Monthly Archives: March 2010

Commission Urges Fairness and Compassion for Asylum Seekers

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Wednesday 31 March 2010

 Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission has urged Catholics to be voices for fairness and compassion for asylum seekers in the current debate over the treatment of asylum seekers arriving by boat.

The Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that comments by politicians in both the Government and the Opposition and a recent front page article in the Sunday Mail have the effect of de-humanising asylum seekers and robbing them of their God-given dignity.

“We appeal to Catholics to defend the right of people to seek asylum in our country and to be treated as human beings and not as demons to be feared or as objects to be used for political or commercial benefit,” Mr Arndt said.

 “Both major parties are trying to show that they are tough with boat arrivals and they are causing a lot of suffering and unfairness for people seeking asylum,” he said.

 “All our politicians need to remember that Australia is a signatory to the international convention which recognises the right of people fleeing persecution and violence to seek asylum,” he said.

“We, as a  nation which says it respects and defends human rights, should not be trying to turn asylum seekers away or get other countries to hold them in unsatisfactory conditions,” he said.

“Whipping up fears that we are being over-run by asylum seekers is simply dishonest and leads to mis-treatment of people,” he said.

“We should remember that less than 25000 people have come by boat seeking asylum in Australia in more than 30 years,” he said.

“That is no flood and no reason to propose harsh and inhuman treatment of asylum seekers nor to create fear about boat arrivals,” he said.

 “We should also expect that the media should be responsible in covering the current asylum seeker debate,” he said.

 “The Sunday Mail’s recent front page story on asylum seekers being taken on a supervised shopping trip in Brisbane was regrettable,” he said.

 “The headline ‘They’re Here’ gives you the impression that the paper thinks we have something to fear,” he said.

 “People who seek asylum should have their claims for protection assessed and, if they prove to be legitimate, be recognised as refugees,” he said.

 “We should reject the attempts by fearmongers in politics and the media to foster resentment towards our fellow human beings,” he said.

 “As Christians, we see asylum seekers as our sisters and brothers,” he said.

 “It is our responsibility to defend their human dignity and to encourage our politicians and the community to treat them with compassion and fairness,” he said.

 For further information, please contact Peter Arndt on (07) 3336 9173 or 0409 265 476.
 NB  This release is issued with the approval of the Commission or its Executive under the provision of its Mandate which enables it to speak in its own right when required.  The views expressed in it do not necessarily represent the views of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

Death Penalty Vigil for Good Friday

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Media Release Monday 22 March 2010

Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission will once again hold a Good Friday vigil to pray for those on death row in Indonesia and around the world, for their families and for the victims of violence and crime.

As in previous years, the prayer vigil will take place at noon at Christ the King Catholic Church, Churchill Street, Graceville in the home parish of Lee and Chris Rush, the parents of Scott Rush who is one of the “Bali Nine” remaining on death row in Indonesia.

The Commission’s Executive Officer, Peter Arndt, said that the vigil comes at an important time as Scott Rush’s final appeal may soon be heard.

“We remain committed to this vigil as an important witness to the Gospel of life,” Mr Arndt said.

“The Gospel tells us that all human beings are created in the image of God and, therefore, have a dignity which no-one can take away,” he said.

“That is why the Church is opposed to capital punishment and why we stand in solidarity with those on death row on Good Friday,” he said.

“We are, of course, especially concerned to show support to Scott Rush and his family, but our prayers are for everyone on death row whatever their nationality or crime,” he said.

“It is our hope that our prayers will be accompanied by action aimed at ending capital punishment everywhere,” he said.

 “It is encouraging that the Federal Government has introduced legislation into the Parliament to prohibit the reintroduction of the death penalty in any jurisdiction in Australia,” he said.

 “There is, however, much more work to do to convince those nations who still use the death penalty to stop the practice,” he said.

