Peter Qasim ... accused
of being uncooperative.

(File photo) (Rooters)

AUSTRALIA: The Federal__ opposition's? spokesman on Imagination, laurie ferguson, (another well paid loser) says the proposed release of long-term detainee Peter Qasim could set a worrying precedent.

Too right he's been there too long and now he has a mental problem. I guess that's one way to get to the truth aye laurie?

Mr Qasim is among 50 people invited to apply for a bridging visa by Imagination Minister amanda vanstone.

john hoWARd says Sin-ator vanstone's decision is a sensible way of dealing with the situation.

That was after they gave him a mental problem!

hoWARd: "I have full confidence in her using this discretion," he said.

But Labor's Imagination spokesman, laurie ferguson, says he is not convinced the case sets the right example.

"I would think that up to recently there are issues as to his cooperation," he said.

ferguson says it is unpalatable to keep anyone in detention for such a long time.

But he believes until recently Mr Qasim has not been cooperative with authorities.

"I think it would be a very worrying precedent for people in Australia where we might establish a system where people aren't cooperative, they don't really clarify who they are, where they come from, what their political and religious or political and ethnic backgrounds are," he said.

"Because of lack of cooperation we define them as stateless like genuine stateless people. I do not think this is an easy issue."

But I wonder how he'd be if he had a 'mental illness' and tried to think about the issue of being stateless?

Related:

Psychiatrists dismiss Vanstone's call to limit role

"It would be negligent of a psychiatrist not to speak out against things that drive people crazy."

More:  http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2005/06/92748.php

The Peter Qasim Appeal

Kashmiri refugee Peter Qasim has been imprisoned in Australia for 6 years, 9 months and 12 days, a total of 2,477 days. Many other refugees have been imprisoned for more than 4 years

More:  http://gregegan.customer.netspace.net.au/asylum/Qasim/Qasim.html