Judge rules refugee who abandoned newborn is an unfit mother

Chicago Tribune

After Nunu Sung delivered her baby alone on a cool summer's evening outside her cousin's Wheaton apartment, she placed the newborn in a leafy area and then went back inside, where she cleaned herself and fell asleep.

A DuPage County judge on Tuesday found the Myanmar refugee to be an unfit mother, unswayed by her assertion that she intended to retrieve her son.

"One of the main issues in this case is: Did Miss Sung intend to return for the baby?" Judge Robert Anderson said. "I'm finding I did not believe her testimony on this issue."

Anderson's ruling sets the stage for a separate hearing process that starts Thursday and will determine whether the child should have further contact with his mother.

Sung, 26, is serving a prison sentence for lying to police about the birth of her son on June 12, 2009.

She became pregnant by a fellow member of her Haka Chin ethnic group in Texas, where she had settled after fleeing persecution in Myanmar, formerly Burma, officials said.

The child's father abandoned Sung, and she kept her pregnancy a secret. As she neared term, Sung traveled to Wheaton to stay with a cousin and her husband, sleeping on the floor of their studio apartment.

A neighbor — "almost miraculously," the judge noted — found Sung's wet, cold, naked newborn and alerted authorities, who treated the hypothermic baby.

Police linked Sung to the birth because her cousin had alerted police that night that Sung was missing, authorities said.

Her attorneys argued that cultural, language and medical issues from a difficult delivery prompted Sung initially to deny to police and to the cousin that the baby was hers.

The judge rejected those arguments.

"She had ample time to ask the cousin, the cousin's husband or the police for help," Anderson said. "All she had to do was say something to somebody."

Sung, who is due to be paroled this month, showed little emotion as she was led out of the courtroom, but attorney Terra Costa Howard said Sung was "crushed and devastated."

Howard and fellow attorney Jennifer Wiesner said they will appeal at the conclusion of the hearing on whether Sung should have contact with the child.

The child's court-appointed attorney, Kathleen Anderson, who is not related to the judge, said she was satisfied with the decision.

Chuck Rohde, the attorney for the foster parents, said they have "a loving home" and hope to adopt the child.

Refugees form groups to conduct gotong-royong and night watch

thestar online

IT IS past 8am and the sun is slowly rising with a lazy drawl, waking up Malaysians from their slumber but walking under the heat with glee is a group of young children with shovels and a wagon eager to begin the day’s work.

The children are young refugees who once wreaked havoc in their community since they had no other activities to occupy their time.

In Malaysia, a large concentration of refugees live in the Klang Valley.

Leaving behind their home, friends and family, these refugees come to Malaysia, seeking asylum, a job and a life. However, most of the time they are shunned by society.

“Often in an area where locals, refugees and immigrants live together, it is easy to blame the foreigners,” said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) external relations officer Yante Ismail.

In Loke Yew, Kuala Lumpur, where a large number of refugees reside, littering was a common problem.

Residents then decided to discuss the issues they faced with the refugees, hoping to find a solution.

“The refugees care about Malaysia and wanted to be a part of the solution. They decided to have a gotong-royong to get rid of the mess,” said Yante.

They also set up night watch groups to help curb loitering, being mindful of the local population.

Enthused from the success of Loke Yew, the UNHCR decided to hold similar gotong-royong in other refugee areas in the Klang Valley and came up with the Jom Gotong Royong contest.

Yante said they decided to have a contest as an incentive for refugees.

Each group is given a small amount of seed money and so far they have succeeded in recruiting 23 community groups in three months.

The winners will be decided by a panel of judges and the first prize winners will receive RM3,000, followed by RM2,000 and RM1,000 for the second and third place respectively.

“The money will be put back into the society for other projects they can undertake,” added Yante.

One of the groups involved is the Kachin Refugee committee which is based in Genting Klang.

They plan to meet three times a month for four hours with 40 volunteers for each session.

Another group is the Tedim Community Malaysia which has made Segambut their home.

They planned to meet once a week for a clean-up session.

Each session so far has 10 volunteers.

“They have noted that between each consecutive session there has been less rubbish compared with the previous week,” added Yante.

The third community, which has entered the contest, is the Zomi Innkuan Malaysia from the Hang Tuah area. They meet twice a week with about 20 refugee volunteers per session.

One of the more laudable communities is the Chin community in Taman Mewah, Koperasi Quepecs in Kajang.

The refugees have come under the Chin Diamond Learning Centre umbrella, where the children are studying under head teacher John.

“Our residents’ association had always engaged us in their discussions.

“The school is important because the children used to cause a lot of problems before,” said John who has been with the centre for two years.

Having solved the children’s issues, the residents’ association turned to John as a spokesman and mediator.

John said the community had already started their own clean-up session before the contest started.

“We feel like we are in our country so we feel responsible for it,” he said.

John has managed to recruit more than 40 people for each clean-up session that has been conducted regularly almost every week.

Taman Mewah Cheras Management Corporation treasurer Muhammad Basir said they took their hats off to the refugees.

Initially there used to be a lot of fights, drinking and trouble in the neighbourhood when the refugees get together in the evening.

“We could not blame them because they were frustrated and didn’t know what to do or where to work.

“However, after talking to John and engaging in this gotong-royong, things have changed,” he said.

He added that it was great to see so many of the refugees taking part in the clean-up.

“Even the children are eager to help their parents and we have not had many locals doing the same let alone the children.

“We respect them for this hard work they have put in,” added Basir.

Those interested in seeking information on ways to help the refugees can email infomalaysia@unhcr.org

Refugees have rights, too

Myanmar refugee children enjoying a magic show hosted by St Francis Xavier Church in Petaling Jaya


ON Dec 10, 1948, these words were adopted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."


How we treat those who flee from danger and persecution and seek help at our doorstep is a reflection of the morality and humanity of our society.

Malaysia's refugee story began in 1975 with the arrival of Indochinese refugees by boat.  A majority of them were resettled to other countries and some returned home safely.

During the same period, Malaysia offered local integration to some 13,000 Muslim Cham refugees from Cambodia. And in the 1970s and 1980s, Malaysia witnessed the arrival of some 50,000 Filipino Muslims from Mindanao who fled to Sabah.

These refugees were received and eventually locally settled into Sabah by the government with the support of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Since then, we have received refugees from Bosnia, Aceh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Somalia.

UNHCR reported that as of end October last year, it had registered 95,300 refugees and asylum-seekers: 87,300 are from Myanmar and 8,000 from other countries, including some 4,300 Sri Lankans, 1,100 Somalis, 740 Iraqis and 440 Afghans.

Some 29 per cent of refugees and asylum-seekers are women and there are also 19,500 children below the age of 18.

There are also a large number of "persons of concern" to UNHCR who are still waiting to be registered -- a process that can take some time as the organisation is restricted by limited resources to quickly register all new asylum applications.  Refugee communities estimate the population of unregistered refugees and asylum-seekers to be 10,000 persons.

Because they are not given work permits, asylum seekers in Malaysia can become victims of exploitation at their workplace, with very low pay, unsafe conditions and without any form of insurance coverage.

Children form around 20 per cent of the estimated total population of asylum seekers.  Less than 40 per cent of them have access to any type of education -- mainly informal classes are conducted by non-governmental and faith-based organisations --  but children attending these classes cannot take any recognised examinations and receive internationally-accepted qualifications.

It is a selfish society that says to those fleeing from danger and persecution and seeking help at our doorstep that we cannot shelter and feed them until our own people are comfortable and well-fed, we cannot clothe them until our own people are well-dressed, we cannot give them jobs because we already have too many foreign workers in our midst, and we cannot educate their children because that would divert precious resources from our own children.

International attention focused on the plight of asylum seekers in Malaysia when on Aug 31, the High Court of Australia ruled that the refugee swap deal was invalid.

The principal reason is that Malaysia is not legally bound to provide the access and protections required under Australian law in order for Malaysia to be validly declared as a country to which asylum seekers could be sent for processing of their asylum claims.

In June, then deputy secretary-general (Registration and Immigration) of the Home Ministry, Datuk Raja Azahar Raja Abdul Manap (who has since retired), told the New Straits Times that even though Malaysia was not a signatory to the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, it wanted to establish itself as a country that was raising the standard of treating asylum seekers.

In fulfillment of the prime minister's Malaysia Day pledge to transform Malaysia into a modern and progressive nation, and consistent with our international obligation as a member of UN Human Rights Council, Malaysia must provide protection by law to asylum seekers and refugees to guarantee their access to employment, education and healthcare.

Source: New Straits Time

Rohingya Refugees And Thailand’s ‘Push-Back’ – Analysis

eurasiaview

By Panchali Saikia

The Rohingya refugee crisis is not a new phenomenon, and it has now grabbed the attention of the international media for all the wrong reasons. The Rohingyas, in large numbers, are now trying to escape to Malaysia via the sea route through Thailand, but are being denied entry by Thai authorities and forcibly pushed back. Earlier this year around 91 persons believed to be Rohingyas were rescued near Andaman Island by the Indian Navy and around 129 by the Indonesian Navy in Aceh. The Rohingyas have been sheltered by Bangladesh for nearly three decades. What is the reason for their escape to Malaysia? Why is Thailand forcibly pushing them back to sea? Thailand has provided shelter to hundreds and thousands of other displaced people from Myanmar, why is then expelling the Rohingyas?

Why Are The Rohingyas Escaping To Malaysia?

Rohingyas fled repression in Myanmar and lived in exile, mainly in Bangladesh. Since Myanmar’s independence in 1948, its successive governments have attempted every possible way to push them out. The Emergency Immigration Act of 1978 and later the ethnic cleansing campaign known as Naga Min, or Dragon King, prosecuted illegal entrants, primarily in Rakhine state. This drove out nearly 200,000 Rohingyas from Myanmar.

However, after providing shelter to the Rohingyas for nearly three decades, Bangladesh is now concerned about the annual increase in their numbers. Apart from being an economic burden, the Rohingyas’ involvement in insurgent activities along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border is feared by the government. Hence to reduce the influx, the government has declared that it will no more consider any asylum seeker as refugee. Also, it has now denied permits for aid agencies to assist unregistered refugees. Anti-Rohingya communities in Bangladesh have also pressurized the government to repatriate the Rohingyas. Due to the denial of protection, assistance, and fear of repatriation, the Rohingyas are now escaping to Malaysia through the sea route. Malaysia is seen as the best destination because of the religion factor. Also, the Malaysian government’s permit to access the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has attracted asylum seekers.

Rohingyas: A Threat To And Burden For Thailand

This trend has become a major concern for Thailand, as most of these migrants/refugees escaping are landing in Thailand. It is not for the first time that Thailand has pushed them back. In 2008 and 2009, the Thai authorities were condemned by the international community for pushing the Rohingyas into international waters without any assistance or protection.

The Thai authorities are apprehensive of the influx and suspect that the Rohingyas are assisting the Muslim-led insurgency in southern Thailand, which has intensified in recent times. Furthermore, nearly 1 million other migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar are estimated to already be in Thailand. The exceeding numbers of illegal migrants will add to the economic burden and pose a threat to Thai national security. Unlike the other migrants in Thailand who play a major role contributing to the Thai economy (http://bit.ly/vl6ylg), the Rohingyas are only a liability and burden; they cannot get a work permit in Thailand as this requires a nationality verification certificate which the Rohingyas do not have.

Myanmar’s Denial Of Citizenship To Rohingyas

The primary problem and responsibility should lie with Myanmar. Rohingyas are primarily a Muslim ethnic group from the northern part of Arakan province (Rakhine State) of Myanmar. The term ‘Rohingya’ is derived from the Chittagonian dialect (Bengali language), in which the Rakhaine or Arakanese people are called ‘Rohangya’. In this context Myanmar should consider them a national ethnic group. But, they are denied citizenship and not recognized among the 135 national ethnic groups under the 1982 Citizenship Law, leaving them stateless and as illegal immigrants in their own country. Even under the Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar which was passed in 2008 it is stated that ‘Citizenship, naturalization and revocation of citizenship shall be as prescribed by law’. Their condition has not improved even today; approximately 800,000 Rohingyas living in Northern Arakan state and Rangon are effectively stateless and are subjected to discrimination and exploitation.

Most of the countries are hesitant to host the Rohingyas because they are denied citizenship in Myanmar and because of this, reaching an understanding with the Myanmar government on their resettlement or repatriation is difficult. For instance, earlier in December 2011 an agreement was reached at a meeting between President Thein Sein and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to repatriate Myanmarese refugees. But the Myanmarese government made it clear that only those refugees who met the key criteria under Myanmar citizenship law would be taken back, leaving the Rohingyas out in the cold.

Thailand has earlier attempted to repatriate refugees to Myanmar (http://bit.ly/s0OVak) but mostly only the Karen and Karenni ethnic groups. The increasing number of Rohingyas will be a serious issue, first, owing to the difficulties in cooperating with Myanmarese government, and second, because of identification. In Thailand’s nine refugee shelters, most of the refugees belong to the Karen and Karenni ethnic groups of Myanmar and only 10-12 per cent is Muslim. As the Rohingyas are not able to register themselves in Thailand, there are no official records on their numbers, because of which resettlement or repatriation becomes impossible.

