Oceania

American Samoa Grants Amnesty to over 4,000 Migrant Workers

By Max Bartels

Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania 

 

Pago Pago, American Samoa 

American Samoa, a territory of the United States has recently granted amnesty to 4,000 foreign migrant workers living in the territory. Prior to this new bill American Samoa had a quota system of allowing only about 350 immigrants enter a year, this bill temporary changes that limit for this year only. The territorial government of American Samoa has stated that the bill is the first step in immigration reform, which is completely unencumbered by the United States federal immigration law. The territorial government has also stated that they have had trouble with undocumented workers in the past and that mass amnesty and giving legal status helps these immigrants better contribute to society, which is better for the immigrants, and better for American Samoa.

 

Fishing Docks in American Samoa (Photo Curtesy of Lemalae)

The bill is also important to the government of the territory in providing accurate census numbers. Census information is one of the biggest factors assessed in deciding the amount of federal aide the territory gets from the United States. With a large population of undocumented workers using the local infrastructure it creates a drain on the aide money. Previously the government did not get aide money reflecting the actual number of people living in American Samoa.

The migrants granted amnesty hail from 24 countries. Neighboring Samoa had 2,845 people, 457 Tongans, 446 come from the Philippine Islands, 101 from Fiji, 96 from China, 19 from New Zealand, 17 from Vietnam and 12 from South Korea. Other nations that are represented in the amnesty group include Australia, Germany, Federated States of Micronesia, Romania, Great Britain and Taiwan.

The Minimum wage in American Samoa is lower then the federal minimum and ranges from $4.18- $5.59. The minimum wage varies in that range depending on the industry, some industries require higher or lower minimum wages according to the territorial law. American Samoa’s minimum wage is also the lowest out of all the U.S territories. The working conditions in American Samoa are reported to be poor for foreign migrant workers; government and other highly sought jobs are only given to ethnic Samoans, which limits the potential jobs for these migrant workers.

For more information, please see:

ABC News — American Samoa Grants Amnesty to More Than 4,000 — 24 September 2014 

Radio New Zealand — American Samoa Grants Over 4,000 Immigration Amnesty — 1 October 2014

PayWizard.org — Territorial Minimum Wage — 4 October 2014

Minority Rights Group International — World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous People: American Samoa Overview — 4 October 2014

 

 

Australia Makes Deal to Send Refugees to Cambodia

By Max Bartels 

Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania 

 

Canberra, Australia 

On Friday, Australia’s Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison, signed a deal with Cambodia’s Interior Minister Sar Kheng for Cambodia to accept some of Australia’s rejected asylum seekers for money. The deal requires Australia to pay $40 million (Aus.) over a four-year period to cover resettlement costs. A spokes person for Morrison pointed out that under the deal only those refugees that chose to go to Cambodia would be sent. The trial phase is set to begin first and Cambodia has said that it plans to take between two and five people from the Australian refugee center on Nauru for relocation to Cambodia. It is understood that the deal could involve the relocation of up to 1,000 refugees from Nauru to Cambodia.

 

Families on Nauru protest the Cambodia refugee deal (Photo Curtesy of The Guardian)

Political opposition groups in both countries have voiced their dissent about the new deal. The Australian Green Party has said that the refugees would be at high risk of abuse and exploitation in Cambodia. The Australian opposition parties have warned that the level of rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation in Cambodia have increased dramatically in recent years. These groups have also said that any deal signed with Cambodia must get Parliamentary approval first. So far Parliament has not voted on the new refugee deal and has only approved refugees to be sent to Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

Human rights groups have also voiced their displeasure with the deal. The U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights was not involved in the deal and a spokes person said that there is concern with such a bilateral agreement that might involve the divesting of certain obligations under the refugee convention. The director of Australian Human Rights Watch said the deal would send people to a country that has a terrible record of protecting refugees and has many human rights issues of its own.

The Refugees of Nauru have said that they will reject the offer to be relocated in Cambodia. Those refugees that have been interviewed stated that it was the common opinion amongst the camp that Cambodia is very poor with a long history of abuse and killings. 80 refugees staged a protest outside the Australian High Commission on Nauru in response to the deal.  Australia has also recently granted temporary visas to refugees on Christmas Island, who arrived on the same boats as those on Nauru but those on Nauru now only have the option of going to Cambodia.

