ID :
181323
Wed, 05/11/2011 - 05:28
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/181323
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MALAYSIAN ENVOY UNHAPPY WITH AUSSIE MEDIA
MELBOURNE, May 11 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian High Commissioner in Canberra Salman Ahmad is puzzled why a section of the Australian media is trying to scupper the proposed asylum-seeker swap between Australia and Malaysia.
"I have received several calls from the media and some of them appeared to be trying to get me to say things that would reflect poorly on the arrangement we agreed to with the Australian government," Salman said.
"All I have been telling the media was that both countries would have to work out details of the asylum-seeker exchange and the final arrangement would be announced in due course."
Under the proposal announced by Malaysia and Australia on Saturday, up to 800 boat people will be sent to Malaysia to be put back in the refugee queue, while Canberra will take 4,000 people in Malaysia who have been declared to be genuine refugees.
The High Commissioner said that in any transfer of people from one country to another, all travel documents should be in order and properly executed.
"We must know who is coming into our country and who is leaving, but a section of the media here sees this as a sinister exercise," he said.
Salman is also unhappy that some people here had seized on what the media had wrongly reported, to question Malaysia's human rights record while highlighting that Malaysia was not a signatory to the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott told Parliament Tuesday it appeared that Australia had been out-bargained by Malaysia during negotiations on the proposed refugee swap because of the fact that Australia will take five asylum seekers for every one it sends to Malaysia.
"I have received several calls from the media and some of them appeared to be trying to get me to say things that would reflect poorly on the arrangement we agreed to with the Australian government," Salman said.
"All I have been telling the media was that both countries would have to work out details of the asylum-seeker exchange and the final arrangement would be announced in due course."
Under the proposal announced by Malaysia and Australia on Saturday, up to 800 boat people will be sent to Malaysia to be put back in the refugee queue, while Canberra will take 4,000 people in Malaysia who have been declared to be genuine refugees.
The High Commissioner said that in any transfer of people from one country to another, all travel documents should be in order and properly executed.
"We must know who is coming into our country and who is leaving, but a section of the media here sees this as a sinister exercise," he said.
Salman is also unhappy that some people here had seized on what the media had wrongly reported, to question Malaysia's human rights record while highlighting that Malaysia was not a signatory to the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott told Parliament Tuesday it appeared that Australia had been out-bargained by Malaysia during negotiations on the proposed refugee swap because of the fact that Australia will take five asylum seekers for every one it sends to Malaysia.
