A Christian family from Indonesia has narrowly avoided deportation after receiving a two month bridging visa this week, so extending again their 15 year battle to stay in Australia.
Dicky Susanto, his wife Hennie and seven year-old-son Gavin fled Indonesia in 1996 after a family grocery store was burnt by a mob. They claim they were victimised because of their ethnicity and religion, but on Friday that final bid for intervention by the Immigration Minister was rejected.
They were ordered to leave Australia on Saturday, but a last minute flurry of activity by supporters has won the family some time and the Immigration Department has given the family a two-month bridging visa.
Dicky's brother Agus fled Indonesia at the same time and was granted refugee status on appeal. Dicky and family were declined, even though their application was the same.
So for the past 13 years Dicky Susanto has stayed in Australia on bridging visas and occasionally illegally, all the while trying to gain residency. But the uncertainty of their situation has taken a psychological toll.
The family's last appeal to the Immigration Minister Chris Bowen was rejected two weeks ago.
Then the family's pastor, Dr Agus Gunawan, of Bethany Church Sydney (Gereja Bethany Indonesia), wrote to the minister arguing Australia should consider the welfare of the family's son Gavin as a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
This resulted in a last minute bridging visa being issued.
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