Indonesia Australia Solidarity

Zely Ariane national speaking tour March - April 2010

2010-03-17T02:38:00.000-07:00

Zely Ariane will be making a national speaking tour of Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra Brisbane and Perth organised by Direct Action and supported by Indonesia Australia Solidarity from MArch 23 to May 3rd.

Zely Ariane is National Spokesperson for the Committee of the Politics of the Poor – Peoples Democratic Party (KRPM-PRD), a pro-socialist political party formation in Indonesia continuing the radical tradition of democratic activism pioneered by the PRD during the 1990s. She has been active fore more than ten years as an active writer, commentator, and as organizer in the labour and women’s movement.

The KPRM-PRD has been on the Indonesian Left groups consistently part of united left protest mobilizations, especially those occurring on May Days, against the imposition of austerity measures against ordinary people, and against clampdowns on wages for Indonesia’s impoverished workers. Most recently, the KPRM-PRD was active in a range of coalitions formed in different cities around Indonesia to protest the austerity policies of the current government of Indonesia under President Yudhoyono on the anniversary of the 100^th day of his second term.

Zely is also Vice Secretary and head of the Women’s Department Workers Struggle Solidarity Union (GSPB) based in Jakarta as well as a member of the national leadership council of the Women’s Liberation National Network (JNPM).

Zely is also active in solidarity with the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela, and has visited Venezuela twice.

2010-03-17T02:30:00.000-07:00

The Struggle For Social Justice in Indonesia

Speakers from Indonesia’s front line

Melbourne University Monday 29 March, 6:30pm
Alice Hoy Building, Room 225

ZELY ARIANE: national spokesperson of Political Committee of the Poor – People’s Democratic Party (Komite Politik Rakyat Miskin – Partai Rakyat Demokratik, KPRM-PRD) and active in the Solidarity Alliance for Labour Struggle (Gabungan Solidaritas Perjuangan Buruh - GSPB). See www.kprm-prd.org

IGNATIUS MAHENDRA KUSUMAWARDHANA: International department of the Working Peoples Association ( Perhimpunan Rakyat Pekerja – PRP). He has recently been active in the movement to free the refugees incarcerated on their boat off the Indonesian port of Merak. See www.prp-indonesia.org

Organised by Indonesia Australia Solidarity (IAS)

IAS is a new Melbourne based group formed in 2009 to raise awareness about the mass based, democratic movements in Indonesia that are fighting for social and environmental justice - the rights of the majority of Indonesia’s people. Contact Sam 04235273285 indonesiasolidarityforum.blogspot.com

Australian Refugee Supporters in Merak Detained for Questioning a Second Time

2010-01-27T13:36:00.001-08:00

The three refugee activists detained by Indonesian police on Tuesday afternoon, in the vicinity of the boat at Merak, have been detained for questioning for second time by Indonesian immigration authorities.

The two Australian citizens are Sara Nathan, Tamil community activist from Sydney and Pamela Curr from the Asylum seeker Resource Centre in Melbourne. The Canadian citizen, Jessica Chandrashekar is from the humanitarian organisation, Canadian Humanitarian Appeal for Relief of Tamils (Canadian HART).

The three were detained by the Merak Marine police on Tuesday and questioned for almost 11 hours before being released, without their passports, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

There have intense discussions, through the day (Wednesday) involving consular staff of the Australian and Canadian embassies over the return of the passports.

Indonesian authorities demanded that the passports be collected in person from Merak. But on their arrival in Merak to collect their passports, the three were again detained and held for questioning.

They have now been released, but their passports will not be returned until the director of immigration considers their case and their responses to the questioning. It is believed the immigration authorities are considering whether the three are guilty of visa violations.

Refugee groups again expressed their concerns at the detention of the three activists. "There is no basis for their detention or questioning," said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.

"Indonesian government authorities at the highest levels were aware of their visit. On previous occasions there was specific advice from the Indonesian embassy in Canberra regarding the appropriate visa to use to visit Indonesia.

"The Australian government must intervene to demand the return of the passports and put an end to the bureaucratic farce. It seems they have become caught up in the wrangling between the Indonesian and Australian governments over the Merak boat. We understand that Australia's special envoy, Peter Woolcott, is presently in Jakarta for talks with the Indonesian government," said Ian Rintoul.

"The ultimate responsibility for the Merak boat, and the predicament of the three activists lies with the Australian government, not with the Indonesian government. The plight of the Merak asylum seekers has attracted international concern that Kevin Rudd's Indonesian solution breaches Australia's obligations under the Refugee Convention.

"We welcome the statements from Australian government Ministers that Australian will play a role resettling people from the Merak boat found to be refugees. We are hopeful that there will be a proposal for the resolution of the situation at Merak in the very near future."

For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713

Three refugee activists detained in Merak

2010-01-27T13:33:00.001-08:00

Two Australian and a Canadian Citizen who visited the Tamil Sri Lankan refugees have been detained and taken into Indonesian police custody today.

