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

Political Corruption in Eastern Europe

Tensions Rise in Lebanon after Army Raids on Syrian Refugee Camps

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

BEIRUT, Lebanon – At least one person was killed and two other wounded during a raid by the Lebanese army at refugee camps near the country’s border with Syria on September 25th. The Lebanese army says it was searching for Syrian militants at the camps. The military says soldiers patrolling camp located outside the town of Arsal opened fire on men who they say were trying to set fire to tents at a neighboring camp, a statement said. Local residents disputed the military’s official version of events alleging abuse by military personnel. However, army spokesman dismissed the allegations as “lies,” adding: “Our troops act in accordance with international standards of humanitarian treatment.”

Recent military raids targeting Syriians in Arsal have led to the arrest of 22 Syrian Men. Reprisal attacks targeting the Syrian refugee population in Lebanon after a serious of clashes between Syrian extremists and the Lebanese army have forced many Syrian families out of local refugee cams after their tents and belongs were destroyed in fires and other vandalism attacks. (Photo courtesy of Al Jazeera)

By the time the raid ended hundreds of males, including children as young as 13, had been rounded up and taken away for questioning by the military. According to the  Lebanese army, the Arsal raids resulted in the arrest of 22 Syrian men suspected of involvement in attacks against the military – bringing the total number of Syrians detained in similar military raids over the past two weeks to an estimated 450. Dozens more were reportedly freed after interrogation.

“The situation was very bad,” said Kasem al-Zein, a former field doctor for the Free Syrian Army who now runs a hospital in the border-town of Arsal. “The refugees think the raids are unjust because they haven’t done anything wrong.” al-Zein said he treated several patients suffering from smoke inhalation and a young girl with third-degree burns on her leg.

Among those detained and later released after the raids conducted last Thursday’ was Syrian refugee Sleiman Khaled, who claimed he was blindfolded, beaten and interrogated by Lebanese soldiers at an unknown location. “They took all the men randomly,” he said. “When we got there they asked for our IDs, and those who had them on hand were separated from those who didn’t. They didn’t tell us why [we were being detained], only that they suspected we were cooperating with ISIS and Nusra.”

Arsal is the first stop for many civilians fleeing war-torn Syria. However, what was once a site of refugee has become a frontline for the tensions between the Lebanese population and incoming refugees as well as the ongoing tensions between supporters of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and Syrian rebel groups. Arsal’s local refugee camps have been badly damaged by the ongoing fighting, prompting refugees to seek shelter in the town itself. Last month, Arsal was the scene of deadly clashes killed dozens and rebels captured a group of Lebanese soldiers.

Human Rights Watch reports that the Lebanese authorities failing to take adequate steps to prevent and to prosecute increasing violence by Lebanese citizens against Syrian Refugees  following  last month’s outbreak of clashes in Arsalbetween the Lebanese Army and extremist groups the Islamic State  of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and the al-Nusra Front. According to Human Rights Watch, The attacks against Syrians, most of them refugees, are being carried out in “a climate of official indifference and discrimination, with the violence appearing in some cases to be attempts to expel Syrians from specific neighborhoods or to enforce curfews.”

“Lebanon’s security forces should protect everyone on Lebanese soil, not turn a blind eye to vigilante groups who are terrorizing refugees,” said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The security forces have a duty to protect all persons in Lebanon, whatever their nationality.”

Human Rights Watch documented 11 violent attacks in August and September against unarmed Syrians or those perceived to be Syrian by Lebanese citizens, including attacks with guns and knives. In at least four of these instances, witnesses reported that the attacks took place in full view of Lebanese security forces, who did not intervene.

For more information please see:

Human Rights Watch – Lebanon: Rising Violence Targets Syrian Refugees – 30 September 2014

Al Jazeera – Lebanon Refugee-Camp Raids Fuel Resentment – 28September 2014

BBC News – Lebanese Army Raids Syrian Refugee Camps in Arsal – 25 September 2014

Reuters – After Border Town Attack, Syrians’ Welcome in Lebanon Wears Even Thinner – 24 September 2014

Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Call for World’s Attention

By Hojin Choi

Impunity Watch Reporter

Protesters staying over night (Getty Images)

HONG KONG, China – The democracy movement in Hong Kong has become a massive civil obedience display as tens of thousands of citizens gathered and rallied in the streets. The Hong Kong police used violent tactics, but the protesters refused to disperse.

Over the weekend, a significant number of protesters clashed with police forces, and the city spiraled into chaos. The protesters occupied central financial streets in Hong Kong as part of a planned action called “Occupy Central.” College students boycotted their classes as the number of demonstrators continued to grow. The protest was non-violent as they were merely “sitting.”

However, as the protesters refused to disperse, police engaged them using tear gas and pepper spray, and the protesters resisted with umbrellas and masks.

Umbrellas against pepper spray (Boston Globe)
A protester being sprayed by police (AFP)

As time passed, the protesters became more outrageous. On Monday, the overnight clashes between the protesters and police seemed to escalate the tensions. The New York Times reported that Hong Kong police not only failed to disperse the protesters but also “motivated more people to join on Monday.”

