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!"

An Iranian asylum seeker, MS (Bx 1805), was removed from Baxter to Sydney last Monday.

MS had a 417 and 48b rejected on the 4th May. A deportation notice was posted by snail mail to his lawyer on Thursday afternoon. It had not arrived when he was seized by guards and removed to Sydney on Monday. Regulations state that the lawyer and detainee should receive 48 hours notice of removal/deportation. It is extremely dangerous for him to be returned to Iran. He is Arab Iranian, a persecuted minority in Iran. More than 20 Arab Iranian demonstrators were killed, 500 injured,and 250 arrested during violence in Ahwaz city on the weekend of the 15 and 16th of April. MS cousin was shot, and another family member has been 'disappeared'.

The phone lines to the Ahwazi state, Khurzestan, have been cut off for the last month. There is no way for MS family to be alerted that he is being deported. The city of Ahwaz is under virtual siege.

MS is currently in hospital in Sydney. His future is in the hands of the Minister. The legal process is unable to help. THIS IS THE MINISTER'S DECISION- The life of MS is in her hands.

While a supplementary submission alerting the ministers office to the situation in Ahwaz was sent to the ministers office and a phone call placed alerting the office to same, it is not known if this was made available to the Minister or if she knew of MS personal family situation, or the violence in Ahwaz, when she rejected his 48b/417 on the 4th of May.
MS currently has a group 48b before the Minister which has been submitted for the Arab Iranians as a group.

The Minister's details:

Senator The Hon Amanda Vanstone
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs
Adelaide office: Ph (08) 8223 1757 Fax (08) 8223 1750
Canberra: Telephone: (02) 6277 7860 Fax: (02) 6273 4144
e-mail: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/contact/#email

International condemnation of the treatment of Arab Iranians:
• The US State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli said the US was "very concerned" by the reports of killings and mass arrests following demonstrations against coercive ethnic "restructuring" of Arabs in Khuzestan at the weekend." A report published by the State Department in February drew attention to
human rights abuses of Ahwazi Arabs, including the closure of twonewspapers and the imprisonment and torture of opposition activists.
• Amnesty International, "There are unconfirmed reports that at least 29 people have been killed in the disturbances, and up to 500 injured. The security forces have reportedly sealed off some areas of the city of Ahvaz, and cut their power supply, telephone connections and water. They have reportedly used excessive force, possibly including extrajudicial executions, after demonstrators allegedly killed up to seven police or security officials. Reports allege that they are now operating a "shoot-to-kill" policy.
• Paris-based Arab Commission for Human Rights have voiced serious concerns over continuing violence and human rights abuses in Iran's Khuzestan province, following a week of unrest. Following riots over the government's programme of "ethnic restructuring" in the oil-rich province, the ACHR says it has receivedreports of "heavy casualties" from hospitals and called on the government to desist from using deadly force against unarmed protestors.
See below for articles...

Amnesty International - Urgent Action

URGENT ACTION

Iran: Arbitrary arrest/torture

PUBLIC AI Index: MDE
13/014/2005
18 April 2005

UA 91/05 Arbitrary arrest/torture

IRAN Kazem Mojadam (m)
Abdoulghader Hamadi (m)
Mojahed Baldi (or Baladi) (m)
Salem Beradea (m)
Nabi Manabi (m)
Hassan Manabi (m)
Sabri Houzedar Sefed (m)
At least 130 others

The seven men named above, and at least 130 others, all members of Iran’s Arab
minority, were arbitrarily detained between 15-18 April, and are at risk of
torture. They were detained or around the city of Ahvaz, south-western Iran,
after protests about the government's supposed plan to disperse or dilute the
country's Arab population. They are not known to have been charged, or to have
had access to legal representation, their families or any medical treatment.

The demonstrations took place in Khuzestan province, in the city of Ahvaz and
the neighbouring towns of Kut ‘Abdallah and Hamidiye. Order is now being
restored to the affected areas, according to Iranian press reports of 17 April.

