Media Release

Migrant prisoners of who commit serious crimes are being kept in gaol even though they have completed their sentence in one of the worst cases of human rights abuse according to Fairfield Councillor Thang Ngo.

These prisoners came to Australia as refugees from Vietnam and have been granted "permanent resident" status, but they are not naturalised Australians yet. Due to the serious nature of their crime, the Minister of Immigration, Mr Philip Ruddock has ordered their deportation after their sentences are served.

However, up until now, the Vietnamese government will not take them back.

"These refugees ran away from the current Vietnamese government and now they are criminals, why in the world would the government take them back?!" said Cr Ngo.

"So now we have the deplorable situation of inmates who have served their sentence, but can not be released because they are under a deportation order, and they can not be deported because their country won’t take them back.

"Basically, they are rotting because of the Australian government’s bloody-mindedness".

The prisoners have turned to Fairfield Councillor, Thang Ngo and Justice Action, prisoner rights group out of desperation to publicise their plight.

"In one particular case, an inmate completed his 8 years sentence in April 1999 but he is still in Parramatta Gaol. In a couple of months he will have served an additional 2 years on top of his 8 years sentence" said Cr Ngo.

"We want to deport him when he has spent more of his life in Australia than in Vietnam, when all of his family are in Australia and despite the fact that the Vietnamese government doesn’t want him back – it’s heartless and immoral."