Kosovo Refugees to be Deported from Australia

[George Australia]

Thursday, November 4, 2004. 7:47am (AEDT)
Kosovo refugees refused residency
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/20 ... 234299.htm

There are suggestions that Melbourne's population of Kosovo refugees has been told to leave Australia.

The group of 32 has received letters advising them that their applications for residency have been refused.

The Qorri family has two students at the Maribyrnong high school.

Teacher Leah White says the timing of the deportation notification could not be worse for the elder student, who is in the middle of VCE exams.

She says it has confused the family.

"I'm a bit curious about this letter that has been sent to... to the family but via their lawyer that says that there's a tribunal possibility now," she said.

"I don't know what that means because certainly up until the last application we were told that was it."

Sebi Qorri, 18, says the deportation letter came as a shock.

She says it is upsetting that her family has to meet their lawyer today when she has to sit VCE exams for psychology and health.

"We were hoping for better news... it's very hard - we've got heaps of support around but we don't understand why we can't stay," she said.

"We've been here for like nearly six years, it's like our new country where we don't want to be leaving.

"There's really bad memories down there."

Ms White says the letter is embarrassing.

"There's so much about it that I find offensive and embarrassed to be Australian at this point in time," she said.

"I just want the people of Australia to know that this is how we're treating people who have been here in our country for almost six years."

[gphadraig]

As countries from which refugees fled become offically perceived as safe "Western" governments have shown a tendency to rescind their refugee status and seek to return them to their homeland.

The issue of asylum and illegal migration is a 'hot' political potatoe and some appear to need to be seen to doing something about it. Tony Blair's government in particular suffers from a public critical of its perceived inability to deal effectively with this emotive issue. The result there is a number of 'soft' targets being sent home, including from time to time Americans who have lived from many years in Britain and put down deep roots. New Labour being sensitive supposedly to diversity issues. Unfortunately politicians all too often appear to confuse activity and sound bite politics with action, something very different.

John Howard's Government have been comparatively very robust in dealing with these issues, leading to Britons asking why the UK cannot copy Australia's example.

But as the original poster points out people put down roots and establish themselves in their new country of residence. Forced expulsions have a human cost to them.

[George Australia]

As countries from which refugees fled become offically perceived as safe "Western" governments have shown a tendency to rescind their refugee status and seek to return them to their homeland.

No matter how the West percieves it, the reality is that Kosovo is still enduring a Golgotha which the devil, (who chose to act through the West) is to blame for, and which continues under the auspices of the West.
George

[gphadraig]

Unfortunately, dear Sir, while you and I may understand this Governments either do not or will not. Decency and moral obligation or responsibility come a long way behind political expediency, very sadly.

The breakup of Yugoslavia was engineered assiduously by the Western powers. Serbia and the Serbs were demonised and scapegoated. However it suits these same Governments to present a 'fiction' that life is returning to normal in a 'liberated' Kosovo.