For more information, please see:

The Guardian — Australia Signs Controversial Refugee Transfer Deal with Cambodia — 26 September 2014

ABC News — Scott Morrison to Sign MOU on Refugee Resettlement, Cambodian Government Says — 25 September 2014

BBC News — Australia and Cambodia Sign Refugee Resettlement Deal — 26 September 2014

The Phenom Phen Post — Refugees in Nauru Protest — 30 September 2014

Australia Expands Laws to Face Terrorist Threat

By Max Bartels

Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania 

 

Canberra, Australia 

The Australian Senate has passed a new bill in response to the recent foreign and domestic terrorist threats facing Australia. The new legislation will make it easier for intelligence and law enforcement agencies to access the personal information on computers and cell phones of Australian citizens overseas. The bill would also create an increased penalty of up to 10 years in prison for disclosing secret information, this is especially concerning for journalists, who are concerned that they will be targeted with these new penalties. Lastly the new legislation gives civil and criminal immunity to Australian intelligence agents. The government was quick to comment that the immunity would not be extended to those agents that caused death, serious injury, engaged in sexual offenses or severe damage to property.

IS TERROR SUSPECT RAIDS
Australian police outside a house in Sydney during raids last Thursday (Photo Curtesy of SBS)

The Parliament has pushed for these new laws in response to major counter terrorist operations in recent weeks, where Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies foiled an ISIS plot to stage a public beheading in Sydney. There have also been smaller incidents, including a number of arrests involving ISIS recruiters operating in Australia. The Australian response was to lift restrictions on the intelligence community however; the political opposition parties are voicing their disapproval. Both the Liberal Democratic Party as well as the Green Party has stated that these new laws will effectively restrict freedom of the press. The major concern is that if the press is not able to report on intelligence activities then democracy in Australia will be undermined.

Another major concern of the opposition groups was that torture could be included in the new laws. Prime Minister Tony Abbott gave a speech in response to this rumor that torture would not be included in the new legislation and that it will remain outlawed in Australia. The legal immunity was also explicitly stated to not cover incidents of torture. It has only  been in the last few weeks that Australia responded to a call from the U.S. to aide international efforts in combating ISIS. In response to that call Australia deployed troops abroad, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott stating that Australia was not out of the reach of the ISIS threat. Shortly after the deployment announcement, ISIS became very active in Australia, evident from a foiled terrorist plot as well as a slew of arrests. Now Australia has adapted their laws to face the new threat but many worry that it will lead to injustice.

For more information, please see:

ABC News — Senate Passes New Counter-Terrorism Giving Stronger Powers to Intelligence Agency ASIO — 25 September 2014

The Guardian — Torture Ruled Out of Counter- Terrorism Laws For Australian Security Agencies — 21 September 2014

The Guardian — Australia’s Counter- Terror Laws Will Restrict our Free Speech and Free Press — 21 September 2014

SBS — What Will the Counter- Terror Laws Mean for Australians? — 24 September 2014

Fiji Election Results are in: Military Coup Leader Remains in Power

By Max Bartels 

Impunity Watch Reporter 

 

Suva, Fiji

Fiji has completed their first democratic election in eight years, after a bloodless military coup seized power in 2006. The coup was lead by then Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama, who has now been voted into office as Prime Minister to continue to lead Fiji. The final polls show that Bainimarama and his “Fiji First Party” won 59% of the vote and the opposition, the “Social Democratic Liberal Party” came in a  distant second with 28% of the vote. Over the years Fiji and the military government headed by Bainimarama have been accused of many human rights violations by Amnesty International and other human rights groups but the majority of the Fijian people have continued to support Bainimarama despite these accusations.

IW #16 Fiji Election Results
Newly elected Bainimarama appears in front of the media after election results. (Photo curtesy of Al Jazeera)

 

In 2006 Bainimarama claimed the coup was to cure rampant corruption and protect the ethnic Indian population of Fiji from racial discrimination. Bainimarama also emphasized the improvement of Fiji’s infrastructure during his time in power, which is one of the major reasons for his support amongst the Fijian people. The international community reacted to the coup by enacting sanctions and travel bans on Fiji. In the run up to the elections the sanctions and the travel bans were lifted as Fiji committed to a return to democracy.

