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Articles by Ali MCPublished
‘It gets hold of you’: Crystal meth from Myanmar floods Australia streets
Australian police estimate about 70 percent of the highly-addictive drug on the streets comes from the war-torn country. Melbourne, Australia – Myanmar’s remote jungle hills may be a world away from sun-soaked Australia, but the two countries share an insidious bond – crystalline methamphetamine. Otherwise known as “ice” or “crystal meth”, crystalline methamphetamine is a highly addictive substance which has permeated Australia’s suburbs.
The art project aiming to keep Australia’s Indigenous people out of jail
Melbourne, Australia – More Indigenous people are behind bars in Australia than ever before, making them the world’s most imprisoned people. Despite making up 3.8 percent of the national population, Indigenous Australians make up 33 percent of the prison population and are 17 times more likely to be jailed than non-Indigenous people.
Australia challenged on ‘moral failure’ of weapons trade with Israel
Melbourne, Australia – Israel’s continued assault on Gaza has highlighted a hidden yet crucial component of the world’s weapons manufacturing industry – suburban Australia. Tucked away in Melbourne’s industrial north, Heat Treatment Australia (HTA) is an Australian company that plays a vital role in the production of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters; the same model that Israel is using to bomb Gaza.
Beyond Australia’s failed referendum: Truth, treaty and voice in Victoria
Melbourne, Australia – In October this year, a referendum to establish an Indigenous “Voice to Parliament” in the Australian Constitution was heavily defeated at the polls. Had the vote passed, an advisory group would have been established to make recommendations to the federal government to alleviate the social and economic inequalities experienced by Indigenous people.
Forget Australia’s referendum. Indigenous people make strides on their own
Shepparton, Australia – Brad Boon gestures towards the towering mural, one of many that dot the small rural town of Shepparton in Australia’s southeastern state of Victoria. The faces of Indigenous heroes William Cooper and Sir Douglas Nicholls stare defiantly across the smattering of shops under the glare of the midday Australian sun.
Detainees walk free after Australian High Court’s ‘life-changing decision’
Melbourne, Australia – Dozens of people have been walking out of immigration detention in Australia after the High Court ruled indefinite detention was illegal. While the arbitrary detention of asylum seekers and refugees is a breach of international law, successive Australian governments have continued to detain refugees arbitrarily since a 2004 decision found it legal under Australian domestic law.
Q&A: NUG’s first Rohingya minister says Myanmar in ‘unified revolution’
It has been more than two years since the Myanmar military staged a coup to overthrow the democratically elected National League for Democracy and jail civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The power grab in February 2021 has only pushed the country deeper into crisis, with the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project ranking Myanmar as the top conflict area in 2023 and home to the highest number of non-state armed groups.
Australia votes in referendum on giving voice to nation’s Indigenous people
Australians are voting on whether their nation’s constitution should be amended to enshrine a mechanism for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to advise parliament on policies that affect their lives. ‘The Voice’ referendum, as it has become known, would establish a board of Indigenous peoples who would provide advice to the federal government on issues affecting their communities.
Australian state suspends human rights law to lock up more children
The government of Australia’s northeastern state of Queensland has stunned rights experts by suspending its Human Rights Act for a second time this year to be able to lock up more children.
Australians to vote on Indigenous ‘Voice to Parliament’ in October
Melbourne, Australia – Retired Indigenous football star Michael Long has set out on a 650km (403 miles) walk from Melbourne to Canberra in support of the upcoming referendum on Indigenous rights. The vote will take place on October 14, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday.
Australian Aboriginal children sing their way back to language
Marking the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages, an Aboriginal community in remote Central Australia is working on a ground-breaking new children’s album. Ampe-mape Alyelheme (Kids Sing) is a collection of songs performed and recorded in the endangered Arrernte language.
Australian Aboriginal children sing their way back to language
Marking the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages, an Aboriginal community in remote Central Australia is working on a ground-breaking new children’s album. Ampe-mape Alyelheme (Kids Sing) is a collection of songs performed and recorded in the endangered Arrernte language.
Myanmar’s NUG negotiates ethnic differences as crisis deepens
Melbourne, Australia – Aung Myo Min, the human rights minister of Myanmar’s parallel National Unity Government (NUG), has urged the world to hold the military to account for possible war crimes since seizing power more than two years ago. Visiting Australia, where he met advocacy groups and NGOs, and spoke at universities, the minister also aimed to win support for the civilian government’s movement to overthrow the military regime.
