The Australian Democrats today welcomed the Government's decision to award visas to 42 of the 43 West Papuan asylum seekers detained on Christmas Island, but said these visas must be made permanent.
"The arrival of these West Papuan asylum seekers in Australia, including West Papuan activists, was a stark reminder of the ongoing bloodshed in that region," Democrats' Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Senator Natasha Stott Despoja said.
"Grave human rights abuses have taken place against the West Papuan people over a number of decades, at the hands of the Indonesian military.
"I am heartened the Australian Government has stood up to Indonesia on this issue, despite the Indonesian Government's claims of harm to the bilateral relationship if Australia was to grant these visas, but Australia must now do more to end the violence in West Papua.
"Next week, the Democrats will move a motion in the Senate acknowledging the Government's decision to offer visas to the West Papuans, and calling on the Government to do more to end the ongoing human rights abuses in West Papua.
"The Australian Democrats will continue to pressure the Government to convert these temporary visas to permanent visas, to offer these West Papuan refugees stability and the chance of a new life in Australia," Senator Stott Despoja said.
|
