We have people detained in Baxter from the Vasavilan and the Vanni areas of Sri Lanka.
Vanni has been a key battleground in the struggle between the LTTE and a succession of Sri Lankan governments. These areas remain volatile, as with many other parts of Sri Lanka. People have suffered and continue to suffer deprivations (incl shortages of basic supplies). Serious allegations of mass executions and other human rights abuses remain uninvestigated.
People who have escaped from these areas for political and ethnic reasons would be at especial risk if returned.
Sitting in our lounge rooms we would be hard pressed to imagine the fears of Sri Lankans locked up at Baxter and elsewhere. I recommend the attached 2004 report by key human rights agencies to the UN Human Rights Committee on State violence in Sri Lanka to get a clearer picture of a frigthening aspect of the situation they left.
4 comments:
Hi Mark,
Congrats on your blog.
I'm a journo from Sydney, used to be with Fairfax, now freelance and writing a book on the Middle East.
Started a blog recently, and just linked to you. Keep up your bravery:
http://antonyloewenstein.blogspot.com/2005/04/bravery.html
James, you mention getting an education. What kind of education? What one so we can all think just like you? No thanks.
You've got to love people who make incendiary comments on blogs, but are too pissweak to put their names to them.
Thanks for your generous comments on the blog. Anonymous has a voice shared by many - it seems to me that the political static generated by the "us" and "them" construct clouds the fact that the human rights and refugee treaties and conventions we are party to are based on mutual obligations. If Australia does not treat asylum seekers in accordance with the principles of protection and duty of care set out in these international instruments the principle of mutuality goes out the door...
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