They were arrested in a street on the way to visit the Tamil asylum seekers who are currently still in Jaya Lestari, the boat that they used to take them to Australia. The boat was seized by the Indonesian navy and moored in Merak, Western Java, Indonesia, since Oct 2009. The boat was seized after Kevin Rudd, the Australian Prime Minister phoned Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Indonesian President and personally requested the Indonesian government to intercept it.

The two Australian citizens are Pamela Curr of the Asylum seeker Resource Centre and Sara Nathan, refugee activist from Sydney. The Canadian citizen is from the Humanitarian Appeal for the Relief of Tamils (CanadianHART). They were taken into custody by the Indonesian police officers to Merak Marine Police Station soon after arriving in Merak.

We failed to reach the Indonesian police officer who detained the activists.

"Their arrest is intolerable; they went there to help the asylum seekers who fled from prosecution in Sri Lanka. Kevin Rudd's government must stop using other country's security apparatus to arrest human rights activists and free the refugees" said Madhuni Kumarrakulasinghe, a refugee activist from Australia-Tamil Solidarity.

The Indonesian authorities early this month threatened the asylum seekers to be forcibly disembarked from the boat.

There are 247 Tamil Asylum seekers on the boat. Amongst them there are 31 children, 29 women (one of whom is 7 months pregnant) and 187 men. On 23 December 2009, George Jacob Samuel Christin, a 29 year asylum seeker died on the boat after vomiting blood for two days and being refused medical treatment by Indonesian authorities.

For more information about the detainment, contact:

Madhuni Kumarrakulasinghe, 0415693121

100 DAYS AND COUNTING... INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

2010-01-14T01:18:00.001-08:00

The Tamil Community around the world held vigils on the 18th January as part of an international day of action; joining various organisations to highlight the issue regarding the Tamil Asylum Seekers in Merak who have spent 100 days on a boat asking for Asylum. The vigils demanded that the Australian Government take responsibility over the 254 Tamil refugees, currently in Merak, Indonesia whom they left stranded in Indonesian waters. Events were held at these locations:
Sydney:
12:30 - 1:30 PM, Kevin Rudd's office, 70 Phillip Street Sydney.
Newcastle (NSW):
4:30pm, At the Clock Tower, Beaumont St, Hamilton
Melbourne:
5:30 pm outside the State Library, Cnr Swanston/Latrobe Streets, Melbourne
Auckland
4:00 PM
Australian Consulate, 186-194 Quay St, Auckland , March up Queen
Street at 5pm, March will conclude opposite Aotea Square
Toronto:
11am – 2pm, Australian Consulate, 175 Bloor Street, East Toronto
London:
4:00 PM, The Australian High Commission, Strand, London WC2B 4LA
(corner of the Aldwych and the Strand. Nearest Tube station: Temple)
Washington: Email and postcard campaign
Malaysia : Email and postcard campaign
For more information go to the Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Movement-to-Support-Tamil-Refugees-in-Merak/251625482730?ref=ts

Melbourne 18th January Protest in solidarity with the Merak refugees

2010-01-12T20:33:00.001-08:00

100 days and counting…
As part of an international day of action, the Tamil community and a range of progressive groups will be holding a protest at 5.30pm Monday January 18th outside the State Library in Melbourne. (Corner of Swanston and Latrobe Streets in the City)

The protests are demanding that the 254 Tamil refugees, currently in Merak (Indonesia), be allowed to come to Australia.

As part of the government's alleged "Indonesian Solution", Kevin Rudd personally requested that the Indonesian Navy intercept the boat to stop the people from entering Australian waters. His aim was to sub contract the problem out to Indonesia.

For nearly 100 days now the refugees have refused to leave the boat for fear of being locked up in an Indonesian detention centre or being sent back to Sri Lanka.

The refugees are rightly demanding that they be afforded their basic human rights and that Australia, as a signatory of the UN Refugee Convention, adhere to its international responsibilities.

The refugees want nothing more than to be offered the same deal as those who were on board the Australian customs vessel, the Oceanic Viking.

Already one man has died on the boat due to a lack of medical care and the negligence of the Indonesian Navy and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

It's time for Rudd to act quickly before more lives are lost.

The Age News - Tamil refugees 'questioned by Sri Lankan officials'

