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1800 East Timorese Asylum Seekers in Australia are facing deportation before the end of 2002.
They need your help!
Department of Immigration and the Refugee Review Tribunal processes are underway for the East Timorese asylum seekers in Australia.
- They were refused refugee status when they fled their homeland up to 10 years ago, despite previous arrivals qualifying as genuine refugees.
- They have been kept in limbo for years.
- The lack of decision on their cases has given them false hope. They are now being told to go home to a devastated country.
- Many are supporting family back in East Timor who are unable to support themselves. Many families in East Timor rely on the financial assistance of their loved ones in Australia.
- Health workers, counsellors and academics who have worked with these Timorese asylum seekers say forcible return of this group will have serious psycho-social consquences. These profesionals strongly support the Timorese case to remain in Australia.
We are deeply concerned for the welfare of asylum seekers of East Timorese background. Many of these people have lived in our community for up to 10 years, their children go to school here, they work beside us in our workplaces. They have integrated well into our society and live peacefully among us. They are family people and many of them are aged with close family ties here. Most of them have nothing to return to in East Timor - no homes, no jobs, no security and no hope of financial support from impoverished family and friends.
We need your help to lobby Members of Parliament, especially the Prime Minister and the Minister for Immigration. We call on them to intervene to create a special humanitarian visa for East Timorese facing forcible repatriation.
They deserve a Fair Go!