Canberra, Australia, Nov 9, 2016 / 06:02 am
The Australian government's proposed permanent ban on visas for refugees and asylum seekers who have recently arrived by boat drew strong criticism from a bishop who is a former refugee himself.
"Seeking asylum even by boat is not illegal. It is a basic human right. Yet not content with demeaning them, the Australian government now wants to introduce laws that will ban them from ever coming here," Bishop Vincent Long of Parramatta said.
The bishop is the Australian Catholic Bishops' Delegate for Migrants and Refugees. He fled Vietnam by boat at a young age.
He spoke against the ban in a Nov. 7 statement on the media blog of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.