I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this matter. Deputy Flanagan wants to share time with me, if that is acceptable to the House.
This case illustrates quite clearly the insensitivity of the Aliens Section of the Department of Justice. There has been a dramatic hardening of hearts since the Minister, Deputy Burke, came to office. On 10 May Abdi Lur Alli a refugee from war-torn Somalia accidentally disembarked at Shannon Airport. He was on a flight which was going from Moscow to Havana. He expected that the flight would call to Gandar and he would have an opportunity to apply for political asylum or get refugee status in Canada. However, the aircraft was diverted to Shannon where he mistakenly tried to look for asylum. When he realised his mistake, he tried to tear his passport. The immigration officers took him into custody. Since then he has been jailed by the Minister for Justice. He has had no legal representation and is very distressed.
Recently there was a riot in the jail when Dublin drug barons tried to slash their wrists and caused mayhem. Limerick Prison is a distressing place to be at present. This man does not have a word of English. Despite appeals by Amnesty and other Deputies to the Minister to conform with the established precedent that inflight refugees in Shannon are put into the care of the Red Cross until the receiving country, be it Canada, the US or Australia has a chance to examine the refugee's application, he has not done so. We asked him to utilise instruments which were previously invoked by Ministers under the Aliens Act, 1935. I have two instruments, one is SI No. 154 of 1985 in the case of a Sri Lankan refugee and SI No. 31 of 1986 in the case of a Zambian refugee. These instruments have been used and the Minister could have invoked them and given the man an opportunity to make a case to the immigration authorities in the other countries.
It is very difficult for refugees to get to Australia or Canada from this country, particularly when the Aliens Section of the Department are inaccessible. When one tries to get in touch with the section one finds that they are almost permanently ensconced in Dublin Castle preparing for the magnificent Presidency of Europe. I am sorry to say this about the civil servants but they are a disgrace to their other colleagues who do a very good job.