Tamil Sydney

Minister cannot shirk her responsibility over St Clair

The Minister for Local Government Relations, Gail Gago, has shirked her statutory responsibilities by refusing to consider whether the St Clair land swap at Woodville is a good deal for the local community, according to Greens MLC and planning lawyer, Mark Parnell. In response to a question from Mr Parnell in Parliament yesterday, the Minister stated that it was her "statutory responsibility not to make judgment of the merits of the project". "However the Local Government Act says no such thing," said Mr Parnell.

Mr MURPHY (Lowe) (4.15 pm)—This afternoon I rise to speak about the plight of the Tamil people who are
fleeing persecution in Sri Lanka. As we are all aware, this year was the bloodiest in the history of the 30-year
civil war in Sri Lanka with more than 20,000 innocent people killed by the Sri Lankan Security Forces amidst
repeated warnings from the United Nations and other leaders. Madam Deputy Speaker, these killings occurred
during the first five months of this year. The Sri Lankan government declared in May, as you know, that the
Tamil rebellion had been completely wiped out.

Australian refugee rights activist, and Socialist Party member, Anthony Main will visit the 254 Tamil refugees currently moored at Merak in Indonesia today.Anthony was an organiser and active participant in the 2002 Woomera protests where dozens of refugees escaped from detention.Anthony has been invited to the boat by the refugees who have been frustrated that the media have been denied access to them for more than a week. He will be accompanied by representatives from the Indonesian trade union movement and human rights lawyers.

Refugees, climate change and economic uncertainty are here to stay. There are too many variables at play for it to be otherwise. None are issues that should be spun for domestic political gain. Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull's proposal to reintroduce another form of temporary protection visa for those seeking protection, has taken the heat off Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and put it back on himself. Not the most adroit politician, Turnbull is struggling to find credibility and it will not be found by putting the boot into the dispossessed.

"..Ten Sri Lankan women and children who came off the Oceanic Viking yesterday say they are locked up and unable to leave an Australian-funded detention centre in Indonesia. Holding their young children up to the bars of the facility called a temporary holding room, the women say they are unable to come and go as they please, contradicting claims made by Australian officials.The Federal Government said there would be a special arrangement for the women and children - that they would not be housed in the detention centre but in a facility nearby..."

"..And at about 7pm sitting in my hotel room in Colombo the Australian High Commission rang - I was booked on a military plane leaving early the next morning. The news was a big relief, but also a big burden for what I perceive to be my journalistically narrow shoulders.It was a pressing story. A clue as to why so many Tamils might be risking life and limb to come to Australia illegally. And a story I'd have to cover for television and radio, completely on my own..."

Giving into pressure from some of the right thinking sections of the international community pursuing a just and reasonable result to the accusations of crimes against humanity committed both by the Liberation of Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan State, the Sri Lankan government has finally admitted its guilt. This is primarily to get over the impasse on the GSP plus and to de-fuse the international pressure by dragging the red herring across its trail. To pre-empt further pressure, Rajapakse has appointed another of those farcical "independent committees to "comprehensively examine and provide recommendations".

"..LATHA'S brother was in his late twenties and recently married when Sri Lankan soldiers came knocking one night at his door. His wife begged them not to take him, but the soldiers assured her they only needed him to help them find another house. The young woman never saw her husband again. Another of Latha's brothers had already met a similar fate. A fisherman, he was captured at sea by the Sri Lankan navy and never returned to his family. Latha's family lived in a village on the Jaffna Peninsula, a stronghold of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in their 25-year separatist insurgency against Sri Lanka's government..."

"..Indonesia is planning to deport Sri Lankan asylum seekers at Merak, including ''Alex'', the English-speaking spokesman for the group that has spent more than a month at the Javanese port refusing to leave their vessel. A senior Government source said Indonesia was losing patience with the asylum-seekers and they must leave. If necessary it was prepared to force many of the 255 Sri Lankans on to a navy warship to return them to the country they fled amid claims of persecution by the Sinhalese-dominated Government..."

Australian Border Protection Command today successfully intercepted a suspected irregular entry vessel. HMAS Broome, operating under the control of Border Protection Command, intercepted the vessel at 11:41am (AEDST) approximately 10 nautical miles south west of Ashmore Island.It was initially detected by a RAAF P3 aircraft, operating under the control of Border Protection Command.
Read more...

Sri Lanka - Rajapaksa brothers reinstate a corrupt Major General to duty

Major General Parakrama Pannipitiya who faced a trial before military court for alleged corruption and irregularities was discharged of all charged leveled against him by the Defence Ministry and reinstated in active duty with effect from Thursday (12).Major General Pannipitiya had told several friends after receiving his letter of appointment that the Defence Secretray had promised to appoint him as the Chief of Staff of the Army. Major General Pannipitiya had said he would then teach a good lesson to General Sarath Fonseka who initiated legal action against him.

More...

<< Start < Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>

[ Back ]