2010-01-08T13:42:00.001-08:00

ANDRA JACKSON
January 9, 2010
SRI Lankan embassy officials and naval officers have been allowed to question Tamil asylum seekers held in Indonesia, refugee advocates have claimed.
Those allegedly questioned include eight asylum seekers who had been trying to reach Australia when they were intercepted by Indonesia at Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's request.
One of the officials was Captain Kapil of the Sri Lankan embassy in Jakarta, Australian refugee advocate Saradha Nathan said last night.
The eight asylum seekers were originally on the boat in the port of Merak - at the centre of a 3½-month stand-off - that 244 other Tamil asylum seekers are still on.
The eight Tamils agreed to be moved to a detention centre in the hope of having their asylum claim fast-tracked. The others on board are refusing to leave, despite deteriorating health and sanitation concerns, unless taken to Australia for processing.
Under the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, third countries are expected to protect refugees from being interrogated by officials from the country they fled.
However, Indonesia is not a signatory to the convention.
"The [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] should protect the refugees from such interrogation,'' Mr Nathan said. ''Indonesia should not allow Sri Lanka to have access to the asylum seekers when they are trying to flee from persecution."
The Sri Lankan navy officers were attempting to negotiate for the eight detainees to return to Sri Lanka, and had threatened to deport all those on the boat at Merak to the Boosa jail in Sri Lanka, he said. This was reportedly the fate of one asylum seeker in Indonesia who returned to Sri Lanka to care for his sick mother early in December. He is in jail in Sri Lanka, Mr Nathan said.
The asylum seekers are also fearful that their details will be given to the Sri Lankan Government, because this may endanger their families.
''As the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd took the initiative to push the boat back to Indonesian authorities, Australia should now take responsibility and rectify this humanitarian crisis," Mr Nathan said.
Last year, Australia's Immigration Department paid a compensation settlement for allowing Chinese Government officials to enter the Villawood detention centre and question Chinese detainees, many of them Falun Gong members.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/tamil-refugees-questioned-by-sri-lankan-officials-20100109-lz4q.html

See also article published in The Australian, "Sri Lanka grills Tamils in Jakarta": http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/sri-lanka-grills-tamils-in-jakarta/story-e6frg6so-1225817519367

Breaking News - Asylum Seekers Interrogated by their Persecutors in Indonesian Detention

2010-01-08T03:05:00.001-08:00

9.30pm January 8th
Breaking News – Asylum Seekers Interrogated by their Persecutors in Indonesian Detention

Three Sri Lankan Navy officers have been allowed access to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees currently in Immigration Detention in Jakarta in Indonesia.

The asylum seekers have fled persecution by the Sri Lankan government, yet Captain Kapil from the Sri Lankan Embassy along with two other Sri Lankan Navy officers were brought into the Indonesian detention facility by Indonesian Immigration Officials today. While the other two Navy officers stayed outside, Capt Kapil held discussions with eight Tamil asylum seekers who had completed Indonesian immigration forms two days prior. These 8 asylum seekers had disembarked from the boat
currently moored at Merak in Indonesia several weeks ago.

Another 244 asylum seekers are still on the boat refusing to leave for fear of being sent back to Sri Lanka. They are pleading to have their cases for asylum processed in Australia. The stand-off between the asylum seekers and the Australian government has now been going for more than three months and is at crisis point with many of the people on the boat suffering from malnutrition, diarrhea, and other illnesses. One of the asylum seekers, George Jacob Samuel Christin, died on Christmas Eve following untreated illness on the boat.

Australian refugee advocate Saradha Nathan says, "The UNHCR should protect the refugees from such interrogation. Indonesia should not allow Sri Lanka to have access to the asylum seekers when they are trying to flee from persecution in Sri Lanka."

The Sri Lankan navy officers are attempting to negotiate for the eight detainees to return to Sri Lanka, and have threatened to deport all those on the boat at Merak to the Boosa jail in Sri Lanka. This was the fate of one asylum seeker in Indonesia who returned to Sri Lanka to care for his sick mother early in December. He is currently jail in Sri Lanka.

The asylum seekers are fearful that their details will be given to the Sri Lankan government and this may endanger their families. Saradha Nathan is concerned about the safety of their information. She says, "Indonesia is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention and these asylum seekers are not safe in Indonesian Detention. They need to be brought to Australia immediately to have their cases processed in a country that provides asylum to refugees. As the Australian Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd took the initiative to push the boat back to Indonesian authorities, Australia should now take responsibility and rectify this humanitarian crisis."

The Tamil's spokesman, Sanjeev "Alex" Kuhendrarajah, said "We are losing time. We have all the time to feel sorry about what happened to the 244 refugees after they disappear inside Sri Lanka. Is Australia going to do anything about it?"

ABC News - "Tamils not receiving medical help, doctor says"

2010-01-06T14:45:00.001-08:00

Wed Jan 6, 2010 8:21am AEDT

An Australian doctor says he has had to resort to giving medical advice over the phone to asylum seekers on a boat at an Indonesian port.

The Tamils have been refusing to go into detention for processing for almost three months.

A man died on the boat, moored at Merak, before Christmas, and others are getting treatment at the local hospital.

But refugee advocate and doctor Brian Senewiratne says authorities are not responding to requests for medical help.

"It is outrageous that I have to do such a thing because they are not getting any treatment of any sort," he said.

"There is a not a single medically-qualified person on the boat and all the international aid agencies and those who could supply help, such as international aid agencies, have all pulled out.

"I think that the Australian Medical Association should insist that Australian doctors - one, two or three - be allowed access for medical reasons to check up on the medical situation both on the boat as well as the so-called detention centres."

