A former Salvation Army worker who provided welfare services at the Australian-run asylum seeker detention centre on Nauru says the situation of hopelessness at the camp was so bad he had to speak out. Mark Isaacs has described his experience in his book, The Undesirables which was due for for publication next month, but has Read more
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands says it is appalled to hear of recent disturbances at the Manus Island detention centre resulting in death and injury for the asylum seekers. The The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands has consistently spoken against offshore processing in PNG Read more
Ten unaccompanied minors have been sent to the asylum seeker processing centre on Nauru. Advocates from Save the Children, the charity employed to look after the children, say the minors arrived last Sunday morning and will be held in a detention centre that houses family groups. Save the Children says research shows the longer the Read more
Is there any ethical discussion to be had about stopping the boats, or is it just a matter of whatever it takes? Professor of law at Australian Catholic University, Fr Frank Brennan offers his seven points for stopping the boats ethically in this article first published in Eureka Street. Read More
An agreement has now been reached with Nauru, which is similar to the one already concluded with Papua New Guinea – to take more asylum seekers who arrive by boat in Australia and if they are found to be genuine refugees they’ll be settled permanently in Nauru. Father Frank Brennan who is professor of law at Read more
The Pacific Council of Churches wants to see more consultation over the asylum seeker deal between Australia and Papua New Guinea. The regional church body says with the possible resettlement of asylum seekers from different countries in Papua New Guinea, a policy of assimilation will have to be looked at to help the newcomers fit Read more
Following a two hour visit Australia’s Immigration Minister Tony Burke declared Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island detention centre ‘adequate’ and ‘ready for expansion’. But a former Salvation Army staff member who helped deliver services at the centre says that won’t be easy And she’s warned the centre will never be appropriate for the small children Read more
The Salvation Army, which is running care services for asylum seekers on Nauru Island, says facilities should be improved before women and children are transferred there. Salvation Army spokesman Paul Moulds says women and children should not be sent yet, because asylum seekers are sleeping in tents while the compound is under construction. “We certainly Read more
Australia’s Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, has confirmed ten Chinese nationals in Darwin have decided to seek asylum in Australia. The group arrived by yacht in Darwin late last week while on their way to claim asylum in New Zealand. They were warned that sailing across the Tasman Sea would be extremely dangerous. Mr Bowen says Read more
A report about people trafficking in the Pacific – including Samoa – comes as no surprise to the Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Immigration, Auali’itia Fa’afouina Milford.
The Vulnerabilities to Trafficking in the Pacific report from the Australian Institute of Criminology warns of an alarming rise in trafficking in this part of the world. The report says that during the past six years, Samoa and nine other countries in the region reported their belief that people had been trafficked into their countries.
Auali’itia says Samoa is not immune. During an interview with the Samoa Observer yesterday, he revealed the latest case on these shores.“The most recent case was late last year when a group of people from Bangladesh illegally migrated to Samoa,” he says.
Read the article...