'In the front line of what is right and moral'

On October 26, 150 people rallied at Federation Square to demand the Australian government accept the 78 Sri Lankans asylum seekers currently moored off Indonesia's Riau Islands.

Theo Mackaay, general secretary of the Victorian Council of Churches, said: "These policies are wrong, unjust and need to be stopped. As long as you have wars there will be refugees."

Kanchana Senthuran from the Australian Tamil Congress, said: "The Australia government does not want to risk trade deals with a Sri Lankan government that is killing Tamil people."

Sylvie Leber from the Refugee Action Collective, which formed in 2001 in response the Howard government's treatment of refugees, told the crowd: "We have to regroup, collect ourselves and start the campaign again."

Other speakers included Michael Pierce, Liberty Victoria's president, Adam Bandt, Greens candidate for the seat of Melbourne, and Margarita Windisch from the Socialist Alliance. The rally was organised by the Refugee Action Collective.

Messages of support were sent from people who were unable to attend, including human rights lawyer Julian Burnside, journalist John Pilger and civil liberties lawyer Rob Stary.

Pilger's message read: "The rights of refugees are among the most important we have as human beings. For the Australian government to harass and deny these vulnerable people is a disgrace which will be measured in the eyes of the world by the voices of decent Australians protesting.

"You people here tonight are, as always, in the front line of what is right and moral, and all power to you."

From GLW issue 816