An international observation group was sent to Fiji to monitor the election process and evaluate its validity for corruption and foul play. As the votes were being counted opposition groups to the “Fiji First Party” claimed foul play occurred in the election. The opposition groups claimed their own observers reported missing ballot boxes, boxes that seem to be opened and more votes at polls than registered voters. However, the observers of the international group claim that the results can be relied on to “broadly represent the will of the Fijian voters.” The opposition is reported to be considering filing a complaint about the results of the election. Bainimarama has since claimed victory in the election and addressed the people in Fiji’s capital, Suva, stating he is honored the people chose him to lead the new government and the Fijian people. While most of the sanctions and travel bans have been lifted there are still many nations that have yet to re-enter into diplomatic relations with Fiji.

For more information, please see:

ABC News — Fiji Election: Frank Bainimarama Claims Victory, Says he is Deeply Honored and Humbled — 21 September 2014

The Wall Street Journal — Bainimarama Claims Victory in Fiji Elections — 21 September 2014

The Wall Street Journal — Fiji Election Hit With Fraud Accusations — 18 September 2014

Al Jazeera — Fiji Coup Leader Declares Poll Victory — 21 September 2014

 

Australian Police Raids Conducted Across Sydney Over Domestic ISIS Threat

By Max Bartels

Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

 

Canberrra, Australia 

The largest counter-terrorism operation in the history of Australia took place today as somewhere between 800 to 1,000 Australian police officers took part in raids across Sydney to apprehend members of ISIS plotting terror acts in the city. 15 suspects were arrested and over a dozen raids executed on properties across Sydney. The Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott stated today that he was briefed by Australian intelligence agencies Wednesday night about a potential plot by ISIS member in Sydney to stage a public execution in an attempt to demonstrate the groups reach. The police have further stated that they have gathered evidence showing that ISIS supporters in Australia have been plotting these attacks since May.

IW #15
Australian police arrest suspects in pre-dawn raids across Sydney Thursday Morning (Photo Curtesy of The Independent)

Calls for attacks in Australia have apparently been coming from an Australian who is reported by Abbott to be high up in the ISIS ranks. Abbott refused to state the name of the suspected high up Australian ISIS member. Police arrested a 22- year- old member of ISIS, who prosecutors say planned to gruesomely behead a randomly selected person in public with a clear intent to shock and horrify. The police have since stated that 9 of the 15 suspects arrested during the raid have been released on bail.

Raids on a smaller scale were executed in Brisbane last week, where two men were arrested for attempting to recruit members to join the AL-Qaeda off shoot group called the “Nursa Front”. These men were also preparing to leave for Syria themselves. In the wake of these recent events the Australian government has raised the terrorist threat level from medium to high. Australian intelligence agencies report that some 60 Australian citizens have gone abroad to fight for ISIS and other militant Islamic groups in the Middle East. These agencies also report that they believe that there are around  100 Australians in Australia supporting ISIS by recruiting fighters, grooming suicide candidates and providing funds and equipment.

On Thursday night a crowd of around 300 protesters gathered in Sydney to protest against the raids. Australian Islamic groups are warning the government of potential unrest over the governments new anti-terror polices. The leader of one of these Islamic groups stated that the Muslim community is being made scapegoats and that he believes  the real terrorists are the government. He further stated that Muslims in Australia do not feel safe and that the Muslim community has been victimized for years.

Last week Australia announced that it would be contributing to the international effort to combat ISIS by deploying military forces to the Middle East. Abbott stated then that there was a concern of ISIS threats in Australia. He has recently played down concerns that Australia’s involvement abroad could increase the risk of attack at home.

For more information; please see: 

NBC News — Raids Foil Alleged Beheading Plot in Support of ISIS — 18 September 2014

CBS News — Australian in Australia: We Thwarted Grisly ISIS Plot — 18 September 2014

Fox News — Australia Raids Foil Reported ISIS Beheading Plots — 18 September 2014

The Guardian — Terrorism Raids: ISIS Urging Followers to Behead Australians’, Says PM