“The stories of how children, women and men are treated when they seek
asylum in Australia are horrifying,” MIA, whose real name is Mathangi
Arulpragasam, told Guardian Australia.
“If the Australian government won’t treat refugees and asylum seekers
with dignity and fairness, then it falls to the rest of us to make sure
that they are the given the best chance to rebuild their life in peace.”
MIA is a UK-born artist and activist,
who was raised in Sri Lanka and India with her mother and Tamil
activist father, who helped found the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation
of Students. MIA returned to England with her mother and siblings as
refugees after the family was displaced.
She recently released a documentary,
and has continued to advocate against the mistreatment and abuse of Sri
Lankan Tamils, and refugees and migrants. She has now moved her sights
to Australia’s frequent deportation of them.
“Deportation is not an option. In the case of Tamils in Sri Lanka, several organisations including the UN have outlined
ongoing torture and intimidation of the community. Thousands of Tamils remain unaccounted for or forcibly disappeared in Sri Lanka.
“By refusing to participate in the forced deportation of fleeing asylum
seekers, airlines have an opportunity to play an active role in
protecting human rights.”
MIA’s voice adds to those of more than 60 people, representing business, human rights groups, unions and academia,
who have signed a public statement calling
for companies to respect human rights, and say that ignoring
international law can damage a company’s reputation and risk its
financial interests.
Qantas is
now the subject of intense lobbying by unions, advocacy groups and the
public, to follow the actions of some overseas airlines and boycott
migrant deportations.
UK-based Virgin Atlantic said in June it would no longer assist the home
office in deporting people classed as illegal immigrants.
Brynn O’Brien, executive director of the Australasian Centre for
Corporate Social Responsibility (ACCSR), told Guardian Australia there
was a business risk for airlines such as Qantas in accepting contracts
from the government to fly out those being deported.
This included domestic legs of international flights and involuntary transfers between detention facilities.
“Movement between places of detention, we hear from refugees, legal
representatives and advocates, is a tactic that’s routinely used to make
things difficult for people in the detention system,” she said.
“Forcible transfer, whether on domestic or international flights, looks
pretty similar – people accompanied by guards, often in handcuffs.”
The Sri Lankans were returned to their country via a charter flight, but
the Iraqi man is believed to have been flown out on a commercial jet
from Perth and eventually to Baghdad.
It’s not known which airline he was assigned to, as there were several
flights leaving that night, but Qantas has pointed out that it does not
fly to Middle East destinations.
Sarah Dale, principal solicitor, Refugee Advice and Casework Service
(Racs), said the deportation of the Iraqi national despite a court date
revealed that there were no legal protections in place to prevent
removals, “and airlines are participating in the removal of someone who
has not had their rights afforded”.
A last-minute and unexplained transfer from a Sydney detention centre to Perth has also been questioned
by the family of another Iraqi man, 22, who took his life this month.
Regarding its position on the deportation of asylum seekers, a spokeswoman said Qantas understood it was a sensitive issue.
“Our position is that the federal government and the courts make decisions on complex immigration matters, not airlines.”
O’Brien said cooperation by airlines left them open to the risk of protests by the public – such as the one by
Swedish student Elin Ersson in Gothenburg – and the problem of airline employees having to respond to them.
She said the ACCSR was not calling for airlines to end all contracts
with the government – just those involving involuntary transfers and
forced deportations.
“This is an issue for investors – we have a small shareholding in Qantas
and approached them in our capacity as shareholders doing due
diligence. They haven’t been forthcoming with information,” O’Brien
said.
Keren Adams, the director of legal advocacy at the Human Rights Law
Centre, said, “the argument we’re putting to investors is they need more
information about what Qantas is actually doing so it can assess their
risk management processes.
“The Australian government’s refugee policies have been internationally condemned as putting lives at risk.
“Businesses, including airlines, that actively facilitate and profit
from this system are complicit in abuse and risk exposing themselves to
serious reputational liability.”
Rapper
MIA: ‘The stories of how children, women and men are treated when they
seek asylum in Australia are horrifying.’ Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock
