Australia cancels visas for students linked to Zanu PF

Australia cancels visas for students linked to Zanu PF

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By Staff Reporter

AUSTRALIA'S Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer on Friday took the unprecedented step of cancelling visas for eight students with links to the Zimbabwe government.

Downer admits that by cancelling the Australian study visas of eight Zimbabwean students he's punishing them for the sins of their fathers.

Downer said the withdrawal of the visas, which is with immediate effect, was part of a strengthening of sanctions against the African nation.

Thought to be on the list are the twin daughters of Zimbabwe's central bank governor Gideon Gono, who are studying in Australia.

Downer said he had taken the decision because Mugabe continued to show total disregard for democracy and human rights.

"The situation there is going from appalling to even worse and an enormous number of people in Zimbabwe are now suffering and I think we've just got to take every possible step we can to hurt the regime in Zimbabwe," Downer told reporters in Adelaide.

"It's a tough thing to do but to be honest those regime people who are paying those (study) fees are people who are doing immense damage to the people of Zimbabwe."

Asked if he was punishing them for their parents' errors, Downer agreed.

"Yes, I am," he said. "I mean, I accept that and I reflected very carefully on that but the fact is that the sins of the fathers, the sins of the parents are egregious sins.

"These are people who are doing enormous damage to the ordinary people of Zimbabwe and their children shouldn't have privileges extended to them by the Australian people.

"And I don't think the Australian people want to extend privileges to the families of people who are causing so much sorrow, so much grief and so much hardship in Zimbabwe."

Downer said the eight adult students, who would not be named, would be sent back to Zimbabwe and no more children of the regime would be allowed into Australia until the Mugabe regime was no more.

He said they were the only known Zimbabwean students in Australia with links to the regime.

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