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Tonight Ghassan Nakhoul of SBS Arabic Radio went to air with the
breaking news that the Australian Federal Police have recently
revisited some of the SIEVX survivors and offered to take them to
Egypt to testify in the trial against Abu Quassey. The Australian
government will be covering the costs of the travel and according to
Nakhoul, some have accepted the offer.
The Abu Quassey court case resumes tomorrow in Egypt and sievx.com
will keep a watching brief on proceedings.
The second anniversary of the SIEVX sinking is nearly upon us and
there are a number of events being planned to commemorate the 353
lives lost in our maritime border protection zone on 19 October 2001.
Below is a list of events that we are aware of so far.
If you know of others please contact us.
SIEVX MEMORIAL PROJECT LAUNCH
Media Release
Steve Biddulph
A two year project to build a permanent memorial to the lives lost on
the SievX has been announced by psychologist and author Steve
Biddulph. The project hopes to involve students in many of Australia's
4000 secondary schools, in learning about the SievX story, and
designing a fitting memorial, to be sited on the shores of Lake Burley
Griffin in the National Capital. Called a Young Peoplešs Art
Collaboration, the idea is not a competition, but hopes to exhibit all
submitted designs in regional and state capitals. The next step will
be to combine the best elements into a design acceptable to the ACT
planning authorities, which will be a beautiful, fitting, and
educational site which visitors to the ACT will invariably visit.
The project is a joint one between members of Rural Australians for
Refugees, and the Uniting Church in Australia. Art students in years
nine and ten in secondary schools will be the primary target group,
but other students will not be excluded. Art teachers nationally are
being consulted on the design of the project.
The organizers hope that the SievX story, and the courage of the
families who were on the ship, will become much more widely known
through the project, and through memorializing the tragedy, a
conscience over those who seek safety from persecution will be
strengthened in a younger generation of Australians.
Steve Biddulph, Reverend Rod Horsfield, and Senator Bob Brown, will
speak at a launch of the project in Parliament House, Canberra, on
thursday October 16th at 1.00 pm.. Steve will also outline the project
at the SievX Forum at the ANU on Saturday October 18th.
For further information please email dpforest@bigpond.com
CANBERRA
October 18 - Public Forum: SIEV X - A Crime Against Humanity,
Haydon-Allen Tank, Australian National University, Canberra. 2pm
Speakers: Tony Kevin (currently a Visiting Fellow at the ANU Research
School of Pacific and Asian Studies; former Australian Ambassador to
Cambodia and to Poland); Jack Waterford (Editor, Canberra Times);
Margo Kingston (Sydney Morning Herald). Info: ACT
Refugee Action, e-mail: info@refugeeaction.org
October 18 - Ecumenical Service Remember SIEV X on second
anniversary;
11am, Lennox Gardens, Yarralumla, Canberra.Speakers include: Catholic
Bishop Pat Power and Canberra Islamic Centre President Ahmed Youssef,
Anglican Bishop George Browning. Info: ACT Refugee
Action, e-mail: info@refugeeaction.org
SYDNEY
Tony Kevin will be speaking on SIEVX at a Conference in
Sydney University Law School on 2 October organised by Mary Crock on
Migration, Mental Health and Human Rights. For further information
email:tonykevin@webone.com.au
PERTH
Details yet to be confirmed. For preliminary info click here.
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