This International Dateline episode includes three segments: West Papua - Long Boat to Freedom, Sabam Siagian Interview and Mr. Abramoff Goes to Washington.
West Papua - Long Boat to Freedom
Back in mid-January, when 43 asylum seekers came ashore in far north Queensland, the Australian government found itself in a political bind. Indonesian President Yudhoyono immediately requested that they be sent back and promised they would not be harmed. However, the West Papuans were telling immigration officials they feared the worst if they returned.
Two months later, they were granted temporary visas, which encited outrage from Jakarta. The Indonesian Ambassador to Canberra was hastily withdrawn in protest. The fracas is now being described as the worst rift in Australia's relations with Indonesia since Australian troops were sent to East Timor six years ago. Dateline was on the remote Christmas Island just in time to capture the excitement as Australia granted the protection visas. Mark Davis speaks with the leader of the group about why they left their homeland in search of asylum and the precarious journey in little more than a long boat.
Sabam Siagian Interview
While Australia's new immigrants wait out a cyclone in the area, has the diplomatic storm with Indonesia calmed? To discuss the fallout, George Negus has been speaking to Sabam Siagian, former Ambassador to Australia and now a senior editor at the Jakarta Post.
Mr. Abramoff Goes to Washington
In Washington DC, the scandal involving lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, and his dodgy multimillion-dollar payments to US politicians, is beginning to engulf the Bush Administration. Many commentators are saying that the case of Jack Abramoff strikes at the very heart of representative democracy in the US where astonishingly most of what he did is not just common place, but perfectly legal. But Mr. Abramoff has pleaded guilty and threatens to expose other dodgy deals on Capitol Hill.
About International Dateline
SBS Dateline, which began in 1984, is Australia's longest-running international current affairs program. It has a well-earned reputation for authoritative and incisive reporting. Dateline has taken the traditional way of producing TV current affairs and turned it on its head. Reporters who used to travel with a cameraperson and sound recordist now travel alone and have the responsibility of both filming and reporting their stories. The reporters became video-journalists, gaining access to people and places that the conventional camera crews cannot.
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