Source: ABC News, http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/06/2786265.htm?section=world

CNN Report - Asylum Seekers on Boat in Merak, Indonesia

2010-01-06T01:04:00.000-08:00

Life of an Asylum Seeker
January 5th 2010
CNN's Atika Shubert speaks to one asylum seeker stranded off the coast of Indonesia, trying to reach Australia.

Lateline Report - Indonesian Detention Centres

2010-01-06T00:59:00.001-08:00

Lateline 27 October 2009 - Conditions in Indonesian Detention Centres from jessie taylor on Vimeo.

Steve Cannane reports: New evidence has emerged of the condition's many asylum seekers endure in Indonesian detention. Melbourne lawyer and refugee advocate Jessie Taylor, who documented conditions across the country, says Australia's policy must change.

Christmas at Merak

2009-12-30T17:41:00.001-08:00

On Boxing Day, 2009, the IOM was persuaded to take a box of books and toys donated by Waverley Council in NSW as well as a group in Malaysia. The donation was a Christmas gift for the children on the boat. The gifts were distributed on the 26th as it was considered inappropriate to give presents on the 25th, after the death of Charles Jacob Christin on Christmas Eve.
The presents were received with much excitement.
Despite the death of Jacob (A Roman Catholic) and the significance of Christmas to those of the Christian Faith, about 30 Christians were denied the right to practice their religion. Father Adrianus Suyadi a Roman catholic priest who travelled to Merak on the 27th of December 2009 to provide them with pastoral care during this time was denied access to the boat.
See ABC Australia's article on this issue:
http://www.radioaustralianews

Update - Asylum seeker arrested in Merak

2009-12-29T03:05:00.000-08:00

The asylum seeker who was taken into custody by Indonesian Police when he accompanied fellow asylum seekers to a local hospital in Merak for treatment has now been transferred to a Jakarta prison.
The asylum seekers were receiving medical treatment following the death of George Jacob Samuel Christin on Christmas Eve.
Four others were arrested on Tuesday 15 December when they left the boat to seek medical treatment and other essential supplies.
Refugee advocates are concerned for their welfare and precarious legal position.

SIGN THE PETITION

2009-12-27T22:41:00.000-08:00

Australian citizens and community workers are deeply concerned for the welfare of 246 asylum seekers on board the boat at Merak’s shores in Indonesia.
They have been there for 11 weeks now, without access to medical supplies, basic amenities and life jackets. Over 30 children are on board and suffering from ill health including diarrhea. The boat was built to accommodate 50 people, yet there are nearly 250 people on board with access to only one toilet.
On Christmas eve one of the young men, Charles Jacob, died due to extreme illness after being refused treatment by Indonesian authorities and the IOM.
Show your support.
SIGN THE PETITION
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/merekasylumseekers/

"Land Without Checkpoints Feels Free to Tamil Refugees" - Article in The Age Monday, 28th December

2009-12-27T19:28:00.001-08:00

FARAH FAROUQUE
December 28, 2009

''IT FEELS like freedom, now,'' says Sanmugam Sarpatheepan.
Around him are the markers of his new life; the modest home in Melbourne's west is well maintained but has few personal touches, except for a couple of unwashed teacups in the kitchen.
Mr Sarpatheepan, 25, and his intellectually impaired housemate, Kanapathippillai Thajaparan, 24, are no ordinary new arrivals: they are the only Sri Lankans off the customs ship Oceanic Viking to have been resettled in Australia after the October stand-off involving 78 asylum seekers.
The duo, who are distant relatives, landed at Melbourne Airport on December 20 from Jakarta, but their route here has been tumultuous.
It was reported during the impasse that each passenger had paid $US12,000 to a people smuggler, but these young men say they paid $US6000 each for passage on the ''no-good boat'' from Jakarta. When it started sinking after about four days, they were picked up by the Australian ship, but in Indonesia's search and rescue zone.
Although in Australia barely a week , Mr Sarpatheepan is alive to some of the nuances of the refugee debate that followed the boat's interception. He agreed to speak, he says, because he wants to show the desperation that drives Tamils to get on to ''bad boats'' to seek refuge in a far-off continent.
''Being born as a Tamil in Sri Lanka, you have no freedom … the ultimate choice is to flee the country,'' says Mr Sarpatheepan. His family home near Jaffna, in the north, was at the frontline of the bloody ethnic conflict between the Government and Tamil Tiger rebels.
The Tigers have now been defeated, but thousands of displaced civilian Tamils are fearful, he says.
Although he mostly speaks through an interpreter, he barely pauses to draw breath as he recalls neighbours and friends, all young men, who have ''got disappeared'' after an encounter with the Sri Lankan army. The interrogators, he alleges, would accuse every civilian of being a Tiger operative. Young women in his home town would regularly be sexually assaulted.
Mr Sarpatheepan remembers, most graphically, his friend, Danu, then 22. ''He got arrested one day, and he didn't come back,'' he says. Determined that their son avoid this fate, the salesman's parents raised the money to buy him an air ticket to Jakarta in 2006 that could eventually secure a sea passage to Australia.
But in Jakarta on a one-month tourist visa, he was jailed by police and then spent about 10 months in a detention centre in Makassar, South Sulawesi. When he was released, the International Organisation for Migration placed him on Lombok Island, near Bali, where he stayed in a hotel for two years.
Mr Sarpatheepan said it was in Lombok, where he had ''freedom of movement'', that he was able to make arrangements to cross to Australia. His cousins, many of whom had already resettled in Western countries, raised the money for the passage.
''Australia is a land of freedom,'' he said. ''There is no checkpoint, and I don't get stopped by the military.''
He smiles, but there is a touch of longing for things lost. ''You know, every Tamil would go back to Sri Lanka if there is no war.''
http://www.theage.com.au/national/land-without-checkpoints-feels-free-to-tamil-refugees-20091227-lg9a.html