The plight of the Rohingyas and the growing concern over their influx is not only confined to Myanmar, Bangladesh and Thailand. Other regional powers like India, Indonesia and Malaysia must also engage themselves considering its security implications. The forcible push-backs are a major threat to the maritime as well as border security of these countries. Left with no other option, the Rohingyas are vulnerable to being recruited by sea pirates and involved in arms and drug smuggling.

Panchali Saikia
Research Officer, IPCS
email: panchali@ipcs.org

Wrestling helps Burmese refugee transition to life in Syracuse

Syracuse.com

The left toe of Tial Thang’s wrestling shoe is held together by several sweeps of white athletic tape. The soles are so worn down, they are bald and discolored. Socks peek through the black shoe material around his toes.

Thang said he’d get new wrestling shoes except for one thing — he doesn’t deserve them.

When Thang wins a wrestling tournament, he said, then he’ll be shoe worthy.

It’s a small window into the uber-competitiveness and drive of Thang, a refugee from Burma and a junior at the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central. He is also a member of the combined wrestling team for the Syracuse city schools. Thang is The Post-Standard’s honor athlete of the week.

Thang, whose name is pronounced tee-EL tung, wrestles at 152 pounds and is 11-4 this season. He hopes to win a Section III championship and wrestle in the state tournament. Two of Thang’s losses came in overtime. He avenged an early season loss by winning a rematch. In a victory last week against Fayetteville-Manlius, Thang wrestled up and defeated an opponent weighing 170 pounds.

Thang’s homeland of Burma, also called Myanmar, is a military-ruled country of 56 million people. It has been consistently criticized for human rights violations by the United Nations and other rights organizations. The Washington Post called it “one of the most isolated and repressive regimes in the world — a government responsible for killing thousands in a quest to silence dissent.”

Thang and his family fled their Burmese home of Chin Hakha and spent two years in Malaysia before coming to Syracuse in June 2007. Gone was a life of growing corn and rice and raising livestock. Thang’s duties had been tending the family’s five cows.

With the army cracking down on personal and religious freedoms, the family made the most difficult of choices.

Thang’s father (Tawk Cem) escaped first to Malaysia. It took five more years before Thang, his mother (Mang Si) and sister (Holy Sung) could follow. The family reunited in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and lived there for two years.

“I don’t want to remember,” Thang said of his time in Burma. “It makes me sad.”

After applying through the United Nations for refugee status, the family was resettled in Syracuse, a city that has taken in about 1,500 Burmese refugees, according to Stone Saw, a case worker and interpreter at InterFaith Works of Central New York. Thang said he regularly sees the casualties of the Burmese civil war in Syracuse, the ones without arms, legs, eyes or ears.

“It’s sad. I don’t want to be refugee,” he said.

While learning to deal with Central New York snow and the English language, Thang found comfort in a new athletic endeavor — wrestling. He was a seventh-grader at H.W. Smith School when he was encouraged to give the sport a try. From the first day, he said, he was hooked.

Syracuse city wrestling coach Matt Cosgrove said Thang was pulled up to the junior varsity team and started as a ninth-grader. As a freshman, Thang wrestled with the varsity and finished fifth in the Section III tournament.

A back injury suffered during the Empire State Games in 2010 sidelined him for all of last season. It was a devastating setback. Thang is back, though not particularly happy because he’s got four losses. He is a team captain and continues to work through back pain and occasional confidence issues.

“Every time when I hurt my back, I cried,” he said. “But my father told me, you have to heal it by your heart, not by the doctor or anybody. There’s nobody going to heal up for you. You have to do it by yourself. And I did it.”

Rick Spicer is the athletic director at ITC and calls Thang “a solid student” and one of the school’s nicest kids. Spicer sometimes wishes Thang would be a little less nice in some of his wrestling matches

Thang, who dabbles in muay thai and mixed martial arts, used to bow before matches as a show of respect to his opponent. But he said he’s out there on the mat to take his opponent’s head off because he loathes losing.

That doesn’t happen often. He sends text messages about the outcomes of his matches to relatives around the world, from Norway to Malaysia, Texas and Indianapolis.

