Nauru: Frozen Funds & Lawyers
from BBC & Pacific News Agency Service

Australia has refused to release money from a trust account established to fund the rehabilitation of Nauru's mined-out interior. There is more than 13m Australian dollars in the Nauru Rehabilitation Trust Fund, which is administered by the Australian aid agency AusAID, but the Australian engineer who was overseeing the rehabilitation, Leon Surawski (phonetic), has quit after seven projects he had set in train [sic] had to be aborted when the Nauru government wanted the money for other things.

[...]

There's been a call for the 248 asylum seekers on Nauru to be represented by a lawyer during the review process recently announced by Australia, Radio New Zealand International reports.

Dutch psychiatrist, Maarten Dormaar, who spent four months on Nauru assessing peoples' mental health, also says an independent organisation such as Amnesty International should oversee the process.

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All rights reserved
Global News Wire - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire
Copyright 2004 BBC Monitoring/BBC
BBC Monitoring International Reports

January 23, 2004

LENGTH: 159 words

HEADLINE: AUSTRALIA FREEZES NAURU REHABILITATION FUNDS

BODY:



Australia has refused to release money from a trust account established to
fund the rehabilitation of Nauru's mined-out interior. There is more than 13m
Australian dollars in the Nauru Rehabilitation Trust Fund, which is administered
by the Australian aid agency AusAID, but the Australian engineer who was
overseeing the rehabilitation, Leon Surawski (phonetic), has quit after seven
projects he had set in train had to be aborted when the Nauru government wanted
the money for other things.

(Surawski) It's paid into a trust account and it is available for
rehabilitation. However, the Nauruan government was actively trying to acquire
that money to assist them in paying salaries and keeping them, temporarily,
afloat. (End of recording)

Mr Surawski says there is currently no political will in Nauru to start
rehabilitating the mined-out interior.

Source: Radio Australia, Melbourne, in English 0800 gmt 23 Jan 04

) BBC Monitoring

JOURNAL-CODE: WBMS

LOAD-DATE: January 23, 2004

5 of 5 DOCUMENTS

Copyright 2004 Financial Times Information
All rights reserved
Global News Wire
Copyright 2004 PacNews
PacNews

January 21, 2004

LENGTH: 185 words

HEADLINE: LAWYER NEEDED FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS' REVIEW ON NAURU SAYS OBSERVER

BODY:



21 JANUARY 2004 YAREN (Pacnews) --- There's been a call for the 248 asylum
seekers on Nauru to be represented by a lawyer during the review process
recently announced by Australia, Radio New Zealand International reports.

Dutch psychiatrist, Maarten Dormaar, who spent four months on Nauru assessing
peoples' mental health, also says an independent organisation such as Amnesty
International should oversee the process.

He says if the review is carried out by unofficial interpreters selected by
Australian immigration officials, as it was the first time, then there's little
hope for those who have been detained for more than two years.

Mr Dormaar says the process was deeply flawed the first time people applied
for refugee status, so he wants changes this time through.

Mr Dormar, who remains in contact with the asylum seekers, says many are
continuing to show signs of depression and anxiety attacks.

And, he says, the more than 90 children detained in the camps are likely to
suffer long-term mental health issues as they watch their parents deteriorate...

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)

JOURNAL-CODE: WPCN

posted by prof_booty | 02:32 PM