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| Down Under |
| Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull Retracts Peter Dutton's Offer to Help White South African Farmers |
| 2018-03-31 |
| [All Africa] South Africa and Australia have officially ended the row between them over Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton's offer to help "persecuted" white South African farmers. Both sides have confirmed that "the case is now closed". Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop effectively resolved the dispute by implicitly refuting Dutton's offer to help South African farmers on the basis of their skin colour. But they have not directly slapped him down nor has he retracted his remarks. Dutton had told media he believed white farmers deserved "special attention" because they faced violence and land seizures. "If you look at the footage and read the stories, you hear the accounts, it's a horrific circumstance they face," the Daily Telegraph quoted him as saying at the time. "We have the potential to help some of these people that are being persecuted." Dutton said he had directed his department to explore whether the farmers could be accepted into Australia through refugee, humanitarian or other visas, including the in-country persecution visa category. |
| Posted by:Fred |