Protest in Jakarta

2009-12-27T19:16:00.001-08:00

Refugee rights advocates protested today in front of the Australian embassy in Jakarta, asking for a better solution for the 246 Tamil asylum seekers who refuse to disembark from their boat, moored at the shore of Merak, Indonesia, despite ill health and terrible living conditions.
During the protest Indonesian Police attempted to arrest Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for Refugee Action Coalition. He was released due to intervention by Legal Aid Jakarta, however police have taken a copy of his passport and there are concerns that he may face a subsequent arrest.

News flash - Another asylum seeker arrested in Merak

2009-12-26T18:06:00.000-08:00

One of the 246 asylum seekers from the boat at Merak was taken in by Immigration Officials today when they accompanied sick passengers to a local hospital for treatment. The asylum seekers were receiving medical treatment following the death George Jacob Samuel Christin on Christmas Eve.
Four others were arrested on Tuesday 15 December when they left the boat to seek medical treatment and other essential supplies.
More details will be posted soon.

Grieving asylum seekers denied Priest

2009-12-26T14:56:00.000-08:00

Tamil asylum seekers moored at Merak in Indonesia have been denied a request to see a priest on board the boat, following the death of their friend, George Jacob Samuel Christin. The 29 year old man died on Christmas Eve as a result of poor health on the boat.
They have asked for a Catholic priest, as Christin was a Catholic, to conduct funeral and mourning services to ensure spiritual peace for the departed. They were not allowed to have any Christmas celebrations and are requesting the guidance of a Priest to help console them. This request has been denied by Indonesian authorities.

Australia urged to aid boat people - The Age Saturday, December 26th

2009-12-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

Australia urged to aid boat people
ARI SHARP, CANBERRA
December 26, 2009

THE death of a Tamil man who had been aboard a boat moored at Merak in Indonesia has prompted renewed calls for Australia to help strike a deal to resettle the 246 people on board.
George Jacob Samuel Christin, 29, was vomiting blood in the two days before he died on Wednesday night, according to Ian Rintoul, a refugee advocate based in the west Java port of Merak.
He was given medical assistance earlier in the day on Wednesday before being returned to the boat, and was later told by the Indonesian navy he would need to agree to leave the boat in order to get further medical care, according to Mr Rintoul's account.
Only when Mr Christin's condition worsened to the point where he was foaming at the mouth, struggling for breath and having a fit did authorities relent and allow him to be taken to hospital, where he died a few hours later.
Mr Rintoul, spokesman for the Refugee Action Coalition, said the Indonesian authorities and the International Office of Migration had failed to provide adequate medical care.
Mr Christin is the first person on the boat to die. The vessel has been kept in Merak since it was found in Indonesian waters in October making its way to Australia with its Tamil passengers expected to claim asylum.
The 246 people who remain on the boat do not want to come ashore because they fear they will be sent to an Indonesian detention centre and have to wait years for resettlement.
Australian intelligence helped Indonesian authorities intercept the boat so the Australian Government was responsible for the group, Mr Rintoul said. ''The Rudd Government should be willing to take these people to Australia.''
The death has prompted Tamil activists in Australia to renew their calls for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to help resolve the impasse, as he did with the 78 people rescued by the Oceanic Viking.
''The Australian Government needs to play a compassionate leadership role in our region,'' said Australian Tamil Congress spokeswoman Sam Pari.
''The Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and Norwegian governments have all come together to find a resettlement solution for those on board the Oceanic Viking. Have they forgotten about the people clearly in need in Merak?''
Ramesh Fernandez, from the Melbourne-based advocacy group Refugee Survivors and Ex-Detainees, said he was deeply concerned for the welfare of asylum-seekers on the boat.
''They have been there for 11 weeks now, without access to medical supplies, basic amenities and life jackets,'' he said.
The Indonesian embassy in Canberra did not respond to a request for comment.

