Tag Archives: Oceania

Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity
Sri Lankan religious leaders caution against return of refugees from abroad as social conditions remain unstable in the aftermath of the country’s 26-year-long civil war
  • Australia’s immigration minister recently visited Sri Lanka
  • Despite human rights abuses by the authoritarian regime that extended after its 2009 fall, Australia has returned Sri Lankan asylum seekers, potentially in violation of international law.
  • Ongoing military presence in communities has fueled insecurity, causing minority leaders to call on Australia not to return refugees but engage the new Sri Lankan government on demilitarization and minority protection.

“The minority communities are of the opinion still that we do not feel safety and security in this island. And that is one of the reasons that they are also fleeing. There may not be abductions but there can be constant harassment and intimidations.”

More on this story at The Guardian.

(Image Credit: Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images, via The Guardian)

Sexual + Gender Minorities
Judge strikes down Guam’s law against same-sex marriage, paving the way for couples to be married beginning next week.
  • Because Guam, a U.S. territory, falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood ruled Guam must follow its 2014 ruling striking down same-sex marriage bans.
  • Governor Eddie Calvo’s defense acknowledged the inevitability of the outcome given the earlier ruling.
  • Plaintiffs Loretta Pangelinan and Kathleen Aguero hope to be able to file for a marriage license next Tuesday, when Chief Judge Tydingo-Gatewood’s ruling is expected to go in effect.

“It’s a battle we shouldn’t have had to fight…I mean, it’s love and love must win, so we’re just grateful.”

More on this story at Pacific Daily News.

(Image Credit: Rick Cruz/Pacific Daily News)

Nationality + Migration
The first refugees arrive in Cambodia as part of Australia’s controversial program resettling asylum seekers from its offshore detention center.
  • Political opposition leaders and human rights advocates criticize the government’s harsh stance against refugees and their resettlement in an under-resourced country with a poor rights records.
  • Australia has offered Cambodia A$40 million as part of the resettlement deal.
  • Despite cash incentives, few refugees have taken up the Australian government on its offer.

More on this story at Reuters.

Gender
East Melbourne clinic takes case against the Melbourne City Council to Victoria’s supreme court, alleging failure to exercise jurisdiction over anti-abortion protesters harassing its patients.
  • The fertility clinic claims protesters attempted to impede women’s access to the clinic, which provides other health services like pap smears and fertility testing.
  • Legal questions hinge on the definition of “nuisance” and whether the Council exercised its power to ensure the protection of women seeking the clinic’s services from it.
  • The ruling could have broad impact on council’s interpretation of the state’s Public Health and Wellbeing Act, which could expand councils’ response to protesters statewide.

“Women attending the clinic had the right to access healthcare without harassment, fear or intimidation.”

More on this story at The Guardian.

Gender

Recent murder of woman accused of witchcraft in Papua New Guinea highlights scourge of gender-based violence in the country’s largely traditional society. More from Reuters.

Race + Color + Ethnicity

On Australia’s National Day of Healing, a look at the history of the Australian government’s historical destruction of Aboriginal families and the steps taken towards reconciliation. More from Euronews.

Sexual + Gender Minorities

PM Tony Abbott affirms general consensus that there will be no referendum on same-sex marriage in Australia because it is a legislative rather than constitutional matter in the country. More from The Guardian.