France. I love/hate this place.

Along the bumpy road of language learning, there are a few essential pitstops. These are designed to test you, to see how proficient you are, and whether you can hold your own in said language. They include (in vague chronological order):
- Being able to order food;
- Being able to hold a phone conversation;
- Being able to count to 100 (in french, instead of saying '97' you say '4 20 17', meaning (4x20)+17. ridiculous);
- Being able to begin a sentence without already having planned the end of it;
- Being able to watch (and understand) television;
- Being able to navigate oneself through the impenetrable maze of European higher education bureaucracy;
- Being able to follow courses in advanced international humanitarian law and geopolitics; and... my favourite...
- Being able to engage in a shouting match with a real estate agent.

These last three items have pretty much been the flavour of my time here thus far. Uni bureaucracy? Oh my gosh.. They make me laugh and make me cry (like the Hunters & Collectors song). Following the classes? Wow. I knew it would be tough but I had no idea. My brain hurts. Pretty much all the time. And the real estate agent... let's just say the other day I was sitting in my room and suddenly 3 total strangers walked in! The landlady has sold the house, and the future owners decide fairly often to come over to take photos / get the electricals fixed / install an alarm / show their friends. They have been here for at least an hour every day this week! They just randomly pop over and let themselves in with a key! So tonight my housemate Leila and I decided to request that they desist... Let's just say that hell hath no fury like a real estate agent scorned.

Here's a picture of the Law Faculty of the Université Paul Cézanne - Aix-Marseille III:

I know it's quite a lot prettier than my uni in Australia (Monash), but the utterly shambolic disorganisation leaves me yearning for the comfort and familiar surrounds of the concrete-covered Clayton wind tunnel. Anyway, I won't elaborate because I'll cry, and you'll hate me for coming to France and then whining about not having any handouts. And having 48 hours of class per week. And not getting the timetable for each week until the Saturday evening before. And finding out that I had a room reserved for me in the student housing for 140 euros a month instead of the 400 I'm paying now because the uni forgot to tell me. And having classes on Saturdays. And having days where there are 10 hours of class scheduled with no breaks. Whoops. I'm complaining...! I'll stop.

Obviously, living in France has its perks! *Everything* tastes better here. I love walking down the little narrow streets and looking upwards, to see what wonders await my investigation. There are crepe sellers on every corner. People speak French. There are new and exciting things in the supermarkets, including brands of sugar I recognise from when I was a kid. OH! And Ebly - which is wheat, but you cook it like rice and it is sooo good. Shown here:


OK I think that's enough random photographic entertainment for now. I'll try to be better at writing blogs!

And please - if you haven't taken any action on those Sri Lankan asylum seekers... get onto it!

A la prochaine,

:) Jessie

The Sri Lankan asylum seekers - please act now!

Points to make:
* These are young men, most of whom are aged 22 & 23 years, the oldest
is 28 years;
* Some have been held, tortured and beaten in Camps in Jaffna because
they are Tamil;
See http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2007/2/12541.html
* In reality many are computer and accounting students and at least
one is a high School student aged 17years;
* Their families raised the money to send them to safety in an attempt
to save their lives;
Sri Lanka is in civil conflict

See
http://www.amnesty.org.au/news_features/news/refugee/sri_lanka_560,000_displaced_people_suffer_effects_of_intensifying_violence

* It is too dangerous to send them to India because the Sri Lankan Navy
sinks Tamil boats on the basis that they are all Tamil Tigers - not all are;
See http://english.people.com.cn/200609/25/eng20060925_306127.html

and http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/February16140946CH.html
* If they are captured they are forced to serve in the Sri Lankan
military fighting Tamils; Understandably they do not want to do this;
See http://www.tamilnation.org/indictment/genocide95/gen9560.htm
* They came to Australia legitimately seeking asylum. Under the Refugee
Convention to which we are signatory, Australia is obliged to receive them
and assess their claim.
* They should be provided with legal advice and counselling immediately.
* Many are traumatised from beatings and torture received in detention
camps in Sri Lanka they need counselling and legal advice.
Please ring Kevin Rudds office urgently:

Tel: (02) 6277 4022
Fax: (02) 6277 8495

Email: Kevin.Rudd.MP@aph.gov.au

Tel: (07) 3899 4031
Fax: (07) 3899 5755

Labor must stand up for the Refugee Convention and demand that Howard
allow these young men to make their claims and to properly assess those
claims.

End this secret incommunicado detention!

Pamela Curr
ASRC Melbourne.

***TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PREVENT APPALLING TREATMENT OF ASYLUM SEEKERS***

Hi there everyone,

We have a little bit of a situation which would benefit from 2 minutes of your time.

You may be aware that a few days ago, the Australian Navy intercepted a boatload of 83 Sri Lankan asylum seekers off the coast of Australia, just near Christmas Island.

In a massive contravention of customary international law, human rights law, humanitarian law and Australia's self-assumed treaty obligations, the Howard government has made secret arrangements with Indonesia to send the asylum seekers immediately back to Indonesia, from whence they will be sent back to Sri Lanka. (Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/deal-to-send-boat-people-packing/2007/02/23/1171734021096.html)

Howard has categorically refused to let the men so much as lodge their applications for asylum in Australia, which is their rights under the law of Australia AND international law. Remember, ***arriving in Australia unauthorised, by boat, even with no papers, is NOT illegal!

Sending people back to a place where they may suffer persecution is called 'refoulement', and it is strictly and unambiguously prohibited under international law as a fundamental principle aimed at protecting the rights and the lives of the world's most vulnerable people.

Let's also remember that the Government has just completed work on an 800-bed $360 million detention facility on Christmas Island. It is ready and waiting to receive these asylum seekers, and although i abhor the existence of such a facility, it is vastly preferable that it should be put to use while these men's claims are processed, rather than sending them back to a situation of grave danger.

It is a serious concern that our Government has decided that this kind of behaviour is OK, especially in light of the fact that it has been proven that at least 9 men and 3 children have been killed upon return from Australia to their homelands in recent years.

PLEASE TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO SEND A BRIEF EMAIL TO PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING THESE DECISIONS.

Here are a few points you may like to make:

* "Everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution" Article 14, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
* Article 33 of the 1951 Refugees Convention *ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITS* sending people back to a country or territory where they may face danger. This is exactly what we're about to do!
* These 83 people are the first asylum seekers to arrive by boat in Australia in over a year. Some areas in Europe get 1500 asylum seekers A DAY!
* Some of the poorest countries in the world are the most generous hosts of asylum seekers. Ethiopia, Eritrea etc... Iran and Pakistan both hold over 2 million refugees each. Australia takes 0.05% of the world's refugee burden.
* Historically, asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia are found to be genuine refugees in 92% of cases. Think about it like this: people don't uproot their lives, leave their families and get in a leaky boat for 10 days to travel to a strange country unless they are SERIOUS about the dangers that face them at home.

The Government:
PM John Howard - you'll have to contact him using this form: http://www.pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm
Kevin.Andrews.MP@aph.gov.au - Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews.

AND your local member of the Liberal Party:
using this form... http://www.aec.gov.au/esearch/main.htm


And Labor:
Kevin.Rudd.MP@aph.gov.au - (Labor) Leader. Let him know that you do not support Howard's approach, and you'd be interested to see what his approach would be. Encourage him to OPPOSE this stunt and provide a strong, principled alternative.
Julia.Gillard.MP@aph.gov.au - (Labor) co-leader of Labor party.
Tony.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au - (Labor) Shadow Immigration Spokesman. Would be immigration minister if Labor wins the election. He is generally very open to dialogue and reasonableness but we have yet to see what happens when the rubber hits the road! Encourage him, as well, to take a strong, vocal stand against this awful behaviour.


Thanks very much for reading. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me!

Jessie

Slightly off the topic...

I know I'm supposed to be waxing lyrical about the beauty of southern France (and I will, I promise!), but I'm afraid this is taking precedence at the moment! This evening something landed in my inbox which I feel compelled to share with you all.