Cosgrove said Thang has a unique style. He uses more throws, which comes from the Burmese style of wrestling Thang called “paih.” And at times, Cosgrove said, Thang incorporates movements that “aren’t just pure wrestling movements. When kids wrestle him, it’s a little difficult for them.”

Thang said life has changed since his arrival in Syracuse. He has friends. He has a car. He likes his school. And he has “found something he likes to do,” which is wrestling.

But when his wrestling career ends and he graduates from school, Thang hopes to return to Burma. He doesn’t know when, but he feels the pull of his country and wants to be part of change.

“They need help,” he said. “Maybe I can help somebody down there.”

That’s all down the road. For now, Thang is eyeing the team’s next big meet — the Richard New Memorial Tournament in Canastota on Jan. 7. Who knows, Thang might treat himself to new wrestling shoes if things work out.

“I don’t see myself losing again until the states,” Thang said. “I don’t see myself losing again. That’s my goal, from the first day of wrestling, I want to be the champ.”

Donnie Webb can be reached at 470-2149 or dwebb@syracuse.com. 

Myanmar refugees indulge in traditional fare during Christmas

thestar online

WHILE many celebrate Christmas with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, fruitcake and pudding, it is not the same at the Myanmar refugee community in Kepong.

For the Yuletide season, their traditional delicacy comprises boiled wild boar, stir-fried potatoes, diced cucumber and wild boar soup.

To some, it may sound repulsive but this is what brings the Zo people of Myanmar together.

David Mung, 31, is the head teacher at Zo Children’s School, a day school for Myanmar refugee children, in Taman Wangsa Permai.

“Boiled wild boar is a delicacy in Myanmar during the holiday season. There is nothing fancy in cooking it. It is just boiled with some salt and pepper and we eat it with rice. For us, it is important that we preserve our culinary heritage despite being in a foreign country,” said Mung.

“In Malaysia, you have many different cultures, not to mention the wide array of local and international cuisines. We cannot afford to splurge on food. This is what unites us as it is a reminder of what we had back home,” added Mung, who fled Myanmar in 2008 with his mother and sister because of religious persecution and the economic crisis. He has been living in Malaysia ever since.

The Zos form a group of Tibeto-Burman people inhabiting the Chin Hills in Myanmar.

“Our people who are good at hunting will be in charge of catching the wild boars in the Chin jungles during Christmas. It was fun for us as a community to take home the wild boar, cook it and eat it together.”

Mung’s mother, Mary, 55, was the one in charge of preparing the home-cooked delicacies.

“It is not easy to cook the wild boar. The meat has to be boiled overnight so it will be tender,” she said.

Before the meal, the children sang along to We Are The World — not the 80’s version but the latest one produced in 2010, via YouTube.

“It’s my way to teach English in a fun way. I also teach them songs from Boney M and Abba, which are my favourite bands,” said Mung.

The tiny Christmas tree at the school, situated on the first floor of a shophouse, was decked with mini-twinkle lights.

“We cannot afford a big, new Christmas tree so ours was donated,” said Mung last Saturday during their annual Christmas party.

Used toys comprising stuffed animals, cars and other items were laid on the floor where each had a number.

“Just like previous Christmas parties, we will include a lucky draw for the children to win some toys, donated by the public.”

There is no air-conditioning at the school which is no bigger than 900sq ft, but that doesn’t stop the festivities from taking place.

While many of us list high-tech gadgets and smartphones on our Christmas wishlist, the Zo children are over the moon to receive any toy, even though wrapped in recycled magazine pages.

Grace, 21, also from the Zo tribe, who works as a waitress at a nearby restaurant, volunteers her time at the school to help Mung.

“I’ve been in Malaysia for the past one year. Being at the school is like being at home for me,” she said.

The setting up the school was not an easy task for Mung.

“It was challenging because we didn’t have any money to buy books and basic school supplies. F,urthermore the parents questioned my qualifications as a teacher.

“But eventually they began to trust me with their children. Many of the parents are uneducated and work as odd-job workers. They needed someone like me to provide their children with the basic education,” said Mung, who runs the school with seven other teachers and volunteers.

The children, aged between three and 14, are taught Bahasa Malaysia, English, Science and Mathematics as well as music from 9am to 1pm. After they go home for lunch, they return in the afternoon to the school for computer lessons.

So far, the school has about 50 children. Mung is also a musician and learned his skills at a church in Myanmar.

“We cannot afford to buy new musical instruments so most of what we have like guitars and keyboards are donated,” Mung said.

