NSW: Albanian refugees just want safety, says local spokesman

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-1999
NSW: Albanian refugees just want safety, says local spokesman

By Cydonee Mardon

SYDNEY, April 7 AAP - Albanians fleeing war-torn Kosovo did not care if they were housed in
remote Australian refugee camps and just wanted to be safe, a spokesman here said today.

In an abrupt about-face, the federal government yesterday agreed to accept 4,000 temporary
refugees from Kosovo and may house them in defence facilities in remote areas.

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley today described the plan as a disaster, saying the refugees
needed support not isolation.

But Albanian community spokesman Sadik Binakaj said the shelters would mean safety for the
refugees and would therefore be an acceptable option.

"I don't want to say anything about these remote places, these people just want to be put
somewhere safe, we are not arguing about where," Mr Binakaj said.

"These people are not asking to be put in hotels or places that Australia can't afford,
they just want to be safe, it's not really important where they live," he said.

When asked if the Albanians would be happy to be housed in remote parts of Australia, he
said: "Yes, they would not care".

The Albanian community was already working to find shelters for the refugees, with at least
15 families across Australia volunteering to open up their homes, Mr Binakaj said.

"We have families from Brisbane, Coffs Harbour, Adelaide, Bourke, ready to accept families
on a temporary basis of up to two years," he said.

But the Ethnic Communities' Council of New South Wales (ECC) was more cautious, saying any
plan to house refugees would have to include access to vital health services.

"Our concerns are that if placed in remote areas, how are they going to get access to
trauma related services, counsellors who understand their culture, and interpreters," ECC
chairman Paul Nicolaou said.

"These people will not know one single English word," he said.

"What are they going to be doing for three months, they'll go mad ... We need to look at
ways to mentally stimulate them. Their children will need schooling," he said.

"It's well and good to house them out of sight out of mind but in reality we need them near
city areas so they have access to all those services."

Mr Nicolaou said he was also worried that separating the refugees by housing them with
Australian families would make the Albanians vulnerable.

"The problem with families taking in the refugees is that they may still not get the
appropriate support they need," he said.

"It might be best that they all stay together."

Mr Nicolaou said the government taskforce set up to decide the future of the refugees
should carefully examine all options to ensure all their needs were met.

AAP cmm/sb/bm/br

KEYWORD: KOSOVO AUST CAMPS

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