Myanmar aid convoy attack raises stakes for under-fire ASEAN
The deepening crisis in Myanmar looks to be a heightened priority as members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet in Indonesia after an aid convoy carrying diplomats from the region came under fire in the troubled country’s east. The officials escaped unharmed, and no group has claimed responsibility for the unprecedented attack in Shan State. Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the current chairman of ASEAN, immediately condemned the incident, saying, “Stop using force.
Indigenous leaders demand apology, reparations from King Charles
Melbourne, Australia – On the eve of King Charles’s coronation, Indigenous leaders from around the globe have called on the British monarch to apologise and make amends for what they call ‘genocide’.
Pushback in Australia against increasingly draconian protest laws
You rely on Al Jazeera for truth and transparency We understand that your online privacy is very important and consenting to our collection of some personal information takes great trust. We ask for this consent because it allows Al Jazeera to provide an experience that truly gives a voice to the voiceless.
How Behrouz Boochani is changing the narrative on refugees
You rely on Al Jazeera for truth and transparency We understand that your online privacy is very important and consenting to our collection of some personal information takes great trust. We ask for this consent because it allows Al Jazeera to provide an experience that truly gives a voice to the voiceless.
The racist killing of teen Cassius Turvey that shocked Australia
Melbourne, Australia – Australia was again forced to confront what experts say is “deeply entrenched” racism this year after the alleged murder of a 15 year old Indigenous boy, Cassius Turvey, shocked the nation. Cassius – of the Noongar Nation people of Western Australia – was walking home from school with friends in October when he was assaulted with a metal pole in an unprovoked and vicious attack. After being placed in an induced coma, he died of injuries 10 days later.
‘I want to go outside’: First Nauru refugees finally find freedom
Auckland, New Zealand – After a nine-year ordeal in Australia’s immigration detention system, six refugees are preparing for a new life in New Zealand after being granted permanent residency. The six are among more than 4,000 people who travelled to Australia by boat to seek asylum over the past decade and were sent instead to the remote Pacific island of Nauru as part of a hardline immigration policy operated by Australia.
‘One of our own’: Australia plans referendum on monarchy
Melbourne, Australia – The recent death of Queen Elizabeth II has reignited a simmering republican debate in Australia, where the United Kingdom’s monarch is head of state, with Anthony Albanese’s government planning to put the issue to a vote. Already committed to a referendum for a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous ‘Voice to Parliament’, the government plans to hold a similar vote to test Australians’ appetite for a republic.
Australia committed to military cooperation with Indonesia
Melbourne, Australia — Australia says it will continue to provide military training, conduct joint exercises and export weapons to Indonesia despite increased violence and allegations of human rights abuses in West Papua, in the far east of the archipelago, where conflict has been rumbling for decades.
A letter to … the HIV that is in my bloodstream Original
Dear HIV, I’ve been living with you since 1998 – that’s 24 years now. In many ways, you have radically changed me. But funnily enough, in many other ways you have not. These days, you are only one aspect of my identity, of which there are many parts: I’m a fair-skinned, Aboriginal gay man who hails from Nganarunga and Kaurna country in south Australia with Scottish and Finnish heritage. I’m a ‘westie’ – I grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
Australia moves to give Indigenous people a voice to parliament
Melbourne, Australia — The Australian government is planning a historic referendum which, if successful, would see Indigenous people permanently represented in government. Termed a “Voice to Parliament”, a “yes” vote in the referendum would constitutionally enshrine an advisory group to government made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders.
Who represents Myanmar? UN faces credentials pressure at assembly Original
Impasse over country’s representation at global body is hampering efforts to end the crisis caused by the 2021 coup. Published On 16 Sep 202216 Sep 2022 Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG), established by the democratically-elected politicians removed from office in last year’s military coup, is calling for official recognition at this month’s 77th United Nations General Assembly.
Heterosexual marriage definition a concern for gay Singaporeans Original
Singapore’s LGBTQ community worries a government move to “safeguard” the institution of marriage could perpetuate discrimination in the conservative city-state, even as a colonial-era law criminalising sex between men is finally repealed. At the same time as Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the clause in the penal code known as Section 377A would be repealed, he reiterated that the institution of marriage would remain between a man and a woman.
South Sudanese Australians find ‘sense of belonging’ in sport Original
With the Commonwealth Games set to begin in the British city of Birmingham, Australian runner Peter Bol is bringing both his record-breaking pace and a fresh new face to the team. Bol is part of a new wave of South Sudanese Australian sportspeople challenging what it means to be ‘an Aussie’. The athlete shot to international fame during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he became the first Australian in 53 years to reach the final of the men’s 800 metres.
