Sarah Stephen
On March 23, the immigration department announced that 42 of the 43 West Papuan asylum seekers who arrived in Australia on January 18 and have been held on Christmas Island since then, had been granted refugee status. They will be issued with three-year temporary protection visas.
A March 23 media release by the department stated: "A decision is yet to be made on a visa application from the remaining member of the group, as there are further case-specific issues to be pursued."
NSW Greens Senator Kerry Nettle, who campaigned for the asylum seekers to be given refugee status, declared: "The situation in West Papua is clearly very dangerous for those who assert their right to self-determination, so the decision to grant protection visas is a good one."
"I hope this decision", she said, "indicates acknowledgement by the Australian government that the situation in West Papua is a human rights nightmare. I shall be asking the government about the foreign policy implications of the decision."
Nettle added that it was "illogical for the Australian government to continue to support conditions which lead to the oppression of West Papuans in their country while also acknowledging this oppression with these protection visas".
The refugees will be immediately transferred to Melbourne. Organisers of West Papua solidarity rallies to be held in a number of cities on April 2, are hopeful that some of the refugees will speak at the rallies.
From Green Left Weekly, March 29, 2006.
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