Excellent letter, Suze. I think we will have to go back to the streets to get some just outcomes ----marches for UN intervention---call for trade, sporting and other UN sponsored boycotts----the ALP has thrown in the towel to these lowlifes----time for someone other than Howard's people to have their say.
Laurie. --------------------- ----- Original Message ----- From: "Suze Collett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Laurie Forde" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2002 1:06 PM Subject: RE: [recoznettwo] Re: The Australian: Woomera to be a no-go zone for UN > I would be thinking that other countries who are members to the UN should be > questioning their dealings with "this" Australian government. If this > government can so matter-of-factly ignore the binding agreements we have > with the UN to care for those who seek refuge in our country - then what of > other business affairs, contracts, and agreements? > > I can't wait until this slimey little mob are ousted from power - our > country is being UNNECESSARILY dragged through the mud. UN member countries > should be looking at ways to place more pressure on the Howard government to > AT LEAST comply with UN requests to make inspections to ensure human rights > agreements are upheld. > > I've heard all manner of distressing reports about the environment that > refugee children are meant to cope with. Children are caught up amongst this > political bullshit between the government and irrate, and frustrated > refugees. These children are in a severe risk situation! > > Australian people should DEMAND the government allow the UN to come in and > assess the situation, and make recommendations as they see necessary. If > Howard and his ministers insist that they are doing the best they can with > the situation - then why the hell deny a check on Human Rights at the > detention centres? > > If they can so easily turn a blind eye to the needs of these refugees, and > the children who are suffering in these detention camps - think to > yourselves - what can they condone in dealing with our Aussie kids? > > As far as I can see the unemployment issues are worsening for the youth of > this country, and I'm damn angry at the manner in which the Liberal > government sits back with a smile on it's face while our kids are being > ousted from employment at any whim or fancy of the employer. Many of our > youth are suffering serious financial difficulties as there is no "steady" > employment for them. They are on and off the dole, losing weeks, and weeks > without money while the damn system manipulates them like SLAVES. Our > traineeship schemes, and apprenticeship schemes are nothing more than > glorified work-for-the-dole schemes in disguise - great to fiddle the > unemployment figures! Our youth are being exploited, they are being abused, > paid a bloody pitance to work their guts out - and they are being sacked for > a multitude of friggin stupid reasons. The climate for them is frightening - > our youth have no hope for the future of things getting better, they are > becoming hardened and bitter before they hit 21 - if they get that far with > the pressures upon them, many suicide. The Liberals have effectively eroded > the hard won rights for protection of our workers, they have no friggin > respect for our workers in this country, and they are clearly unconcerned > with the well being of our own Aussie youth - little wonder the manner in > which they are treating these refugees as if they are a friggin side-issue. > > I DEMAND THE UN COME AND INSPECT WHAT'S GOING ON AT WOOMERA! WHO CAN FORCE > HOWARD TO COMPLY WITH WHAT ARE CLEAR GUIDLEINES IN OUR AGREEMENTS TO > CO-OPERATE WITH OUR FELLOWS IN THE UNITED NATIONS? I HOPE INDONESIA REFUSES > TO SPEAK WITH HOWARD UNTIL HE COMPLIES WITH THE UN REQUESTS FULLY, AND I > WOULD HOPE THAT OTHER GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE WORLD WITHDRAW TALKS WITH > AUSTRALIA UNTIL THIS ISSUE IS PROPERLY INVESTIGATED. THE ELITE FAT CATS IN > THIS COUNTRY HAVE HOBBLED THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE. WE NEED INTERVENTION FROM > OVERSEAS TO WAKE THIS GOVERNMENT UP TO THEIR ***RESPONSIBILITIES***. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Laurie Forde [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Wednesday, 6 February 2002 10:40 AM > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: [recoznettwo] Re: The Australian: Woomera to be a no-go zone > > for UN > > > > > > Yes, we are acting like every other tinpot, outlaw regime that hypocrites > > like Howard are so quick to damn. > > > > In fact, that is what we are ---a tinpot, outlaw regime. > > > > Laurie. > > ------------------------ > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Trudy Bray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "news-clip" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2002 10:51 AM > > Subject: The Australian: Woomera to be a no-go zone for UN > > > > > > I guess this is an admittance that the govt has something to hide. > > --- Trudy > > ================================================ > > > > The Australian > > Woomera to be a no-go zone for UN > > By Rebecca DiGirolamo and Agencies > > 06feb02 > > > > A REQUEST by UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson to send > > an envoy to > > the Woomera Detention Centre may be denied by the federal > > Government on the > > grounds the visit would be a disruption and a duplication of similar such > > inspections. > > > > Mrs Robinson has sought permission for a special envoy to make a > > "first-hand > > appraisal" of the remote centre, 500km north of Adelaide. > > > > She wants former Indian chief justice Rajendra Bhagwati to inspect the > > centre after receiving allegations of human rights violations > > from the ACTU > > and a host of non-government groups. > > > > Hundreds of Woomera detainees staged a 16-day hunger strike last month and > > to date, 59 have harmed themselves. > > > > Mrs Robinson made the demand during a meeting with Foreign > > Affairs Minister > > Alexander Downer in Geneva yesterday morning. > > > > "There are certainly human rights concerns. Very serious human rights > > concerns that I would like to have fully clarified," Mrs Robinson > > said after > > the meeting. > > > > Mr Downer will discuss the request with John Howard, Immigration Minister > > Philip Ruddock and other ministers upon his return to Canberra later this > > week before any decision was made. > > > > Mr Ruddock said in Sydney yesterday that there were safety, privacy and > > operational issues to be considered before the special envoy's visit was > > approved or declined. > > > > "In relation to issues about access to detention centres our view > > has always > > been that detention centres ought to be as open as possible," Mr Ruddock > > said. "There is also a question of how many times you are subjected to > > scrutiny." > > > > A spokesman for Mr Ruddock later told The Australian one of the > > concerns was > > "that we are dealing with a multiplicity of UN bodies (visiting detention > > centres) and we have to look at the disruption that causes". > > > > "The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has (regularly) > > visited . . > > . all centres," he said. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission > > officers also visited Woomera during the hunger strike, as part of a > > fact-finding mission for a children in detention inquiry. > > > > The spokesman said the special envoy was a "duplication" of previous UN > > visits, stretching government resources already dealing with at least one > > official visit per centre each week. > > > > Justice for Asylum-seekers spokesman Marc Purcell said the Office > > of the UN > > Commissioner for Human Rights was the only body equipped to > > investigate the > > alleged violation of human rights in Australian detention centres. > > > > "In terms of moral clout, (the Government) would be very unwise to reject > > Mary Robinson's personal envoy," he said. > > > > Insiders at the Woomera centre yesterday claimed two Afghan detainees, > > including an unattended minor, attempted to hang themselves in > > the past four > > days. > > > > © The Australian > > http://theaustralian.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,3723328,00.html > > > > > > ************************************************************************* > > This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without > > permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, > > scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal > > copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of > > the copyright owner, except for "fair use." > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > > --- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > > --- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and > > is archived at > > http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/ until > > 11 March, 2001 and Recoznettwo is archived at > http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznettwo%40green.net.au/ from that date. This > posting is provided to the individual members of this group without > permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, > scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal > copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of > the copyright owner, except for "fair use." > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/ until 11 March, 2001 and Recoznettwo is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznettwo%40green.net.au/ from that date. This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."
