No, not the punchline to an obscure joke – just another chapter in the Australian government’s on-going efforts to “process” asylum claimants in small, semi-dependent, Pacific Island nations.
Eight Rohingya arrived on Ashmore Reef and have since been transferred to Christmas Island, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Plans are afoot to foil any claims to live in Australia. The report notes that as early as this week the government hopes to move them to Nauru as part of the so-called “Pacific Solution”.
No kidding…I assume this is not the start to life in the southern hemisphere that the Rohingya were dreaming of.
3 responses so far ↓
1 New Mandala » Rohingya on Nauru, part II // Sep 20, 2006 at 2:53 am
[...] When I first posted on the Rohingya on Nauru I said I would keep New Mandala updated as the story unfolds. [...]
2 New Mandala » Rohingyas on Nauru, part III // Oct 1, 2006 at 8:21 pm
[...] A spate of stories from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation late last week drew on comments from an Australian refugee lawyer and an official from the Organisation for International Migration. They both said that the Rohingya men will all make strong claims for refugee status. The Australian government is silent on the issue. For more context see the original New Mandala posts on this evolving story. [...]
3 New Mandala » Rohingya in Phang Nga // Dec 7, 2006 at 12:51 am
[...] Just for some news related to my posts earlier in the year about Rohingya claiming asylum in Australia, reports have come through that a boat has arrived in southern Thailand’s Phang Nga province carrying 114 Rohingya “looking for work”. [...]
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