Bureaucratic tussle continues over Kosovar family

The Sopjani family is about to enter its fifth day of detention in a Hobart motel.

The family of four remains locked inside two rooms while their lawyer and Immigration Department officials argue over their case.

The department insists it will expedite residency applications as long as the family returns to Kosovo.

However, Mr Sopjani fears he will not be able to meet other criteria required by the department, such as accredited diploma level qualifications and a set level of English.

The family's lawyer Eugene Alexander says the Sopjanis will not return under these conditions.

He says the group is waiting now for the department's response.

"I have left it with the Immigration Department to come up with a policy guideline and from that point of view I am going to just wait and see what they come up with," he said.

"The ball is in their court. They can very easily change it if they want to."

Premier Jim Bacon has appealed for commonsense to prevail.

"Because of the state government taking up the issue as we have with Minister Ruddock, he has agreed to waive some of the requirements on the Sopjani and Akif Lutfia," he said.

"We are just saying `now look, it is madness to send them back, then to have an application, reconsider it [and] then to bring them back out here'.

"Let's have commonsense. Consider the application whilst they are here and let's put this issue to bed."


Govt offers help

Meanwhile, the Federal Government is trying to convince the remaining Kosovo Albanians at Bandiana in north-east Victoria to return home by offering them more assistance to come back to Australia afterwards.

The 146 remaining former refugees will receive increased access to a humanitarian resettlement program where they can apply to resettle in Australia as refugees.

But the applications to return can only be made from Kosovo.

A spokesman for the refugees says those who have agreed in principle to return have done so to avoid going to Australian detention centres.

The Immigration Department says it is planning to move the group from Bandiana barracks tomorrow or Sunday.

The multicultural resource centre is organising a candlelight vigil at Bandiana this evening in support of the Kosovar Albanians.

Prime Minister John Howard has been accused of playing "wedge politics" by blocking attempts by Kosovar Albanians to remain in Australia.

Tasmanian Premier Jim Bacon says Australia risks becoming an international pariah by forcing the Kosovars to return home.

He says he is surprised Mr Ruddock has not used his discretion to allow the Kosovar Albanians to stay in Australia.

He says he suspects Mr Howard is overseeing moves to deport the Kosovars, as he has on recent Aboriginal issues such as the Stolen Generations, because he believes it is popular with the electorate, even though it is not in the country's best interest.

© 2000 Australian Broadcasting Corporation