Worlwork Australia 2006

Peace Workers Refused Visas Despite Assurances
By Adele Horin, April 26, 2006

From page 3, of the main Sydney Morning Herald, April 26,2006

SEVEN peace workers, including two women from Rwanda, have been denied visas to attend a conflict resolution conference in Sydney that starts tomorrow. Delegates denied visas include three Palestinian men who work in the peace movement in Gaza, a Slovakian and a Romanian, the conference organisers said. The Rwandan community workers are involved in projects to heal ethnic rivalries in the wake of the mass killings in their country.

The Australian organiser of the conference, Sherry Marshall, said she believed the Rwandan women were refused visas by the Australian high commission in Nairobi because of concerns they might not return home. "By virtue of their nationality they have been refused access," she said. She did not have enough information about the other delegates to comment on their cases.

The seven-day international forum, known as Worldwork, is being organised by the Global Process Work Institute, a US-based consortium of conflict resolvers and "peace builders". It is the organisation's 10th international training forum and has attracted 270 delegates, including 170 from overseas.

Ms Marshall said she was disappointed that the Federal Government had blocked visas for workers from countries in most need of conflict resolution skills. "It is ironic that at a time the Australian Government is concerned about stemming the flow of asylum seekers from war-torn countries, it adopts such a short-sighted view," she said.

The forum will provide more than 30 tutors from around the world to teach a method of conflict resolution developed by the US psychologists Amy and Arnold Mindell and used by them in many hot spots, including the Balkans and Israel. Negotiations had gone on for weeks, with the conference organisers in Australia and the US having assured the high commission of the women's bona fides, and having provided references. Their return air fares and accommodation were being covered, both had families in Rwanda, and one owned land. One woman had travelled twice from Rwanda to the high commission in Kenya with supporting documents. "We would have taken them to the airport and put them on the plane home," Ms Marshall said.

The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs deems some countries to be high-risk and others low-risk as sources of over-stayers. While the Rwandans appear to have been disadvantaged by the criteria, Australia's virtual open-door visa policy for low-risk countries allowed the French terrorism suspect Willy Brigitte to enter via the electronic travel authority system without having to submit a visa application form or have contact with an Australian visa office.

A department spokesman said each visa application was considered on its merits.