonesian waters.

GEOFF THOMPSON: So essentially I think you’re saying that the Australian authorities can do whatever they want with these people as long as it’s not in Indonesian waters?

DR SUJATMIKO: I think at the moment this is what I’m thinking of.

GEOFF THOMPSON: Is there a possibility then of moving them to an Indonesian ship in international waters?

DR SUJATMIKO: I’m not thinking of that option.

GEOFF THOMPSON: It seems doesn’t it that as long as they want to stay on the ship, the most likely solution, the only solution available may be perhaps for them to be eventually placed back in Australian territory?

DR SUJATMIKO: Well I think again they are in the Australian ships, this mean in the Australian territory, so this is on the Australian authority to respond.

MARK COLVIN: The Director of Diplomatic Security with the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Department Dr Sujatmiko speaking to our correspondent Geoff Thompson.

TO BE CONTINUED … (see update at top of this post)