Below is a
copy of the letter sent to the Prime Minister by the Catholic Justice
& Peace Commission of Brisbane. You
may use this as a basis for drafting your own letter or e-mail.
The Prime Minister
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
19 June 2006
Dear Mr Howard
I write to express my Commission’s concern over your Government’s actions following the arrival of 43 Papuan asylum seekers on Cape York earlier this year.
We publicly commended the Government for its decision to grant temporary protection visas to 42 of the asylum seekers because we understand that the Papuan people have been subjected to much violence and intimidation at the hands of elements of the Indonesian military.
The Commission is concerned, however, that your Government does not appear to be challenging the Indonesian Government to stop the human rights abuses in Papua which so many credible reports suggest have been long-standing.
The Commission notes that you have protested strongly to the Indonesian Government about the lenient treatment given to Abu Bakar Bashir and would urge you to be equally forthright in challenging the unacceptable treatment of the people of Papua.
We are also deeply troubled by your Government’s determination to proceed with changes to the Migration Act which could see other Papuans who flee persecution being processed offshore. We believe that Australia has a responsibility to process asylum seekers here and not to send them to Nauru or elsewhere for processing. Many Church leaders have spoken publicly to express their concerns about the threat to the human dignity of asylum seekers under this proposed change. We join with them in urging you to reconsider your position on this matter
Please do not ignore the pleas of the Papuan people for international support of their human rights; and please do not subject those Papuans who flee human rights abuses to more indignity by insisting that their asylum claims be processed offshore.
Yours sincerely
Peter Arndt, Executive Officer.
If you need any more information or help to get involved, please contact
the Catholic Justice & Peace Commission of Brisbane, GPO Box 282,
Brisbane Q 4001, Phone (07) 3336 9173, Fax (07) 3336 9177 or E-mail arndtp@bne.catholic.net.au