<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/30/they-were-tiny-the-indonesians-still-fighting-their-conviction-as-adults-in-australia>
"Staring at the camera, Anto’s face, wide-eyed and child-like, invites a simple
question.
How could anyone, let alone Australia’s federal crime fighting agency, see an
adult gazing back at them?
Anto was 15 in June 2009 when he was on a fishing boat carrying 50 Afghan and
Iranian asylum seekers that was intercepted near Ashmore Reef.
From a poor Indonesian village, he jumped at a vague offer of work aboard the
boat. He had no idea he was going to Australia. All he knew was the money
would help his family survive.
When the boat was intercepted, interview transcripts show Anto told Australian
authorities in no uncertain terms he was a child, born on 14 April 1994.
Under Australian federal police policy, he should have been sent home. Instead,
police relied on a deeply flawed X-ray technique to deem him an adult.
The date of birth Anto gave police was altered to 14 April 1991, and the new
date was included on his prosecution notice, a sworn document seen by Guardian
Australia.
With the flick of a pen, Anto suddenly became an adult."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