According to a 17 April report in the government-run Persian-language newspaper
Iran, 137 people had so far been arrested in connection with the unrest and at
least eight injured. Other reports indicate that up to 250 people may have been
arrested

There are unconfirmed reports that at least 29 people have been killed in the
disturbances, and up to 500 injured. The security forces have reportedly sealed
off some areas of the city of Ahvaz, and cut their power supply, telephone
connections and water. They have reportedly used excessive force, possibly
including extrajudicial executions, after demonstrators allegedly killed up to
seven police or security officials. Reports allege that they are now operating
a "shoot-to-kill" policy.

The unrest reportedly began on 15 April in the Shalang Abad (also known as Da’
ira) area of central Ahvaz. Around 1,000 demonstrators reportedly assembled to
protest at the contents of a letter, reports of which began to circulate on 9
April, allegedly written in 1999 by an advisor in the office of President
Khatami. The letter sets out policies for the reduction of the Arab population
of the province of Khuzestan, which include resettling Arabs in other regions
of Iran, resettling non-Arabs in the province, and replacing Arabic place names
with Persian ones. Government sources, including the letter's supposed author,
have strongly denied that it is genuine. The text, with an English translation,
can be found at http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/images/ahwaz-khuzestan.pdf; the
supposed author’s denial that he wrote the letter, along with an explanation of
the contents, can be found (in Persian) at http://www.webneveshteha.com/. The
government has reportedly begun a limited enquiry into the unrest, as has the
parliament, but these do not appear to be sufficiently wide-ranging or
impartial.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Arab community in Iran makes up around 3% of the total population, with
Persians apparently making up around 50%. The Arab community lives mainly lives
in the Khuzestan region, which borders Iraq. It is strategically important
because it is the site of much of Iran’s oil reserves. The Arab population do
not feel they have benefited as much from the oil revenue as the Persian
population; historically they have been marginalised and discriminated against,
for instance being denied the right to an education in their own language.

Arbitrary mass arrests occur regularly during unrest in Iran. A peaceful
demonstration by another ethnic minority group, the Baluchis, was dispersed by
the arbitrary use of excessive force in September 2002; Thousands were
arbitrarily arrested after student-led demonstrations in July 1999, known as
the "18 Tir" demonstrations after the Iranian date. Scores were reportedly
ill-treated, and at least seven were tortured (Please see

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE130282004?open&of=ENG-IRN

Up to 4000 were reportedly arrested in June-July 2003 during demonstrations
against the privatisation of universities.
news : British Ahwazi Friendship Society
http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/news.html

Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org
Paris-based Arab Commission for Human Rights http://www.achr.nu/achr.en.htm
officials had been killed by demonstrators and that the security forces
are now operating a 'shoot-to-kill' policy."

The US State Department has added its voice to the growing condemnation
of the treatment of Ahwazi Arabs by the Iranian authorities.
State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli said the US was "very
concerned" by the reports of killings and mass arrests following
demonstrations against coercive ethnic "restructuring" of Arabs in
Khuzestan at the weekend.
He echoed Amnesty International's call for restraint and respect for
human rights and free speech, including the right to freely assemble and
demonstrate.
"In our view, this unrest and these arrests involve the denial of rights
of minority groups in Iran," said Mr. Ereli. "The suppression of
minority rights is obviously to be denounced, and it is not the first
time that Iran has practiced this kind of human rights violation, and
it's reflected in our human rights report on Iran."
A report published by the State Department in February drew attention to
human rights abuses of Ahwazi Arabs, including the closure of two
newspapers and the imprisonment and torture of opposition activists. It
also criticised Iran for failing to clear landmines in Khuzestan, which
were left after the Iran-Iraq War. (4/20/2005 12:53:38 PM)

Iran's "Bloody Friday" massacre in city of Ahwaz

British Ahwazi Friendship Society
Saturday, April 16, 2005

More than 20 Ahwazi Arab demonstrators were killed, 500 injured and 250 arrested during protests in Ahwaz city (Khuzestan) this weekend.