A 30-year-old bank worker joined the protest during her lunch hour and said “what [police were] doing was not appropriate, especially the tear gas. The students were completely peaceful.”

Another protester, a mother of two, joined the protest for one hour to show her support because the protesters “are fighting for our future, for my children’s future.” She said she decided to participate after seeing tear gas fired at the protesters. To her, they were “so young.”

The protesters want political independence from the mainland of China. Hong Kong was supposed to have its own electoral systems that are independent and separate from the mainland starting in 2017. However, as Beijing had decided that it would allow only pro-Beijing candidates and exclude pro-democratic candidates for the election in 2017, citizens and activists in Hong Kong announced a large-scale civil protest.

“One country, two systems” was the promise made by the Chinese government when the U.K. returned Hong Kong to China after a 150-year colonial period. However, the recent political attitude of Beijing has scared Hong Kong citizens. Under one of the most advanced financial businesses in the world, Hong Kong has a high average income level per person ($53,203), which is close to the U.S. and more than four times higher than China ($11,904). They have persistent worries about different political and market systems between China and Hong Kong. Recent economic slow down contributed to that worry, and Beijing’s decision regarding the election was the final straw..

Beijing seems to be taking extraordinary measures to prevent reports from spreading outside, and the demonstrators called for others’ attention through foreign news media outlets.

According to Sinoshpere, a Chinese blog run by the New York Times, a directive order from the Central Propaganda Department in Beijing guided websites to delete any mention of the issue in Hong Kong. Only short articles produced by state news agencies were permitted in the mainland of China. The government also blocked popular social platform Instagram in fear of spreading pictures of the protest. The word “Occupy Central” and other related words were banned in Chinese SNSs, smartphone applications, and so on. Allegedly, some Chinese news organizations did deliver the news about Hong Kong, but under strict censorship or supervision.

A protester resting on a road (AFP)

On the other side, some people in Hong Kong expressed a different opinion about the student-led protest. A woman said in an interview with the ABC News that “those of us who came to the city 60 or 70 years ago had nothing and we worked and suffered so much to make Hong Kong the rich city it is today. And now the protesters have made our society unstable. For me, being able to eat and sleep is already a luxury.” She added, “I don’t need democracy. What does it mean?”

Signs and yellow ribbons at the fences of central government offices (AFP)
A protester making a banner (AFP)
Protesters at the government complex in Hong Kong

For more information please see:

USA Today – Hong Kong democracy protesters defy calls to disperse – 29 September 2014

The Boston Globe – What’s happening in Hong Kong? – 29 September 2014

Sinosphere (The New York Times) – Beijing Blocks Reports on Hong Kong Democracy Movement – 29 September 2014

The New York Times – Hong Kong Protesters Defy Officials’ Call to Disperse – 29 September 2014

The Washington Post – Hong Kong police try and fail to clear protesters with tear gas – 29 September 2014

Protests in Guerrero Mexico Result In The Disappearance of 58 Students

By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – On Friday 26 September 2013 in Guerrero, one of Mexico’s poorest and most violent states, police have joined a search for 58 students who went missing after a violent outburst at a local protest.

A police officer was detained for questioning after a deadly clash in Iguala left six dead and more than 17 injured (Photo Courtsy of Yahoo News).

Guerrero is notorious for frequent protests by teachers resisting reforms and violent gang turf wars relating to the cultivation and sale of drugs. Friday’s protest developed due to students from the Ayotzinapa teacher-training college protesting against what they consider to be discriminatory hiring practices for teachers, which favor urban students over rural ones.

Reports indicate that the protests turned violent when the students attempted to leave the protest. Members of the student union claim that their fellow students were attempting to hitchhike a ride back to their college campus on local busses. However the Iguala municipal police allege that the students were behaving unruly and trying to seize the local busses by force.

Media outlets report that the police proceeded to chase and fire at the students. Shots were fired at a local bus carrying a third division football team, the Los Avispones, which the gunmen presumably mistook for the bus “seized” by the student, causing the bus to crash killing the driver and one player.

The students have since disappeared after the eruption of the clashes between security forces and the students.  The clashes were deadly, claiming the lives of six people while injuring 17 others. While it is known that police took part in the shootings, a party of unidentified gunmen was also involved in the violent outburst. Activists claim that security forces are holding the missing students illegally. However state authorities have denied such accusations.

State authorities initially detained 282 local officer after the incident, but have since released all but 22, who are under arrest for suspicion of shooting at the students. Additionally, a helicopter has been deployed to assist in the search for the students.

 

For more information, please see the following:

BBC – Mexican Students Missing After Protest in Iguala – 29 Sept. 2014.

GULF NEWS – Dozens Of Students Missing After Mexican Protest Crackdown – 29 Sept. 2014.

NEWS 24 – Dozens of Students Missing After Mexican Protest – 29. Sept. 2014.

YAHOO NEWS – Dozens of Students Missing After Mexican Protest Crackdown – 29. Sept. 2014.