What could be worse than the stupid Census ethnicity issue? Deporting failed asylum-seekers to Burma, that's what. Thankfully, Mang Za Khup has just won a last-minute reprieve from deportation, simultaneously saving his neck and the increasingly fragile reputation of New Zealand as a human rights defender.
Phew! Cheers Clayton. Just Tin Myint and Ahmed Zaoui to go now, I guess.
Whatever his good-faith/bad-faith backstory within the refugee system, it's clear from Khup's profile in New Zealand that he has a sur place claim and was about to be refouled. As someone who mopped up the Burmese backlog cases while working at the Refugee Status Branch, this blows my mind. You Don't. Send Known Community Activists. With Websites. Who Are Also Ethnic Minorities. With Liberation Armies. Back To Burma. Unless you want blood on your hands, of course. Write that one down guys, next to 'You Don't. Send Anyone. Back to Somalia.' and 'Ang Lee. Was Robbed. By the Academy of Motion Pictures.'