Three years have gone by and Mung feels happy and tired at the same time.

“I stuck through the odds and hardships. As the head teacher, I feel it is important to teach the children good values. I look forward to many more happy Christmas occasions like these in future,” he added.

States in revolt on refugee burden

THE NATIONAL AFFAIRS

JULIA Gillard's plan to move thousands of asylum-seekers out of detention centres and into the community has triggered a war with the two largest states, as the NSW and Victorian governments attacked the policy as a blatant exercise in burden shifting that would stretch police resources and threaten social cohesion.

NSW Police Minister Mike Gallacher yesterday savaged the government's proposal to issue bridging visas to boatpeople, saying it had been undertaken without any consultation with the states, which would be expected to provide many of the services asylum-seekers would need.

In remarks Immigration Minister Chris Bowen described as a "pathetic scare campaign" by two Liberal state governments, Mr Gallacher said the policy compromised the welfare of asylum-seekers, who risked being dumped in the community without adequate support.

"No one picked up the phone; no one wrote to me," Mr Gallacher told The Weekend Australian.

"Some of these people, just simply by being released here, could find themselves either being the victims of crime, or indeed coming to police attention themselves. There's simply been no discussion between the state government and the federal government in terms of our preparedness to handle these matters."

The comments came as briefing papers obtained by The Weekend Australian revealed the breadth of those concerns.

In one document provided to the NSW Liberal government at the end of last month, the NSW Community Relations Commission warned that concerns had been expressed that some of the unaccompanied "minors" released into the community appeared to be "significantly older" than their declared age of 16 or 17.
"In some cases these students appear to be in their 20s," the commission reported.

The commission went on to note that schools had a duty of care to their students and that it "may not be appropriate for numbers of 20-something adults to be in the same classroom with younger children".
"It is essential that (the Immigration Department) take steps to more accurately determine the age of these students," the commission warned.

The commission also said it was likely the program would result in increased costs for health, translation services and transport, and warned of the added burden on police.

Mr Bowen's spokesman said the office was unaware of any claims that adults were attending NSW schools and would investigate any such claims brought to its attention.

In October Mr Bowen announced he would issue a minimum of 100 bridging visas a month to boatpeople whose refugee claims had not been finalised.

But the figure is expected to be higher as it will depend on the rate of boat arrivals, which have escalated rapidly since the failure of the major parties to strike a deal on offshore processing.
Most asylum-seekers will settle in Sydney and Melbourne.

The decision to release boatpeople followed the High Court ruling scuppering the government's refugee swap with Malaysia and the opposition's refusal to support laws circumventing the ruling. However, the decision was also a response to chronic overcrowding and disorder in Australia's detention centres and a recognition that the network simply could not cope with any more boat arrivals.

So far only 27 visas have been issued to asylum-seekers, although that figure does not include those already in the community as part of a longstanding policy to release vulnerable new arrivals into society.

Victorian Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship Nicholas Kotsiras said he was concerned that settling asylum-seekers in the community without additional funding for mental health, education, and housing services "may greatly disadvantage asylum-seekers by dumping them into communities without adequate support and without any concern for their welfare".

"Without providing additional support, the federal government will be working against the better interests of asylum-seekers themselves, the communities they will be placed in and social cohesion in Victoria," Mr Kotsiras told The Weekend Australian.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell yesterday backed his Police Minister, saying he was "distressed" at the lack of consultation and the extra pressure it would place on state community services.

Mr O'Farrell said his objections had "nothing to do" with immigration generally, which he supported. "It has everything to do with a federal government that, even in this area, is prepared to shift the cost of its incompetent decisions on to the states," Mr O'Farrell said.

The attack drew an angry response from Mr Bowen's office, with a spokesman dismissing the criticisms as a political attack on Labor and accusing the O'Farrell and Baillieu governments of deliberately misleading voters.

The spokesman said the states had been told they would not incur any additional costs, with the Immigration Department funding basic assistance programs.

"These claims are misleading and a cynical political ploy typical of the Coalition," the spokesman said. He said there were 9000 people already on bridging visas, although he acknowledged that figure included other migrants, such as visa overstayers, and was spread across the country.

The policy has generated concern among the NSW and Victorian Coalition governments about the flow-on effects of housing thousands of asylum-seekers in the community.

None of the state government officials contacted by The Weekend Australian expressed any concern about taking more migrants. But they are angry at the manner in which the federal government's new policy has been implemented.