MEDIA RELEASE - Update on asylum boat as stand-off continues

2009-12-25T19:49:00.000-08:00

Indonesian officials have barred access to the boat at Merak but, Australian refugee activists in Jakarta supporting the Tamil asylum seekers have successfully negotiated for boxes of Christmas gifts to be distributed to the children on the boat.
After a series of high level discussions with Australian and Indonesian activists, the IOM has delivered five boxes of toys, books and other gifts, brought from Australia, to the asylum boat on Christmas Day.
The gifts did a little to lift the spirits at the boat as result of the death of Jacob on Christmas Eve. Another 47 year old asylum seeker has since been hospitalised.
Not long after the gifts were delivered, the Merak boat waas hit by a violent thunderstorm leaving asylum seekers physically holding togerher their torn tarpaulins to provide some shelter from ther pouring rain.
“Christmas came to the children on the Merak boat but no thanks to the Rudd government,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refuge Action Coalition, presently in Jakarta. “Kevin Rudd’s so-called “Indonesian solution” has left the Merak asylum seekers in limbo for over two and half months. The Australian government says it is humane to asylum seekers but there is no humanity on display in its attitude to the Merak asylum seekers.”
But a resolution to the impasse at Merak is not expected until January 2010.

MERAK ISSUES FOR RESOLUTION IN THE NEW YEAR

Refugee activists put forward a number of issues needed to be included in any successful resolution of the Merak situation including legal representation during Indonesian immigration verification; access to the UNHCR; a guarantee against arbitrary detention; support for basic needs while being processed and a guarantee of non-refoulement (non return to danger) of asylum seekers.

The question of deportation is a major sticking point for any resolution since the arrest and incommunicado detention of one Merak asylum seeker, Sujendran Gunarathnam, who returned to Sri Lanka on 26 November. Seven others who left the boat are being held in appalling conditions in Jakarta immigration detention.

It is expected that a proposal for resolving the plight of the Merak refugees will be finalised in early 2010, following discussions among several Indonesian government departments, and further discussions with the Australian government.

“The delays at re-settling the Oceanic Viking refugees has clearly put a question mark over the reliability of the Australian government in its relations with Indonesia and asylum seekers. Sending asylum seekers to
Romania for further processing is not the same as sending them to Canada. It looks like Australia will renege on its promise that all UNHCR Oceanic Viking refugees will be re-settled within four to six weeks, ” said Ian Rintoul.

“The Indonesia solution has become an international embarrassment. The Rudd government’s refugee hypocrisy is on international display. It claims to have humane standards at home while it tries to impose very different standards on refugees being held at Australia’s request in Indonesia.”

A protest targetting the Indionesian solution will be held at the Australian embassy, Jakarta, at 11.00am, 28th December.
For more information contact Ian Rintoul, +62 81 398 569964

Letter from asylum seekers

2009-12-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

December 26, 2009

To whom it may concern,
We the 254 refugees, in Merak, are going through a very difficult time, as we continue to mourn the death of our beloved brethren, George Jacob Samuel Christin, who has passed away on December 24th 2009, ironically being Christmas Eve.
He was a devoted Catholic, searching for a piece of God in the hell that we are currently in. Yet he was only able to find God, by death itself. Since his death we have not been able to know if he has safely completed the journey to God, or of his spirit is still wandering amongst us. Though we love to have him around, we know his spirit needs to be guided home, and then only his soul can rest in piece.
We sincerely plead that we be allowed a Catholic priest, as Christin, was a Catholic, to be allowed permission to come to our ship to conduct the necessary funeral and mourning services to ensure spiritual peace for our departed.
We were not allowed to have any Christmas celebrations either, and we hope that at least we can have the guidance of a Priest, Father, or Spiritual Counselor to help console us in this dire time of spiritual need. We ask that you show compassion to the deceased, and sympathy to those who need the spiritual guidance, and allow persons such as, Father Adri Suryanti, to conduct the necessary services.
We have been neglected many things and we plead with you, hoping you do not hesitate to act compassionately and in Godly and grant us the request for religious access, to ensure that we find our spirits in soul searching Journey. Kindly guide us back to God as we have lost our way in pusuit of happiness.
"But now, Lord, what do we look for? Our hope is in you."
Psalm 39:7

Sincerely,
254 Refugees in Merak

Australian-funded cameras linked to rise in boat people

2009-12-24T03:59:00.000-08:00

Australian-funded cameras linked to rise in boat people

The Age
MATT WADE, COLOMBO
October 28, 2009

SURVEILLANCE cameras funded by the Australian Government at Colombo airport have been linked with a spate of extra-judicial arrests - and could be pushing the rise in boat people.

Reports of unexplained detentions at the airport could be encouraging Tamil asylum seekers to opt for risky illegal boat journeys, local sources told The Age.

High-profile Tamil MP Mano Ganesan said at least 29 people had been detained at the airport this month. A Government official confirmed the figure, saying only 11 of those detained had been released.

Mr Ganesan said no notification had been given to the families of those detained.

He also claimed the airport's surveillance cameras had been used to target Tamils.

