| Greens challenge Australian Foreign minister Smith on Tamil camps in Sri Lanka |
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"..Foreign Minister Stephen Smith should push the Sri Lankan government to allow aid agencies access to Tamil camps, the Australian Greens say.Mr Smith is heading to Colombo for talks that aim to stem an exodus of Tamils from Sri Lanka.The visit comes as a group of 78 Sri Lankans refuse to leave the Australian Customs vessel Oceanic Viking moored in Indonesian waters..."
Full Text Foreign Minister Stephen Smith should push the Sri Lankan government to allow aid agencies access to Tamil camps, the Australian Greens say.Mr Smith is heading to Colombo for talks that aim to stem an exodus of Tamils from Sri Lanka.The visit comes as a group of 78 Sri Lankans refuse to leave the Australian Customs vessel Oceanic Viking moored in Indonesian waters. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young is concerned international aid organisations are not able access Tamil camps. "The first basic step we should be doing is working with the Sri Lankan government to say look guys, we're going to have to let some organisations in here to help deal with this," she told ABC Television on Monday. Asked about the latest Newspoll, showing a majority of voters thought Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was doing a "bad job" on managing asylum seekers, Senator Hanson-Young said the result reflected dissatisfaction with the way the government had handled the issue. "I believe that what the Australian community are looking for is leadership on this." Neither side of politics could deliver a plan that was practical, humane and long term, she said. |
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