Families released from detention
The release of all child detainees from immigration detentaion was met with a mixed response due to concerns that the children and their parents still face deportation. The families were released following a recent deal struck between rebel government backbenchers and Prime Minister John Howard. The Age

Empty refugee centres cost millions
The Sunday Times has reported that millions of taxpayers dollars are being paid to companies to keep empty offshore processing and detention facilities operating in a bid to deter 'boat people' and people smugglers. Sunday Times

Pakistan to close Afghan refugee camps
Pakistan will close all camps for Afghan refugees in tribal areas along the Afghan border and offer refugees voluntary repatriation or relocation within Pakistan. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says continuing security problems make it impossible to offer proper assistance to refugees in the region. BBC

5000 Sudanese return home
5000 southern Sudanese refugees have trekked for three months through swamps and forests, avoiding land mines, to return to their homes. The population fled fighting four years ago in the decades-long civil war and are returning home following the January signing of a peace agreement by the Sudanese government. Reuters

UN calls for end to human rights violations in Zimbabwe
A senior UN human rights official has called for swift action to end ongoing human rights violations in Zimbabwe and to protect the rights of more than half a million displaced persons. UN News

Government shrinks migration zone
The Federal Government has used its Senate majority to excise thousands of islands from the Australian migration zone. The government says the move will frustrate people smugglers and deter people from trying to reach Australia by boat to make a visa application. ABC Lateline

A better life elsewhere?
Overseas Brazilians remitted some US$5.6 billion last year to their families back home. However, t he London shooting of a Brazilian immigrant has left residents of the victim's hometown wondering if the move to earn a better income is worth the risk. Taiwan News

Niger : Cry the beloved starving country
“Africans wonder: at what point do people out there declare "enough"? Or is the magnitude of this African "reality show" so overwhelming that the rest of the world simply tunes out?

News from inside

Baxter News is a newsletter written by asylum seekers who are living in Baxter detention centre. It includes updates on detainees stories, incidents in the centre and provides an opportunity to get to know some of the detainees and communicate with them.
www.baxternews.com.au/

And the latest from N auru is available at the Nauru Wire www.nauruwire.org/

Storyline Australia: Vietnam Minefield
This program looks at the consequences of a military disaster unacknowledged in Australian military history. During the Vietnam War Australian soldier, Brigadier Stuart Graham, ordered the laying of probably the biggest minefield ever laid in Southeast Asia.

SBS TV, Thursday August 18, 8.30pm

Stranger
Dear and beloved stranger,
Please eat this food with us
that we may all be nourished.
Please share this walk with us
that we may all know nature's peace.
Please rest in this warm house
that we may come to know each other.
Please sleep under these soft blankets
that we may all know safety.
Please pray this prayer
that all our names of God
may guide us on.