E&OE
15 April 2009
Doorstop interview: The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Stephen Smith.
Subjects: Bali Process meeting; new funding for Rohingyas; situation in Thailand; people smuggling cooperation and extraditions.
QUESTION: What can you tell us about what the government of Burma is prepared to do to ease the plight of the Rohingya and prevent more of these thousands of people coming over the border?
SMITH: I have just come from a breakfast meeting which is the first engagement of the Bali Ministerial Process. A number of countries were represented - including of course Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh - countries interested in both the cause and the solution to the Rohingya problem.
I've announced a further contribution from Australia of an additional just over $3 million, $3.2 million, for the Rohingya people in Burma, additional money for the World Food Program, to CARE Australia and to the UNDP to assist. This brings to some $8 million Australia has contributed for this problem over the last twelve months or so, including over $4 million to the UNHCR.
It was a very good discussion over breakfast. The theme was whether it is Rohingyas, whether it is other people movements, these are not issues that one country can solve or address by itself, and so there needs to be a regional cooperation.
And it is quite clear that one of the good things coming out of the meeting is that countries are prepared to sit down and talk with each other and together to address these problems.
The meeting also had High Commissioner Guterres, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and also Ambassador Swing, the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, so I was pleased with the discussion and that will now lead into the formal ministerial Bali Process.
QUESTION: So what did the Burmese actually say they were prepared to do?
SMITH: The representative from Burma indicated they were prepared to sit down and talk with Indonesia about the Rohingya people who we currently find some 300 to 400 in Aceh Province to sit down and go through with Indonesia and the UNHCR verification processes for refugee status and the like. So it's a good sign that countries are prepared to sit down and go through these issues together. They can't be solved by one country alone.
QUESTION: Are they acknowledging that the Rohingya are actually citizens of Myanmar?
SMITH: Well, you need to speak to the Myanmar representative about that matter.
QUESTION: Is Australia prepared to help Indonesia with those 300 to 400?
SMITH: We cooperate very closely with Indonesia on all of these matters. Our contribution so far to addressing the Rohingya issue has been effectively through the UNHCR, with as I say, over the last 12 month period, a $4 million contribution to the UNHCR for processing. That includes processing not just in Bangladesh but also in Indonesia and to a lesser extent in Malaysia.
More generally, can I just make a couple of other remarks. Can I firstly welcome the scaling down of protest action in Bangkok. It is quite clear that circumstances today are much improved on the last couple of days. We continue to advise Australians to exercise great care if they are in Bangkok. But we welcome very much what is clearly the de-escalation of the difficulties so far as protest action in Bangkok is concerned.
Can I also just express my ongoing concern about developments in Fiji. We condemn absolutely the deportation of journalists, including Australian journalist Sean Dorney. And I've also seen as yet unconfirmed reports about the arrest of the Governor of the Reserve Bank. If that is the case this would be again a most unwelcome development.
QUESTION: Just really quickly, when the Prime Minister was here at the end of last year, there was a lot of talk about the fact the Indonesians had indicated they were prepared to pass legislation enabling the criminal prosecution of people smugglers. That legislation hasn't happened and isn't going to happen in the life of this Indonesian Government.
SMITH: We are very pleased with the close working relationship between Australia and Indonesia on all of these matters including the proposed legislation so far as the criminalisation of people smuggling is concerned.
It has actually been one of the good things about the Bali Process itself that through the efforts of the Bali Process over the last half dozen years, effectively model legislation has been developed to enable a range of countries to pick up the issue so far as there own criminal justice system is concerned.
QUESTION: Had you hoped that it could be passed in the life of this government?
SMITH: Well you see it is something that is a matter for Indonesia's legislative and parliamentary processes but the Indonesian Government remains committed to it. So we are very pleased about that ongoing development. We are very pleased with the very close relationship we have with Indonesia on these matters.
QUESTION: Are you pleased about the move to extradite this people smuggler that is under way this week?
SMITH: Well we have a very good relationship with Indonesia. Our officials work very closely on extradition matters. There are a range of extradition matters before Indonesia and Australia, but other than to say I welcome very much the provisional arrest, it would be inappropriate for me to say more. It now requires formal extradition procedures, but we welcome very much the provisional arrest. That particular individual is wanted for people smuggling charges in Australia. It will now move to the formal extradition process.
[ENDS]
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