Burka ban a headache for a liberal society
Tim Soutphommasane; 1/5/10 Is it illiberal for governments to ban practices judged to be illiberal, as the French government is doing with its intended ban on the burka? Those familiar with France will be aware its civic culture isn’t one of vive la difference. The French republic has, since its birth through revolution, stood for […] read more…Japanese whale meat ‘being sold in US and Korea’
14/4/10 Scientists say they have found clear proof that meat from whales captured under Japan’s whaling programme is being sold in US and Korean eateries. The researchers say they used genetic fingerprinting to identify meat taken from a Los Angeles restaurant as coming from a sei whale sold in Japan. They say the discovery proves […] read more…Jakarta asylum-seeker ‘brokers’ cash in with spotter’s fees
Stephen Fitzpatrick 7/4/10 The people-smuggling trade through Jakarta has become such big business that spotter’s fees of up to $540 a person are being offered for getting asylum-seekers on to boats headed for Australia. And with a range of smuggling networks operating to ferry asylum-seekers through the archipelago after they have fled Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, […] read more…Stolen lives
Joanna Moorhead; 6/4/10 I am walking along a brightly painted corridor when a couple of young girls catch first my eye, and then my arm. They smile at me, and giggle; they look about the same ages as my elder daughters, 17 and 15. Just like my daughters, these girls have taken a lot of […] read more…Asylum boats ready as rainy season ends
Stephen Fitzpatrick, 3/4/10 Indonesian immigration authorities are questioning 47 asylum-seekers seized this week trying to reach Christmas Island from Java, one of several boatloads taking advantage of the end of the rainy season. “The weather is definitely a factor,” national police spokesman Edward Aritonang said. “If we use the picture from previous years as a […] read more…The four little shorebirds that could fly non-stop for 7600km
Leigh Dayton; 1/4/10 In one of the world’s greatest migratory feats, four little shorebirds flew non-stop from Victoria to Taiwan in just over six days, covering 7600km. En route, the ruddy turnstones, Arenaria interpres, cruised at an average speed of 50-55km/h. Those are two findings from the first monitored migration cycle of the stocky wader, […] read more…China challenged over executions
31/3/10 Human rights group Amnesty International has called on China to publicly state how many people it puts to death each year. In its annual report on the use of the death penalty worldwide, published on Tuesday, Amnesty said the number of people executed by Beijing last year was likely “in the thousands” – estimated […] read more…Call to take more refugees
Ben Doherty; 27/3/10; (2 Items) Australia is being urged to stem the flow of boat people by accepting more refugees from south-east Asia before they risk the hazardous journey to Australia by sea. The Refugee Council of Australia has recommended the government grant an extra 1000 offshore humanitarian visas to refugees from south-east Asia each […] read more…Tuna brands canned for failing to toe the line
6/3/10 More than 20 years after the campaign to get dolphin-friendly tuna into shopping bags, supermarket shelves are still stacked with tuna that has been fished unsustainably. That’s according to Greenpeace’s new report card on the canned tuna brands in supermarkets. John West ”lacks credibility”. Sirena is ”one of the worst offenders”. Woolworths home brand […] read more…Aussie-Israelis face Dubai ban
Cameron Stewart; 3/3/10 Dual Israeli nationals will be banned from entering Dubai in a sanction that police say will be enforced by recognising “physical features and the way they speak”. The announcement, by Dubai police chief Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, is the first reprisal for Israel’s suspected role in the murder of a Hamas […] read more…Ex-envoy James Larsen at helm on asylum fight
Mark Dodd; 1/3/10 Australia’s former ambassador to Israel, James Larsen, has been appointed the new Ambassador for People-Smuggling Issues, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith announced yesterday. Mr Larsen succeeds Peter Woolcott who has held the position since June last year. The ambassador is responsible for high-level advocacy of Australia’s interests in promoting effective and practical international […] read more…China’s dams killing Mekong
25/2/10 Like most rivers in this country which are fast drying up under the scorching summer sun, the Mekong is no exception. This otherwise mighty river has shrunk substantially in size and its once forceful flow is now down to a trickle in many lower stretches of the river, to the extent that navigation has […] read more…Labor lines up illegal timber law
Tom Arup; 12/2/10 The federal government is considering making it a criminal offence to import timber that has been illegally harvested overseas. The law would be established next to a voluntary certification and verification program for timber importers, which would be set up through a range of agreements with developing nations such as Papua New […] read more…Navy errors blamed for fire on SIEV 36
Lex Hall and Jamie Walker; 26/1/10; (2 Items) Desperate asylum-seekers intercepted at sea by the navy were allowed to keep cigarette lighters and matches, even though one man was seen to make a “throat-slashing gesture” in the chaos before their boat exploded, killing five and injuring many more. Northern Territory Coroner Greg Cavanagh was told […] read more…Refugee deals start Asia ‘virus’
Jonathan Prearlman & Ari Sharp; 6/1/10; (2 Items) Australia’s deals to deter asylum seekers have triggered an Asia-wide virus of ”xenophobia and amnesia” over refugee rights, a human rights group says. The refugee policy director at Human Rights Watch, Bill Frelick, has criticised recent moves across Asia to prevent the resettlement of refugees, which he […] read more…Wife is like a car without guarantee
Saleh Al-Turigee; 1/1/10 Manal tells her story with some laughable wretchedness and sadness. She says in her message, “I am 30 years old, Saudi, a graduate and like many university graduates still looking for a job. Looking for employment is not, however, my main concern or top priority because it is almost impossible to get […] read more…