Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Learning from the other side of the world

By Sonia Caton - posted Monday, 24 September 2012


I see a mix of people. There are both Turks and Syrians. A group of very poor Syrian farming families sit dazed in the shade of a one story building adjacent to the border post. The building is burned out. Its windows shattered.

I see clumps of well-dressed, middle class Syrians talking together. One walks past me and says in English: 'Syria is gone'. The words display equal amounts of anger and distress. Desperation abounds.

The border gate itself operates calmly. There is no discernible military presence on either side. Cars are being steadily processed in both directions although more are entering Turkey than leaving. It feels like an 'open border'. Entry to Syria occurs for a range of reasons – to check on property, join the fighting, take supplies to fighters, gather people to take them out. A steady stream continue to leave Syria to escape the fighting.

Advertisement

The night before two Syrian doctors and a lawyer pulled into my tiny hotel. News reports suggest that many Syrian professionals do what they can from Turkey, for example, by taking care of wounded Syrian rebel fighters brought back into Turkey.

We take our leave of the border and drive a few kilometres back towards Sanliurfa to the Akcakale refugee camp. It is immediately adjacent to the main road, clearly signed, complete with Turkish flags fluttering in the hot winds. It displays the high wire fences and razor wire with which I am familiar from visiting Australian immigration detention facilities. There are new arc lights at regular intervals to ensure lighting and security at night. There are no trees for shade.

I negotiate entry into the outer perimeter which provides temporary accommodation for military personnel. 300 metres away is the gate which leads to the tents that house 10,000 Syrian refugees.

The uniformed military guards are friendly. They find the camp manager for me. He also exudes friendliness. He patiently answers my many questions.

As we speak, refugees pass by us in both directions on foot, and in cars and motorbikes. Each entry and exit is checked by the guards before outer gate is opened. An ambulance emerges from the tent area, on its way to one of several hospitals that service urgent medical cases from the camp.

The camp manager tells me that the camp is currently housing 10,000 but that planning is underway to extend it to 50,000. Turkey, officially, hosts about 83,000 Syrian refugees but that number is expected to rise. The unofficial number is estimated to be far higher. These numbers truly make Australia's "refugee problem" seem like a trickle.

Advertisement

I observe the refugees being treated with genuine dignity. The camp manager describes the schooling offered in camp (including English classes). He describes activities such as football, the provision of medical services, clothing, food, water, sanitation and other necessary basics. He points out that every effort is made to allow life to go on as normally as possible - woman are giving birth in hospitals, weddings are being held. Despite this, the camp is not a pleasant place. At least the refugees are free to leave at any time.

I cannot but reflect on my contrasting experiences working within Australian detention centres and with the attitudes of some Australians whose voices seem to be heard inordinately in our discussion of asylum seeker issues. Perhaps, it is the distance that makes us different. Many Syrians are living with Turkish relatives. Families straddle the border. They are indeed 'brothers and sisters'.

All Syrians flowing across the border are being granted automatic temporary protection by Turkey. If they have a passport they can be issued with visitor visa and live in the community in designated provinces away from the border. This edict is new, announced while I was in Sanilurfa. It has caused a lot of upset in the refugee community as many have taken on leases or are with relatives. Those who cannot move are to go to the camps.

It would seem that Turkish authorities are concerned that some Syrian rebel fighters and Syrian Kurds living in the community close to border areas, are cooperating with comrades in Syria, Iran, Iraq to mount attacks. The complexity of issues that apply to this war cannot be underestimated. Only last week Syrian rebels overran the border post I visited, forcing many Akcakale residents to flee stray bullets.

Australia's recent announcement that it will re-settle 1,000 Syrian refugees is very welcome. Developed nations must respond and acknowledge the huge load that Turkey is carrying as a country of first asylum. My driver and many other Turks are extremely proud of how their country has risen to the challenge of this enormous flood of humanitarian need. I cannot help but agree. It is laudable that Turkey continues to negotiate a host of complex issues of far reaching geo-political significance, and yet continues to provide a safe haven for so many.

At the same time, we have chosen to spend close to $1 billion to send a few thousand asylum seekers to isolated tent camps on Nauru and Manus Island. I shake my head until it hurts.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Sonia Caton is a lawyer and a migration agent representing asylum seekers. While the Director and Principal Solicitor of the Refugee and Immigration Legal Service in Brisbane (RAILS) the organisation was awarded the national Human Rights Award for a "Community Organisation".


She also serves on a number of boards, including chairing the Refugee Council of Australia, sitting on the Advisory Board to Migration Agents Registration Authority, International Education Services Ltd and the Greencross Australia Advisory Panel and lectures in law.

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Sonia Caton
Article Tools
Comment Comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy