Fed: Decision doesn't give comfort to other Papuans - Vanstone

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2006
Fed: Decision doesn't give comfort to other Papuans - Vanstone

CANBERRA, April 6 AAP - The granting of visas to a group of Papuan asylum seekers does
not mean others will be protected by Australia, Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone says.

Relations between Jakarta and Canberra have been strained since late last month when
the Immigration Department granted temporary protection visas to 42 asylum-seekers from
Indonesia's separatist province of Papua.

Reports yesterday of another boatload of asylum-seekers making their way to Australia
threatened the relationship even further, but a search by the Customs Service failed to
find them.

Nationalist anger in Indonesia is running high, with critics likening the visa decision
to Australia's intervention in East Timor in 1999.

But Senator Vanstone said the decision did not mean protection visas would be granted
to any asylum seeker from Papua.

"The decision wasn't made by me - it was made by the department. We indicated the normal
process would be followed," she told ABC radio.

"Each of these decisions are made individually, they're made on the basis of the individual
claim by the individual person and in their individual circumstances - that is, what was
happening to them and their fear in a particular area.

"It is certainly not a decision, each of these, on a territory-wide basis, a region-wide
basis, certainly not a countrywide basis and certainly not a decision about the Indonesian
government or anyone else."

The minister acknowledged the damage to the bilateral relationship which has already
seen Jakarta recall its ambassador from Canberra.

But she said it had to be recognised that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono faced
a huge task as the head of an emerging democracy.

"We have difficulties in Australia in government obviously because of differences of
opinion in a federal system - just imagine what it's like to be at the helm of new fledgling
democracy with thousands of islands," Senator Vanstone said.

"I think he's doing a tremendous job in cleaning Indonesia up, building a democracy
there, and Australians who want to see stability and retain friendship for our nearest
neighbour I think would do well to reflect on whether there's any good in anybody promoting
any unrest and promoting criticism of Indonesia.

"Because they've got a tremendous job to do to build a democracy and Yudhoyono's determined
to do it."

AAP rp/jlw

KEYWORD: PAPUA VANSTONE

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