The Rudd government has been rejecting asylum seeker claims at an extraordinary rate. A report by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), released on May 4, revealed that out of 42 ministerial decisions over five weeks, 41 appeals had been rejected — a 97.6% rejection rate.
The ASRC's Kon Karapanagiotidis said that this was the highest rate of case rejection since the refugee advocacy centre started taking records in 2001.
In the last two weeks, four asylum seekers have been deported. A Chinese woman was deported on April 28, two Indian men — one of whom had been detained for more than six years — were deported on May 1, and a Chinese man, who had been in detention for more than three years, was deported on May 6. As of May 9, a Syrian man was also due to be deported from the Villawood Detention Centre.
Immigration and citizenship minister Chris Evans criticised the ASRC report saying, "A small sample of outcomes all originating from a particular organisation do not capture the full picture". He asserts that out of 730 claims for ministerial intervention, 170 have been successful. The rest, he says, are from individuals who "have already been found not to be owed Australia's protection".
However, ASRC points to 10 people whose cases involve persecution, slavery and torture and yet who were refused asylum by Evans. At least half these people will be separated from close family in Australia if they are deported.
Pamela Curr, ASRC campaign coordinator, said that within six months the minister will make 2000 decisions on asylum seekers and she fears that "a lot of these will be refusals".
ASRC is receiving seven to eight visits every day by asylum seekers who have been rejected. Many of these people fear being harmed if they are returned to the countries they have fled.
One family whose case was rejected, from a persecuted ethnic minority in the Ukraine and whose six-year-old daughter was born in Australia, fears the father will commit suicide if forcibly returned. On May 7, when told of the minister's decision, he attempted suicide at the ASRC office in front of his son.
Another rejected case exposed by Curr on Crikey.com on May 7 was of an African woman who had been kidnapped and trafficked to the Middle East where she was enslaved and abused by her "owners". She came to Australia with her "owners", where she was attacked again and ran away. Since then, Australia has been her only experience of relative security.
Manjurul Haque Chowdhury also had his case rejected. A Bangladeshi who arrived in Australia 11 years ago, Chowdhury married an Australian a decade ago and has helped raise her children and helps look after her as she is now disabled.
Chowdhury lodged a direct appeal (s417) to the minister to grant him permanency as he has been on a bridging visa for the last 11 years. His appeal has been rejected and he now has to return to Bangladesh, leaving behind his wife and family.
Ian Rintoul from the NSW Refugee Action Coalition (RAC) said the government has an obligation not to return people to danger. "One of the deported Indian men has not been heard from since being deported, raising fears about his fate in India", he said.
The rejections have made many at Sydney's Villawood Immigration Detention Centre fearful, as the minister's promised review of long-term detainees has only resulted in deportations. Understandably, many long-term detainees had high hopes when the minister announced the review. "The Ombudsman has recommended that many of the long-term detainees be released, but all we've seen from the minister is the deportations", Rintoul said.
RAC is calling on human rights supporters to visit Villawood to listen to the detainees' stories. RAC is also calling an emergency meeting to discuss ways to end the nightmare for asylum seekers on May 19 at 6pm at the Teachers Federation, level 1, 23 Mary St, Surry Hills. For more inforation call Rachel on 0403 798 420.