Indonesian teens 'abused' in Sydney's Silverwater Prison AAP July 21, 201212:20AM
TWO Indonesian minors who spent more than a year in jail in Australia after being arrested for people smuggling say they were sexually abused and forced to take drugs while in Sydney's Silverwater Prison. The claims have increased calls for the federal government to hasten the release of other Indonesian minors still in jails in Australia as the issue continues to put pressure on diplomatic relations between Canberra and Jakarta. "As far as Indonesian minors in Australian jails, there's been a commitment from both countries that it is a priority and should have special attention," a spokesman for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday. The two boys, now 17 and 18 and back in Indonesia, were locked up for more than a year in Australia after they were arrested when asylum seeker boats on which they were crewing were intercepted on the way to Christmas Island. One of the boys, identified as Susilo, was only 15 at the time of his arrest. The other boy, identified as Bambang, was 17 when he was detained. Their names have been changed to protect their identities. "I was afraid because I was being detained with adult criminals and drug abusers," Susilo told reporters at the Human Rights Working Group headquarters in Jakarta, the Jakarta Post newspaper reported on Friday. "I keep telling the authorities that I was 15 years old and that I didn't want to stay with those criminals, but they wouldn't listen." The lawyer for the two boys, Lisa Hiariej, said they had been subjected to frequent abuse at the hands of adult inmates while in jail in Australia. "Several inmates took off their clothes in front of these kids, and showed their genitalia to them," Ms Hiariej said. "The inmates made fun of these kids and gave them drugs that were concealed in newspapers." Ms Hiariej said the Indonesian government should put further pressure on Australia to release other Indonesian minors. "This problem is very serious and the Indonesian government needs to take direct action to release other innocent minors in Australia," she said. Both boys underwent tests in Australia to determine their ages, with the results incorrectly showing they were 18. "I kept on telling them that I was 17, but they did not believe me," Bambang, who was born in 1994, said. The detention of Indonesian minors was raised by Dr Yudhoyono in talks with Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Darwin earlier this month. Dr Yudhoyono called then for the swift release of other minors still incarcerated in Australia. The issue was discussed again earlier this week in Jakarta by Foreign Minister Bob Carr and his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa. A spokesperson for Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said the federal government had contacted the NSW government in an effort to verify the Indonesian minors' claims and that any allegation of such behaviour needed to be thoroughly investigated by correction authorities. "Sexual and physical assault is not acceptable," Ms Roxon's spokesperson said. "We've been clear that minors don't belong in adult jails, which is why the government committed to review 28 people-smuggling cases which resulted in 15 crew being removed to Indonesia on the basis that there was a doubt they may have been minors on arrival in Australia." But the spokesperson said it was difficult to chase up the claims when the parties have not been identified. A spokesman for Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) said it was difficult to cross-reference the specific allegations detailed in the Jakarta Post given the men's use of fake names. "(But) CSNSW can confirm that a review of internal reporting systems shows that no incidents of the type alleged by the two males have been recorded nor referred to CSNSW by the Indonesian consulate," he said in a statement. According to CSNSW, irregular maritime arrivals (IMAs) are monitored by a senior manager who reports directly to the commissioner. He said CSNSW was assured by commonwealth authorities at every stage that the IMAs in custody were aged 18 or over. http://www.news.com.au/world/indon-mino ... public_rss [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: prole...@egroups.com Subscribe : proletar-subscr...@egroups.com Unsubscribe : proletar-unsubscr...@egroups.com List owner : proletar-ow...@egroups.com Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: proletar-dig...@yahoogroups.com proletar-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: proletar-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
