The mentally disturbed Australian woman deported to the Philippines four years ago and found this week in an Olongapo hospice is welcome to return, Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said Thursday.
Vivian Solon, 42, was taken to Brisbane airport in a wheelchair and put on a plane in 2001 -- three days after a traffic accident from which she had not fully recovered.
Authorities realized their blunder two years ago, but kept it from her family in Australia and the Philippines until two weeks ago.
"If she wants to come back, of course, we will facilitate her coming back," Vanstone said. "We will facilitate assistance for her when she arrives so that she's got support and can settle in and, of course, she'll be entitled to Australian benefits."
Authorities stand accused of doing little to redress an injustice that stemmed from their believing she was an illegal immigrant because of her poor English and Asian appearance. Solon arrived in Australia in 1984.
Cecile Solon said her sister had been treated very badly by Australian authorities. But an apology is not forthcoming. Prime Minister John Howard said only that the "circumstances of this case on the available information appear very sad," adding "it will be a matter of sorrow and regret that this lady, who appears to be an Australian citizen, has been deported."
The chain of events that led to her deportation began six months earlier when she failed to pick up her son from day-care in Brisbane following an accident. She had split from her husband and reverted to her maiden name. Immigration officials failed to check that she was an Australian citizen and, just hours after being released from hospital, she was deported. Solon was taken in by Catholic nuns and has spent the last two years living in a home for the sick and dying in Olongapo, north of Manila. She has a brother in Australia, where her son, now 9, is in foster care.
The case has been referred to a government team set up last month to inquire into a similar case of Australian resident Cornelia Rau who was mistaken for an illegal immigrant and locked up for 10 months, first in a prison and then in an immigration detention center.
Rau, who had been diagnosed a schizophrenic, was believed when she said she was a tourist despite her family notifying authorities that she was a missing person. Solon's family have drawn parallels with the Rau case, saying that racism explains why German-born Rau was held in the country for 11 months while Philippines-born Solon was deported after just three days.
"I am furious," Cecile Solon said. "I just feel there was some kind of racial discrimination. There are questions to be answered."
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
PINEAPPLE DEBATE: While the owners of the pizzeria dislike pineapple on pizza, a survey last year showed that over 50% of Britons either love or like the topping A trendy pizzeria in the English city of Norwich has declared war on pineapples, charging an eye-watering ￡100 (US$124) for a Hawaiian in a bid to put customers off the disputed topping. Lupa Pizza recently added pizza topped with ham and pineapple to its account on a food delivery app, writing in the description: “Yeah, for ￡100 you can have it. Order the champagne too! Go on, you monster!” “[We] vehemently dislike pineapple on pizza,” Lupa co-owner Francis Wolf said. “We feel like it doesn’t suit pizza at all,” he said. The other co-owner, head chef Quin Jianoran, said they kept tinned pineapple
RSS