‘Through our own eyes’: Rohingya refugees stage photography show Original
A virtual exhibition by ethnic Rohingya photographers has been launched to document life inside Kutupalong, the world’s largest refugee camp, in southern Bangladesh, in an attempt to further understanding of the lives of hundreds of thousands of mostly Muslim Rohingya who were forced to flee Myanmar five years ago.
The Indigenous people killed by police in Australia Original
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following article contains the names of deceased persons. The response to the murder acquittal was as disparate as the distance between them. Outside the Darwin courtroom in Australia’s far north, a stony-faced – yet relieved – white police constable was flanked by his defence lawyer and police union officials.
Refugees freed on six-month Australian visas live ‘life in limbo’ Original
Melbourne, Australia – After years of being held captive – first on remote immigration detention centres on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island and the Pacific island nation of Nauru, and then in suburban hotels in Melbourne – dozens of refugees who had tried to get to Australia by boat have finally been freed. But while they have been free to move about the community since April, they are on borrowed time.
Veterans face off in final round of East Timor presidential poll
The second and final round of presidential elections in East Timor – officially known as Timor-Leste – is under way, with the region’s newest nation facing a generational crossroads. Since independence in 2002, after a brutal 25-year occupation by Indonesia, the country of 1.3 million people has seen years of political upheaval and hotly-contested elections involving a small cohort of familiar faces.
A letter to … the future of DR Congo Original
I am writing this letter for my daughter. Elizabeth is eight years old, just a child, still studying at primary school. She loves singing at church – her voice is beautiful, high and cheerful. It makes me proud to be her Papa when I hear her sing. This morning we went to church together with her Mama. We were lucky to be able to go there and return home safely. Recently others have not been so fortunate. Recently, in a nearby church, 11 people were killed while they prayed. Why? We do not know.
How a gay man from Singapore found acceptance in Australia
Melbourne, Australia – “I knew something was different from the time I was very young,” said Ian Row from his home in Melbourne, Australia. “There was that consciousness and awareness that I felt differently to boys than I did to girls. I knew I was different.” Originally from Singapore, 54-year-old Row is a gay man who has been living in Australia – a country where the LGBTIQ community recently acknowledged the 40th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality – for nearly 20 years.
World accused of ‘sitting and watching’ as Myanmar slides to war
One year since the military coup in Myanmar, calls for international action are growing louder, notably from the National Unity Government (NUG), made up of elected politicians who were thrown out of office by the generals. “The world is doing nothing but just sitting and watching,” NUG Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung told Al Jazeera. “In the past year, we have seen extreme brutality and atrocity against the population.
‘We can be the change’: Indigenous bikers lead Australia protests Original
Black Death spokesperson Mark, left, and club leader Mulla Sumner, right. Sumner attended the original Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1972 and rode more than 500km to attend the 50th anniversary. The clubs are a vital support network for Indigenous men. [Ali MC/Al Jazeera] Published On 31 Jan 202231 Jan 2022 Canberra, Australia – Four Indigenous motorcycle clubs joined forces to lead a protest in the Australian capital Canberra and commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
‘Turning off the machine was the most gut-wrenching thing’
The river runs gently by, just as it has for millennia. Native birdlife sings melodiously overhead. A gentle breeze whispers through the gum trees as if passing on secrets from the distant past. And the tender fragrance of yellow wattle tinges the evening air. This is the Yarra River, home of the Wurundjeri Indigenous peoples for thousands of generations. Today, the area is an affluent suburb of the city of Melbourne known as Warrandyte.
PNG caught between COVID and vaccine sceptics in pandemic battle
International concerns are mounting as COVID-19 continues to sweep through unvaccinated Papua New Guinea (PNG) where, according to Our World in Data website, only 1.7 percent of its population has been fully vaccinated. The vaccination rate remains abysmally low, despite adequate vaccine supplies and aid from the Australian government and international organisations such as the Red Cross.
Can ‘safe injecting sites’ help Australia’s homeless?
Melbourne, Australia – Forty-year-old Scottie, who asks that we only use his first name, has been homeless for most of his life. “I took off when I was 13,” he says. Tall and lanky, he exudes a positivity that seems at odds with his harrowing story. “I had a really, really bad family life – straight up. There was nothing good about it,” he explains. “I grew up in the bikie [motorcycle gangs] world, right?
Homeless in Australia: ‘You have to be on your guard constantly’
More than 116,000 people are homeless on any given night in Australia and that number is rising all the time. As the country marks Homelessness Week, we tell some of their stories. Melbourne, Australia – Few people would consider sleeping in a public toilet, on a park bench or on a traffic island “lucky”. But that is how 50-year-old Phil, who asked that we only use his first name, considers the decade he spent living homeless on the streets of Melbourne.
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