''These CCTV cameras are being used to monitor the movement of Tamil people,'' he said. ''Through the cameras they identify suspects and then the policemen are accosting people. No one knows if they will be able to catch their flight.''

A Sri Lankan NGO worker told The Age that humanitarian workers and human rights activists were also wary about using Colombo airport, the nation's international gateway.

''There is definitely a lot of fear now that you will be stopped at the airport,'' he said. ''There is a sense that a screening process going on.''

The disappearances at the airport meant many young Tamils had opted for boats rather than departure by air, said one official speaking to The Age on condition of anonymity.

A spokeswoman for the Australian high commission in Colombo confirmed that ''in co-operation with the Government of Sri Lanka, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship funded the installation of closed-circuit television cameras at Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo, which was completed in April 2008''.

But it is possible this aid, aimed at boosting Sri Lanka's border security, may be contributing to the flow of Tamils taking boat voyages in the hope of finding asylum overseas.

A 25-year civil war between the Sri Lankan army and the separatist Tamil Tigers ended with the military defeat of the rebels in May.

It is believed the surveillance cameras have helped authorities identify passengers suspected of having links with the Tigers.

But Mr Ganesan says innocent Tamils are being targeted.

''Even Tamils leaving the country with legitimate visas for education, business or personal reasons are being harassed and detained at the airport,'' he said.

''It is very difficult to tell the difference between arrest and abduction. When people get arrested at the airport, or elsewhere in the city, the police do not inform family members or follow the correct rules and regulations. They just take them away.''

The Sri Lankan Government says many of the alleged disappearances are false and intended to discredit it.

But Mr Ganesan said the number of people apprehended at the airport had risen significantly since the end of the war.

No one from Sri Lanka's immigration department was available to comment.

Tragic death of asylum seekers at Merak legacy of the Indonesian Solution

2009-12-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

Media Release:

TRAGIC DEATH OF ASYLUM SEEKER AT MERAK LEGACY OF THE INDONESIAN SOLUTION

“The tragic death of a young Tamil man on board the refugee boat at Merak was completely avoidable,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.

Despite appeals to the Indonesian navy and the IOM from early morning Wednesday, when the man began vomiting blood, he was not taken to hospital until he began fitting, struggling for breath and foaming at the mouth in the late evening, around 9pm local time. An hour or so later, the man was dead.

The 29 year old had been taken to the IOM motel outside the port area in mid afternoon, but he was returned to the boat after about 20 minutes. According to people on board the boat, they were told that IOM did not have the money to take the man to hospital.

As the man’s condition deteriorated in the evening, refugee activists began receiving frantic calls from those on board the boat for assistance. Attempts were made to obtain medical advice from Australian doctors over the phone.

“This boat should never have been at Merak,” said Ian Rintoul, “Kevin Rudd made the personal phone call requesting that this boat be intercepted by the Indonesian navy. Over 250 people have been left in limbo for over two and half months, as a result of that phone call. This man’s death is a legacy of the Indonesian solution.

“From advice we have received, this man’s death was entirely avoidable, had he received early medical attention.

“ The people at Merak have been asking for more medical support since IOM withdrew its services from the vicinity of the boat weeks ago. The Australian government funds IOM to provide support for asylum seekers. There have been numerous cases when authorities have been slow to respond to requests for ambulances. Even ‘Panadol’ has not been routinely available for children on the boat. There is heavily pregnant woman still on the boat.

“The Merak boat has been a tragedy waiting to happen. Kevin Rudd can show his humanitarian credentials by acting swiftly to rectify this situation. The Australian government should provide whatever assistance the Indonesian authorities need to provide the medical services and to process the asylum seekers.
“We know from the experience of the Oceanic Viking that processing and arrangements for re-settlement can be done quickly.

“One man has been arrested by Sri Lanka when he returned to Colombo and now one man has died. What more needs to happen before the Australian government acts?” asked Ian Rintoul.

Refugee activists had negotiated for Christmas presents to be delivered to the children on the boat today (Christmas Eve). But instead of celebrations, there is anger and devastation on the boat.

Already desperate people, facing an uncertain future, are now even more anxious about their fate.

A resolution at Merak however still seems some way off, as Indonesian government departments work to finalise a proposal in early January for verification, housing and re-settlement of the asylum seekers.

For more information contact Ian Rintoul, +62 81 398 569964

Sign the online petition http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/merekasylumseekers/

Australian's Appeal for help for asylum seekers in Indonesia

2009-12-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

Call for help for asylum seekers in Indonesia

SIGN THE PETITION

Australian citizens and community workers are deeply concerned for the welfare of 246 asylum seekers on board the boat at Merak’s shores in Indonesia.

They have been there for 11 weeks now, without access to medical supplies, basic amenities and life jackets. Over 30 children are on board and suffering from ill health including diarrhea. The boat was built to accommodate 50 people, yet there are nearly 250 people on board with access to only one toilet.

On Christmas eve one of the young men, Charles Jacob, died due to extreme illness after being refused treatment by Indonesian authorities and the IOM.

