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INDONESIA: Australian embassy ignored killings at mine

BY BOB BURTON The Australian government has defended its embassy officials in Jakarta who lobbied Indonesian security forces and officials to deal with "illegal miners" at an Australian-owned mine. In three separate incidents after the lobbying

UWA to become a refugee safe haven?

BY FEDERICO FUENTES PERTH — Refugees' rights activists at the University of Western Australia pledged to turn their campus into a refugee safe haven at the launch of the campaign on August 8. The campaign is being organised by the UWA Refugee

ACT Labor supports changes to refugee policies

BY JAMES VASSILOPOULOS CANBERRA — The ACT conference of the Australian Labor Party on July 26 voted to end the ALP's support for mandatory detention of asylum seekers. A number of motions initiated by the Labor for Refugees group were passed

Refugee display stirs controversy

BY KERRIE BARRON CANBERRA — A library display highlighting the plight of asylum seekers was removed on August 9 after it prompted a violent response. The Refugee Action Collective (RAC) was asked to pack up its display because library

Write On: Letters to Green Left Weekly

Fond Memories of Cuba Despite his use of the tired old cliche "cappuccino revolutionaries", David Bradbury's criticisms of Cuban socialism (Write On, #501) may well be valid. At least it is good to see this issue being debated (if that is the word)

RMIT forced to drop detention centre bid

BY NATALIE ZIRNGAST & KYLIE MOON MELBOURNE — In a victory for the staff and student campaign against RMIT's bid to provide education and recreational facilities to asylum seekers in detention, RMIT vice chancellor Ruth Dunkin announced on

TPV holders threatened with deportation

BY SARAH STEPHEN Refugees on temporary protection visas make up an expanding component of the Australian government's intake of refugees. At the end of May, there were 8400 people living in Australia on TPVs. Between July 2000 and June 2001, more

Letter from an Afghan refugee

NAURU — I am an Afghan asylum seeker from Nauru camp. I am writing this letter hoping that you would understand and help us. About nine months ago the Australian government brought us to Nauru Island and put us in a very bad camp called

Badraies granted protection visas

BY SARAH STEPHEN After a two-year fight, the Badraie family, who fled to Australia from Iran in March 2000, have been granted refugee status and issued with temporary protection visas. The Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) announced its decision on

Museworthy: Unborn

Museworthy: Unborn At 3am I paint the solesof my daughter's feetwith red glitter There are no reasons to deathbut how greatunreason The silver cars on their dark wheelsare parkingin our street The baby of the poor womanhas put its

Flags, solidarity and sleeping bags

BY TAMARA PEARSON  BATHURST — Charles Sturt University's (CSU) solution to federal funding cuts is to axe courses and fire staff. The students' response has been to organise. The students have been camping outside CSU management's

TURKEY: US pushes Ankara toward war with Iraq

BY ERTUGRUL KURKCU ISTANBUL — Top Pentagon brass may have doubts about the feasibility of the circulating war plans for Iraq, but George Bush's envoys have convinced Turkish decision-makers that a US military operation to overthrow Saddam