The 'losmen' of lost dreams<\/p>\n
Duncan Graham, Contributor, Surabaya<\/p>\n
East Java's Pasir Putih is the frazzled Surabayans' weekend
\nescape spot, a four-hour drive east from smog city.<\/p>\n
Despite its name, the beach is more gray than white, but the
\nsea is shallow and safe. It is ideal for parents who want to
\nrelax and let the kids have a splash, a sail and a bit of
\nfreedom.<\/p>\n
Freedom? That's something a small group of foreigners at Pasir
\nPutih long for as they gaze across the Madura Sea and wonder if
\nthey will ever leave their involuntary home and reluctant host.<\/p>\n
Decision time is looming. Their claims for refugee status have
\nbeen rejected and officials say their only option is repatriation
\n(see sidebar).<\/p>\n
But still they hope.<\/p>\n
These are the almost forgotten folk, 27 Iraqis, five Afghans
\nand three Iranians who fled their homelands but failed in their
\nbid to reach Australia.<\/p>\n
They are all former customers of people-smugglers whose
\nIndonesian boats were turned back by the Australian Navy.<\/p>\n
They were then caught by Indonesian police and transferred to
\nPasir Putih where they pray against the odds for a home in the
\nWest.<\/p>\n
"I cannot return to Afghanistan, it's too dangerous," said
\nJuma Khan Nasiri, 25, a veteran of three attempts to reach
\nAustralia. The first, in 2001, cost him US$4,000. It lasted only
\na day before the boat's engines broke down an hour out of
\nSurabaya. There were about 300 people on board.<\/p>\n
Trip two cost US$500 and for this fee he spent 15 days in the
\nocean, again with a failed engine. "We just drifted," he told The
\nJakarta Post. "I don't know where we went, but I think that God
\nhelps us." This time the boat had around 150 passengers.<\/p>\n
They eventually landed on Sumba island, East Nusa Tenggara
\nprovince, and were sent to Jakarta after sheltering in a mosque.<\/p>\n
Undaunted, Nasiri and 130 other hopefuls tried again in 2002.
\nHe said he now had only US$200. That just happened to be enough
\nfor a spot on an unnamed boat that set out from Mataram in
\nLombok.<\/p>\n
They were never to glimpse their promised land. Instead, the
\nboat was boarded off Ashmore Reef (in the Timor Sea) by
\nAustralian navy sailors.<\/p>\n
Nasiri alleged he and five other young men were handcuffed
\nwhen they protested against not being allowed to proceed, and
\nthat some passengers had threatened to sink the boat.<\/p>\n
Nasiri said he was a Muslim from a persecuted minority sect.
\nHe is a personable young man with an extraordinary grasp of
\nEnglish, despite claiming no university education, formal
\nlearning or close involvement with native speakers.<\/p>\n
"I just wanted to talk to the people who were responsible for
\nmaking the rules that said we could not land in Australia," he
\nsaid. "I have an uncle in Adelaide (South Australia) and I will
\ndo any work. Some Afghan families have already been granted
\nrefugee status."
\nHe said the boat's engine was repaired, the people were fed and
\nafter five days found themselves closer to Indonesia than
\nAustralia. They beached near Kupang.<\/p>\n
The asylum seekers occupy an old, six-unit losmen overlooking
\nthe beach. Each unit has its own toilet. The International
\nOrganization for Migration (IOM) pays for their food and
\naccommodation. This arrangement allegedly causes resentment
\namongst some Indonesians.<\/p>\n
There are no obvious guards and the foreigners are free to mix
\nwith locals and tourists at the beach. The children cannot go to
\nschool, an issue concerning the adults.<\/p>\n
Some units have television sets and other electrical
\nappliances bought by sympathetic visitors, including relatives
\nwho have become citizens of Western nations.<\/p>\n
Firas Noubi, 29, was on the same boat as Nasiri, but says he
\nwas not handcuffed.<\/p>\n
With six other relatives, all members of the minority Mandaean
\nreligion, Noubi fled Iraq for Australia where his mother now
\nlives on a permanent resident visa.<\/p>\n
The Mandaeans come from the Iraq-Iran border and follow the
\nteachings of John the Baptist but say they are not Christian.
\nThey claim persecution by Muslims and the state.<\/p>\n
Unlike Nasiri, who said he enjoyed good relations with local
\nIndonesians, Noubi said there were some tensions and alleged that
\nhe had already been assaulted.<\/p>\n
Noubi's Iraqi neighbors are the Munir family led by aunt Rajaa
\nYousif, 55. They are Catholics and include three feisty young
\nwomen who have become fluent in Indonesian. The family has three
\nrelatives in Germany, one in Holland and claim there are none
\nleft in Iraq.<\/p>\n
They said they were prepared to go anywhere. They also alleged
\nthey had received no help from Indonesian Catholics.<\/p>\n
Noubi and his family said they paid US$1,000 each for their
\nplace on the boat from Mataram. "We thought the Australians would
\nbe sympathetic toward us when they saw the old people and the
\nchildren," he said. "The sailors simply replied that they had to
\nfollow their government's new rules and could not accept refugees
\nfrom the sea.<\/p>\n
"We cannot go back to Iraq; it's too dangerous. We want to go
\nanywhere where we will be treated as people."<\/p>\n
Noubi, a goldsmith who has had a university education in his
\nhomeland, said he did not want people to feel sorry for the
\nfailed asylum seekers, but to understand their plight.<\/p>\n
"We are fed and sheltered but we are not allowed to work," he
\nsaid. "We've been here more than three years and we don't know
\nwhat the future holds. We have nothing to do. We feel like
\nanimals, not humans.<\/p>\n
"Why can't anyone find a solution? The problem is not that
\ngreat."<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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