The Australian public, government and media have been aware of the situation of this boat for nearly three months yet nothing has been done to expedite their cases or assist with their situation.

“It’s time for the Australian Government to show compassion to these people, all of whom have genuine claims for asylum,” says Dr Grace McQuilten, CEO and founder of refugee support organisation The Social Studio.

Over 100 of the people on board already have refugee documentation from the UNHCR, while 24 have letter stating they are in the final stages of refugee documentation. The rest are waiting for the UNHCR to meet with them to process their claims.

Ramesh Fernandez of RISE (Refugee Survivors and Ex-Detainees) says, “We ask the Australian government to allow their cases to be processed on Australian soil. We ask them to ensure that medical treatment and supplies are offered to those suffering on the boat.”

Media contacts: Grace McQuilten,
0425647501, gmcquilten@gmail.com
Ramesh Fernandez,
ramesh@riserefugee.org

Online petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/merekasylumseekers

Download Media Release >> merakrefugees_media.pdf

Death on Boat - News Update - Sydney Morning Herald article

2009-12-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

Asylum seeker dies on Merak boat
ADAM GARTRELL
December 24, 2009 - 8:14AM

One of almost 250 Sri Lankan asylum seekers who have spent the past 11 weeks refusing to leave their boat in Indonesia has died after allegedly being denied medical help.
The 29-year-old Tamil died late last night after falling ill several days ago.
The Tamil's spokesman, Sanjeev "Alex" Kuhendrarajah, said the man had been vomiting blood for two days but authorities ignored his pleas to be taken to hospital until after he had a seizure on Wednesday night.
"He was completely neglected by the IOM (International Organisation for Migration) and the Indonesian Navy," Alex told AAP from the boat in the west Javan port of Merak.
"He was a young man looking for freedom, just looking for peace in his life.
"He had to die to find it."
The group was shocked and saddened by the death and would do everything in their power to bring a lawsuit against the IOM and Indonesian Navy, Alex said.
The Tamils, intercepted by the Indonesian Navy en route to Australia in October, do not want to come ashore because they fear they will be sent to an Indonesian detention centre and forced to wait years for resettlement.
Refugee advocates have called on the Australian government to intervene and bring the asylum seekers to Australia.

Source: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/asylum-seeker-dies-on-merak-boat-20091224-ldpm.html

Death on boat

2009-12-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

One of the asylum seekers on the boat stranded at Merak has died overnight. At this stage the circumstances of the death are unknown, however it is believed to be a male. More information will be posted soon.

Update - 4 Asylum Seekers Arrested in Indonesia

2009-12-22T01:26:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday 15 December, four of the Merak asylum seekers left the wharf area with an Indonesian doctor to get medical treatment. Three others went to get clothing which is increasingly short supply on the boat.The four asylum seekers and the doctor were arrested by the Indonesian police and taken to the Indonesian navy office in Merak. Two of the refugees have UNHCR refugee cards.

The doctor was released after questioning. The four asylum seekers were threatened with deportation by the navy officer in charge and have now been moved to Indonesian Immigration Head Office in Jakarta where they are being held in custody.

The doctor has been subject to further questioning and a further police inquiry is scheduled for Monday, 21 December. Indonesian human rights activists are attempting to gain access and provide legal support for the detainees.

There are serious concerns for the fate of those recently arrested.

Seven of eight Tamils who voluntarily left the Merak boat in November are in immigration detention in Jakarta and have not been seen by the UNHCR. One of those asylum seekers who went back to Sri Lanka on 26 November after news that his mother was seriously ill. He was arrested at Colombo airport when he returned and has been kept incommunicado.

Report into conditions of Indonesian Detention Centres

2009-12-20T01:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.law.monash.edu.au/castancentre/news/behind-australian-doors-report.pdf

247 Tamil Refugees off the shores of Indonesia

2009-12-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

For over one month now, 247 Tamil asylum seekers have been moored in a small boat at the shores of Merak in Indonesia. The boat is unstable, and many of the refugees on-board need urgent medical attention and life jackets. Of particular concern is the pregnant woman and the 31 children on board. The asylum seekers have been posting updates about their situation at http://tamilasylumseekers.blogspot.com. They refuse to disembark from the boat as they do not want to go into detention in Indonesia. They are asking the Australian government to have their requests for asylum processed in Australia.
We will be posting regular updates about their situation.

Welcome to the Indonesia Solidarity Forum

2009-12-15T21:38:00.001-08:00

Indonesia Solidarity Forum aims to establish an ongoing Australian organisation supporting justice and democracy in Indonesia.
It brings together a diverse group of people from the local and international community who share an interest in fostering debate and discussion about human rights, humanitarian aid and the Australia-Indonesia relationship.
The forum aims to increase the links between organisations in Indonesia and Australia that are campaigning for justice for refugees in our region, to raise the voice of refugee rights and as the first step in building a united movement.

Our website is under construction and will be launched soon.