Time for the truth

Friday, 16 April 2010

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Immigration must immediately produce evidence to support their claim that other countries had suspended processing of asylum seekers from Sri Lanka prior to the decision of the Rudd Government, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop said today.

Ms Bishop said it was revealed in The Australian today that the Rudd Government has deliberately misrepresented the actions of the Danish Government.

“The time has come for the Ministers involved to tell the truth about the basis for their decision to suspend processing of asylum seeker claims from Sri Lankans,” she said.

“The attempted political fix by falsely implicating the Government of Denmark risks causing serious offence.

“I call on Ministers Smith and Evans to list the ‘number of countries’ that they claim ‘have already suspended processing of claims from Sri Lanka’.”

Joint press conference 9 April 2010

Minister Evans: “A number of countries have already suspended processing of claims from Sri Lanka. Based on that review, and the country information we've been getting and reporting from posts, we've decided to suspend processing.”

Minister Smith: “So far as Sri Lanka is concerned, my advice is that a number of countries have over the last recent period effected a suspension, a small number, and I'm very happy to have provided to you those particular countries.”

The Australian 16 April 2010 (page 6)

THE Danish government is concerned its position on Sri Lankan asylum-seekers is being misrepresented in Australia after Rudd government ministers wrongly claimed a "number of countries" had suspended refugee applications from Tamils. …

Last night, Mr Smith's office issued a statement that referred to the Danish Refugee Appeals Board as suspending appeals against repatriation from six Tamil families in April last year then extending the suspension of appeals to all Sri Lankans in June. ...

Danish sources said yesterday that the original suspension had been to achieve the opposite result of the Australian suspension and that was to keep Tamil families from being sent back.