Monday, July 03, 2006

PNG rejects requests to take 'refugees'

The SMH reports "Papua New Guinea has turned down Australian requests that it take in Indonesian Papuan asylum seekers while their refugee applications are processed by Canberra.

Foreign Minister Rabbie Namaliu said an informal approach had been made to him by Australian High Commissioner Michael Potts to temporarily accommodate within the PNG community any Papuan asylum seekers who had made it to Australia directly from Papua."

The welfare of asylum seekers is being sacrificed yet again by governments playing to domestic audiences and aware of the leverage Jakarta can use over past dealings and agreements. The warehousing by Jakarta of middle eastern asylum seekers seeking refuge in Australia has SBY calling the shots on West Papuan refugees. Similarly, Indonesia's posturing on West Papua concentrates the PNG Government's mind on the implications of a hostile Jakarta sharing a large land border.

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