ABC AUSTRALIA, 14/11/2003 02:15:53
Australia concedes expelled Turkish Kurds sought asylum
The Australian Government has conceded a group of Turkish Kurds towed out of
Australian waters last week did ask for refugee protection.
Our reporter, Stephanie Kennedy, says the admission contradicts earlier statements
by senior government ministers.
Both the Immigration and Foreign ministers repeatedly said the 14 men did not claim
asylum here.
But the Turkish Kurds who are now in Indonesia said they did tell Australian
authorities that they were refugees who wanted to stay in Australia.
Officials were asked to investigate and now in an embarassing admission, the
Minister Amanda Vanstone acknowledges the government's statements were wrong.
"Some people made remarks to the effect that they wanted to stay in Australia. Well
that doesn't distinguish them from lots of other people who come here," she said.
"But some people did say things referring to human rights and mention refugee."
Officials now say they claimed to be Kurdish refugees.
One indicated the word refugee in an English/Turkish dictionary and some said they
wanted to become an Australian citizen.
The 14 men were aboard an Indonesian fishing boat when they arrived at Melville
Island, north of Australia, on November 4.
Defence force personnel boarded the boat and escorted it out of Australian waters.
Melville Island was then retrospectively excised from Australia's migration zone,
effectively making it impossible for the 14 men to apply for asylum.
Turkish Kurds seek refugee status in Indonesia
The 14 Turkish Kurds have now applied for refugee status in Indonesia.
The United Nations refugee agency says Indonesian officials have agreed not to
deport them until a decison is made.
14/11/2003 02:15:53 | ABC Radio Australia News
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