DAY BY DEPORTING THEM

On Monday, Mr Philip Ruddock, Minister for Immigration announced Australia has signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" which will send Vietnamese refugees currently in Australian prisons back to Vietnam.

This announcement comes just two days before today’s United Nations High Commission for Refugee’s first ever World Refugees’ Day.

These prisoners are refugees of the Vietnam War who have been granted Australian permanent residency. They have committed crimes and have been put under a deportation order by the Minister for Immigration.

"Sending them back is unkind and heartless," said Fairfield Councillor Thang Ngo, himself a Vietnamese refugee and who has been helping these prisoners.

"When Australia accepts refugees, we should accept there will be those who suffer trauma and problems.

"They didn’t come as business migrants, they came as refugees fleeing political persecution and human rights abuses.

"We don’t have the right to send them back when we feel like it".

According to Cr Ngo at least one prisoner has a wife in Australia.

"In fact most of these prisoners have spent more of their lives in Australia, have family and other support people in Australia… but we want to deport them back to Vietnam" he said.