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Bishop calls for Timorese refugees to stay
An East Timor child peers through a fence at the Atapukan refugee camp in West Timor two years ago. Photo CNS,Reuters
Approaches have been made to the Min- 1992 onwards - at a time when East Timor ister for Immigration, Mr Ruddock, to grant was rent by violence and intimidation. Since then they have lived in uncertainpermanent residency to East Timorese refugees who have been in Australia for at ty, waiting on a government decision on their refugee status. least eight years. Archbishop Carroll proposed a special The president of the Australian Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Francis Carroll, visa category permitting East Timorese in wrote urging Mr Ruddock to exercise his Australia the right of permanent residence discretionary powers for a grant of resi- if they desired it. He cited as justification for the visas their dency for 1800 asylum seekers. The department has recently notified integration into the community, their hard many of the asylum seekers they are to work to support themselves in their new life and their contribution to the commureturn to East Timor. They now fear deportation. nity as peaceful, faithful and law-abiding Archbishop Carroll's letter was followed people. He added many had Australianby another supporting his plea from the born or educated children, many of whom leaders of religious congregations in Aus- had started their own families and had obtained work in fields that do not exist in tralia, Archbishop Carroll said the East Timo- East Timor. There was also the continuing rese had begun arriving in Australia from impoverishment of their home country,
Archbishop Carroll said. Executive director of the Australian Conference of Religious Leaders, Sister Mary Cresp RSJ, speaking on behalf of Anglican congregations as well as Catholics. reiterated the strong bonds that had been forged between expatriate East Timorese and Australian religious communities. She said: "We religious women and men admire their courage and their contributions to local church and community life. "The resilience faith and optimism expatriates have shown since the 1975 invasion of their country is matched only by their patience in submitting and resubmitting their applications for Australian residency. "We pray that anxieties they feel today may be removed by the Federal Government granting them permanent residency status," she said.