Demonstrations broke out after the publication of a top secret letter from President Khatami's office, which detailed plans for a programme of ethnic "restructuring" in the Iranian-occupied province of Khuzestan. The letter and an English translation can be be downloaded here: http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/images/ahwaz-khuzestan.pdf

Arabs beseiged

State Security Forces were brought in to halt the protests and began shooting at unarmed demonstrators. The authorities also cut off the power, telephone connections and water supplies to the city's Arab districts of Ahvaz. The districts are now beseiged by the SSF, which is preventing people from entering or leaving.

President Khatami has reportedly ordered the Intelligence Ministry and the Supreme National Security Council to identify those behind the unrest, alleging that "the hands of foreign agents and enemies of the revolution are at work".

Letter details

The plans outlined in the letter include reducing the Arab population to around one-third of the province's total population through forced migration and eliminating all traces of Arab culture and language, including names of streets and towns. The letter, signed by former vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi and written in 1999, suggests a time-frame of 10 years to accomplish the ethnic restructuring programme.

On his personal website (http://www.webneveshteha.com), Abtahi denied writing the letter saying: "I've never had such a power to issue a directive to change the population." Government officials also claimed the letter was forged.

However, the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS), which received the letter three weeks ago, gave a copy to a former member of Khatami's staff now living in exile, who has verified its authenticity. BAFS has also obtained video evidence that shows the destruction of Ahwazi Arab homes by the Iranian army and interviews with those who were made homeless. This will be broadcast to Iran via the Al-Ahwaz TV channel. The destruction of houses owned by Ahwazi Arabs appears to be a part of a programme of ethnic cleansing in Khuzestan.

BAFS response

In a statement, the BAFS urged the UN to set up an inquiry into the killings and the problem of human rights abuse in Khuzestan. The BAFS has also called for international solidarity with the Ahwazi people and other ethnic minorities facing similar abuse in Iran.

"Crimes against humanity are being carried out against Ahwazi Arabs and other Iranian minorities," said BAFS Chairman Daniel Brett. "Now we have the irrefutable evidence that President Khatami is directing a policy of ethnic cleansing in Khuzestan. We can prove this letter is genuine and that the orders in Ali Abtahi's letter are being carried out through the use of violent coercion. It is time for the international community to say enough is enough and address this systematic abuse of human rights firmly and decisively."

http://www.ahwaz.org.uk/2005/04/irans-bloody-friday-massacre-in-city.html

Thanks to refugee advocates around Australia for this information. Their fast action stopped the initial deportation. Minister Vanstone now has time to consider the deteriorating situation of the Arab Iranians from Ahwaz. Many have been in detention for 5 years. One man said yesterday " No one would stay here (Baxter) unless there was a worse fate if they went home. Doesn't the Minister know that we would go home if we could".

It was very encoraging to see on the ABC news on Sunday night that a church in Melbourne is going to offer refuge to the East Timorise. Nice to see an organisation that is more inclined to comit human rights abuses doing something to prevent them. Even in the most corrupt of churches there are good people.

Mrs.
by Lydia A. Brown Thursday June 09, 2005 at 11:07 AM
cafag@emanila.com 02 9707 1407 19 Sunny Crescent, Punchbowl, NSW 2196

While we are tempted to blame the DIMIA for the illegal deportation of Ms. Vivian Alvarez Solon, there are other people involved and who helped facilitate her departure four years ago. Why did they cooperated when they knew it is not right? Vivian's case is a tip in the iceberge of Filipina Women who are so trusting of their spouse to stand-by them, but failed to r espect their rights as a woman, a mother and a Filipina and subject them to abuses if these Filipina girls insisted on their rights to safety, to be respected, to do what they are
entitled to do to protect the moral of the family and their
own Filipino family values - love for children and parents.
Australian husbandmust stop thinking of sending them to mental homes, or back to the Philippines or leave them to the gutter - for they are also 'human beings whith pride, logic and emotion' or feelings. That is also Ms. Vivian Alvarez - a trusting, gentle Cebuana from Cebu - a foregiving woman whose "To err is human"
phrase touches every hardened hearts caused by the harsh realities in the world of predators in human jungle of spite and greed. God bless her. Lydia