 “We hope that Catholics will continue to pray for all those on death row and also try to encourage our politicians to bring about an end to capital punishment everywhere,” he said.

 For further information, please contact Peter Arndt on (07) 3336 9173 or 0409 265 476.

NB  This release is issued with the approval of the Commission or its Executive under the provision of its Mandate which enables it to speak in its own right when required.  The views expressed in it do not necessarily represent the views of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane

Australia Should Challenge Sri Lankan Human Rights Record

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Tamil Support Brisbane Australia

Justice in Sri Lanka Support Brisbane Australia

Monday 1 March 2010

Brisbane’s Catholic Justice and Peace Commission urged the Federal Government to take a stronger position on human rights violations in Sri Lanka in the wake of the European Union’s announcement of its plan to withdraw preferential trade benefits to the South Asian country in six months unless human rights concerns are addressed.

Sri Lanka benefits from trade concessions in the EU’s Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP+), an incentive scheme tied to the improvement of human rights and good governance.  The scheme provides tariff cuts to support vulnerable developing countries.

The European Union has repeatedly warned Sri Lanka that it must meet 27 international human rights conventions to retain its GSP Plus status.

Sri Lanka’s textile and clothing industry earned $3.47 billion in export income from the European Union in 2008.  Suspension of the tariff benefit foreshadowed by the February 16 announcement by the European Union could seriously affect the industry.

The Justice and Peace Commission’s Executive officer, Peter Arndt, said that the Australian Government should add its voice to those of many other Western nations who have expressed serious concerns about the treatment of Tamils during and since the final stages of the conflict between the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tigers last year.

“The treatment of Tamil civilians by both the Tigers and the military during the final stages of the conflict last year was appalling,” Mr Arndt said.

“Tamil civilians were killed and injured in great numbers by actions on both sides,” he said.

“Since the end of the conflict, the Sri Lankan Government received repeated criticisms from many quarters for its treatment of the hundreds of thousands of Tamils it detained in camps in the north of the country,” he said.

“Under pressure from the international community, the Sri Lankan Government accelerated the release of detainees late last year, but over 100000 people are still in the camps,” he said.

“Credible reports indicate that camp conditions are squalid,” he said.

“Despite claims of freedom of movement for those in camps, the truth is that people cannot leave without gaining approval and they must report regularly to police,” he said.

“For those who have returned to their home area, there appears to be little support or income,” he said.

“Throughout the whole of this period, the Government has restricted the capacity of international aid and human rights organisations to monitor the treatment of Tamil civilians,” he said.

“Journalists and critics of the Government, including Serath Fonseka who ran in the recent presidential elections, are arrested on what appear to be trumped up charges, are killed or simply disappear,” he said.

“The International Crisis Group is one of many respected international organisations which have released reports and statements expressing grave concerns about the treatment of Tamils and critics of the Government,” he said.

“The International Crisis Group issued a report recently calling for the Sri Lankan Government to address the legitimate Tamil concerns about systematic discrimination against them,” he said.

“The European Union’s threat of removal of trade benefits is part of a very loud and prolonged chorus of concerns about human rights in Sri Lanka and Australia must join efforts to put an end to this dreadful state of affairs,” he said.

“We in the Church in Australia should also heed the cries of those who suffer in Sri Lanka and the concerns expressed by the Church in that country,” he said.

“On the same day as the European Union announcement, the Conference of Major Religious Superiors in Sri Lanka said there was a loss of faith in the democratic process and just governance,” he said.

“They called for the country’s political leaders to respect the rule of law and human rights and to uphold the principles of reconciliation, forgiveness, freedom of media, freedom of speech and the right to dissent,” he said.

For further information, please contact Peter Arndt on (07) 3336 9173 or 0409 265 476.

NB  This release is issued with the approval of the Commission or its Executive under the provision of its Mandate which enables it to speak in its own right.  The views expressed in it do not necessarily represent the views of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

Other CJPC Statements on Sri Lanka