You may know that the Australian Government has just spent $360million on a shiny new detention facility on Christmas Island. Its capacity is 800 people, and it has purpose built rooms designed to hold children. Does the idea of imprisoning innocent, already traumatised children not quite sit right, or is it just me...?

Also, the figure of $360million is particularly interesting when you consider that EIGHT people have arrived unauthorised in Australian territory by boat in the last 12 months. (Those people - Burmese - are being held on Nauru, anyway, at an ADDITIONAL cost to Australian taxpayers). Anyway, if we divide these 8 people into the $360m, we come up with the princely sum of $45million per head. Woweee. That is some hella expensive accommodation, even if it IS in the name of border protection! Do you think it's worth it?

In fact, if we generously divide the $360m by 12,000 (the number of unauthorised boat arrivals over the past TEN YEARS - the entire duration of Howard's term in office), we come up with the not-insignificant figure of $30,000 per head. That might be worthwhile (at a stretch) if the 12,000 were dodgey brothers or terrorists, but remember that upwards of 90% of them have been found to be genuine refugees, fleeing persecution and in desperate need of protection. For a government which prides itself on good economic management, I have to say I think a preschooler of less-than-average intelligence would do a better job.

Anyway, here is a photograph of said detention facility. Can you imagine its isolation, and its separation from mainland Australia, legal assistance, community support, media, and the lifeline of visitors... This is a system purpose-built to traumatise and discourage people to the extent that they would rather risk torture and death at home, than wait out access to the rights they hold under Australian law, treaty law and customary international law. Deterrence has always factored highly in the government’s motivation. Julian Burnside QC often comments on this idea of deterrence, and his argument follows thus: "Mr. Ruddock and Mr. Howard have made it clear that the mandatory detention system, and the iniquitous Pacific Solution, are designed to "send a message". This decodes as: we treat innocent people harshly to deter others. The punishment of innocent people to shape the behaviour of others is impossible to justify. It is the philosophy of hostage-takers."

Although Burnside is accused from time to time of engaging in hyperbole, his rationale in this instance is difficult to fault. The Executive Committee of the UNHCR has also made a comment on the use of detention for anything other than a legitimate administrative purpose, concluding that "detention of asylum seekers which is applied… as part of a policy to deter future asylum seekers, or to dissuade those who have commenced their claims from pursuing them, is contrary to the norms of refugee law. It should not be used as a punitive or disciplinary measure for illegal entry or presence in the country".

What do we have to say about that, Messrs Howard & Ruddock...?

I'm in Europe at the moment, studying international humanitarian law, human rights and refugee law. More often that I care to mention, Australia is cited as an example of a country which drastically misinterprets an twists the meanings of the rights and obligations enshrined under international law in this field, and we are rapidly becoming a laughing stock and a worst-case-scenario when it comes to respecting human rights.

This is a Federal election year. Enough said. Let your ballot do the talking. This kind of (extremely expensive!) cruelty is not OK!

The Afternoon in Dublin...

Well, today has been my last day in Dublin before moving to France early tomorrow morning. I wandered into college to meet up with some friends for a farewell hoorah. As sometimes happens around these parts, the light in the late afternoon was just beautiful and I wanted to take some photos. So here they are...





I won't write anything more now. Once I've finished writing this crazy essay I will get back into writing more often. See you in France!

Jess

Back in Europe, Back in Gear!

Hey there,

I've taken a bit of an extended hiatus over my 2 month holiday in Australia. It was only supposed to be 3.5 weeks, but then my trip was extended due to unforeseen circumstances. I arrived back in Ireland yesterday, the plane descending over snow covered hills and through grey skies, so a not-so-welcoming temperature of 0 degrees celsius!

As an homage to Australian weather, I think I'll post some photos of my holiday, the things I got up to, the fun I had. Just to delay the whole having-to-write a substantial blog thing.

I'm off to France on Wednesday to start uni again. Not feeling terribly in the mood for school, but hopefully that'll change sooner rather than later. Only one semester of coursework to go in my whole life... come on!

I'll write more again soon! Enjoy the photos.

Love Jess