This makes me mad!
Some of you may be aware that recently 43 people from West Papua (a province of Indonesia just north of Australia) made their way to Australia and were granted temporary protection visas as refugees. This angered the Indonesian government which sees it as an affront to them - implying that Indonesia's governance of West Papua makes it an unsafe place for these people. Furthermore Indonesia is worried that Australia might support a Papuan independence movement.
The latest is that my church has been dragged into it. And this and this really make my blood boil! Our craven government's response to the Indonesian unrest is to promise that the way we process asylum seekers will change - in effect that we will kow-tow to Indonesian sentiment and not accept as refugees, anyone from Indonesia on such feeble grounds as the fact that their civil and religious rights are being infringed and they may face death if they are returned. Even in our current self-obssessed, right-wing mood, some commentators and others (here and here) have recognised that this a bridge too far.
In the midst of this, the Uniting Church (which has strong links with the Evangelical Christian Church) has striven to enable the voices of ordinary Papuans to be heard - read or listen to the informed account of Rev John Barr, Executive Secretary of Uniting International Mission. It's about time someone stood up for them. And Indonesian ambassadors can go to blazes. This situation is entirely of Indonesia's making and blaming the Uniting Church is mere subterfuge to draw attention away from their horrendous abrogation of human rights for the mainly melanesian, mainly Christian population of Papua.
The latest is that my church has been dragged into it. And this and this really make my blood boil! Our craven government's response to the Indonesian unrest is to promise that the way we process asylum seekers will change - in effect that we will kow-tow to Indonesian sentiment and not accept as refugees, anyone from Indonesia on such feeble grounds as the fact that their civil and religious rights are being infringed and they may face death if they are returned. Even in our current self-obssessed, right-wing mood, some commentators and others (here and here) have recognised that this a bridge too far.
In the midst of this, the Uniting Church (which has strong links with the Evangelical Christian Church) has striven to enable the voices of ordinary Papuans to be heard - read or listen to the informed account of Rev John Barr, Executive Secretary of Uniting International Mission. It's about time someone stood up for them. And Indonesian ambassadors can go to blazes. This situation is entirely of Indonesia's making and blaming the Uniting Church is mere subterfuge to draw attention away from their horrendous abrogation of human rights for the mainly melanesian, mainly Christian population of Papua.
posted by Lindsay | 3:00 pm
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