Vanstone must go - protest at DIMIA Friday 13th : Melbourne Indymedia

"If I ever meet an accident today as I go back to my office in Collins Street, and will [not] be able to recollect my past please take note that you are all witnesses that I am Maria Selga, and Australian citizen of 9 years."
This is how Maria Selga, Chairperson of the Centre for Philippine Concerns Australia - Victoria, ended her address today at Casselden Place, outside the office of DIMIA. Along with Pamela Curr of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre she was the main speaker at a snap protest called by the Refugee Action Collective - Victoria in the light of recent events, most especially the ongoing attempts of the government to deport an Ahwazi Arab man snatched
from Baxter a few days ago and now believed to be in Bankstown hospital being 'assessed for fitness to travel' - to his death? Given the events of recent years now gradually coming to light, Ms Selga may well have been only half joking. About twenty people gathered for the protest, which was called only late yesterday. Steve
Cilia from RAC-Vic gave a run-down of the events that triggered it, before handing over to the main speakers - see below. Gillian Davy also spoke, reminding people of the importance of building the rally scheduled for World Refugee Day, June 19 - see more on the RAC-Vic
website: http://www.rac-vic.org.

"My fellow Australians, our Government deported a battered Australian citizen to a place where she did not receive appropriate medical treatment,and subsequently suffered disability.

"Our Government took her away from her children without her consent. There were witnesses in the airport - a priest,a nun and a doctor - who allegedly came to counsel her before she left...

"The day the news broke out about the missing woman, the Centre for Philippine concerns Australia ... began joining the ABC in searching for Vivian Solon ... The CMA immediately
contacted the Australian embasy in the Philippines ... However, they faced a blank wall -
Australian officials told them they were briefed not to disclose any information...

"My fellow Australians, Vivian's case has clearly given us more proof to question how our
Government protects its citizens and respects the rights of people whether they are bonafide
citizens, asylum seekers or temporary citizens.

"The Filipino community, with a population of more than a hundred thousand, will not take
this issue lightly. The experiences of the past week have encouraged us to join the many
voices that clamour for changes in the Immigration system...

"In the wake of Vivian's [location], these are our calls:

1. that Prime Minister John Howard and Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone should establish a Royal Commmission of Inquiry into the detention and deportation cases in this country, especially people with mental illness and physical disability;

2. that prior to the Inquiry, Attorney General Philip Ruddock who was Immigration Minister
during the period of Vivian's deprtation, and current Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone
should resign from their posts...

- who also called for a Royal Commission. but stressed that that should be only the beginning. It was time - looking ahe to June 30th - to be ready to take to streets.
"The sideshow of the budget and all the rest of it - that's a sideshow. the real thing that's happening in this country is that people are being singled out, they're being discriminated against, their human rights are being breached, and it's got to stop!"