Pedophile priest omitted from Timor Leste pardon
Mr Daschbach is a former Catholic priest who is serving a 12-year sentence for six counts of sexually abusing young Timor girls under his care at a remote orphanage.
Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta released his annual list of prisoner pardons overnight, Mr Dashbach was not among the six names on the list.
The 88-year-old is four years into his sentence and has been recommended for pardon by Timor's prime minister, but survivors of his crimes say they feel betrayed and unsafe at the prospect of the American's release.
The ABC understands 11 of the survivors met with President Horta to voice their concerns about a possible pardon.
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News.com.au
15 hours ago
- News.com.au
Jōhatsu: Meet the Australian who is on the chilling trail of Japan's lost souls
It's one thing untangling the haunting mystery of a missing person case in Australia. Almost everyone leaves behind a financial paper trail. Is under the surveillance of security cameras. And has their phone tracked. So when the family of a missing loved one makes the desperate call, all of this can be used by police to bring them home. But what if they vanish in a place where police refuse to get involved out of respect for privacy? That's another story altogether. And it's not the only cultural barrier that makes these cases so challenging to understand for foreigners in Japan. Could the missing person be driven to flee by shame of failure? Legally abducted under cover of darkness? Trapped deep in the woods after wandering from home? These are the unanswered questions being pursued by Nicole Morris. Dedicated advocate As the founder of the Australian Missing Persons Register, this regional Queenslander has devoted her life to helping the families of missing people in the country she calls home. She knew not enough was known about what happens to people when they go missing – or the families they leave behind. 'I've always been curious about what happens when someone goes missing,' Morris tells 'So I turned this curiosity into a resource that can help the families of the missing.' The shattered families of those misplaced suffer a unique kind of grief known as 'ambiguous loss'. Without knowing where the missing go, their heartbroken loved ones never know closure. To help raise awareness and trace the people who vanish into thin air, Nicole has also written two best-selling books sharing their untold stories – Missing and Vanished. Now, she's setting her sights on the Land of the Rising Sun for the third. Initially drawn by the cases of Australian children reported as victims of parental abduction in Japan, Nicole would learn about Japan's other chilling world of disappearance. 'I've written about these stories in Australia. I decided to write about how Japan handles this issue.' With this mission in mind, Morris recently took off to Tokyo. What she learned was changed her understanding of the missing forever. But it wasn't easy. Cultural barriers Japan is a famously insular culture. It's comprised of intricate cultural barriers that aren't easy for foreigners to cross. 'To speak with Japanese police, I had to jump through many hoops,' says Morris. 'The Japanese are very private and it's difficult to get them to talk about their work.' Never one to give up lightly, Morris finally secured a meeting. And the cross-cultural exchange made her patience worthwhile. While many sides of missing person investigations in Japan are aligned with those in Australia, Morris learned one big difference: they do things discreetly. Morris believes this needs to change. 'When I said it was almost unheard of for a family to not give me consent to make a missing person appeal public, they couldn't believe it.' 'I hope this might make them consider the value of public appeals such as on social media.' Morris also met with Japanese MP Mizuho Umemura to discuss missing persons during the trip. Value of privacy Japan is the perfect place to disappear. Because in the Land of the Rising Sun, privacy is taken very seriously. Unlike Australia, the country has no national database for missing people. It's also against the law for police to access ATM transactions or financial records without a warrant. 'It's much harder to disappear and start a new life in Australia. We have strict requirements for proving our identity if you want to open a bank account, drive or rent a car, get a job.' This lack of a paper trail or social security plays a part in a chilling phenomenon. The evaporated In Japan, there's a special word for people who are the architects of their own disappearances. 'Johatsu'. The evaporated. They choose to abandon everything – their lives, jobs, homes and families – for a chance to start again. It's a real-life vanishing act. Disconnected from their past, these lost souls can spend decades in the shadows of society. Without ever looking back. Since the mid-1990s, Japan has recorded around 80,000 Johatsu each year. It's a dark mirror on the invisible pressure these people face to conform. And police refuse to get involved. 'Since they don't view Johatsu as a missing person case, so they were reluctant to even discuss it. For them, it's a private matter.' 'When someone chooses to go missing and move their life elsewhere, they don't see it as worthy of investigation.' The desire to disappear can be driven by infamously high social expectations. The shame of failing to meet them – through divorce, debt, job loss or failing an exam – can feel like a stain that will never be wiped clean. The pressure to conform to such severe norms is so powerful, evaporating feels like the only solution. Morris is hopeful a day will come with a healthier alternative. 'It would be good if the Japanese could find an alternative to fleeing, but the idea that failure is shameful and needs to be hidden has been ingrained over many centuries.' 'It's extremely difficult to shift that way of thinking.' Hidden crisis Nicole is also researching the issue of parental abduction, a hidden crisis that also involves many Australian parents. 'I became aware of the serious issue of parental abduction in Japan involving Australians.' There have been 89 Australian children reported as victims of parental abduction in Japan since 2004. These abductions don't only happen in Japan, but also in Australia. And parents who are deprived of contact with their children can be thrown in jail if they try to retrieve or see them – as was the case with Aussie Scott McIntyre in 2020. 'Very often, the parents left behind often never see their children again.' 'I knew this needed to be highlighted.' Incredibly, this practice is legal. In Japan, courts only grant one parent full control during a custody dispute. Custody is typically granted to the parent who has physical possession of the children. It's supposed to provide stability, but critics say it incentivises child abduction. Under increasing pressure, the Japanese government recently changed their custody laws. They won't be implemented until 2026. Tools of the trade Morris says we also have much to learn from how Japan uses technology to trace missing people. Japan's ageing population has driven a large number of missing person cases involving people with dementia, who get lost wandering. Sometimes never to make it home. 'I also wanted to highlight the great work they're doing using technology to find missing dementia sufferers.' Japan has rolled out cutting edge technology used to locate a missing people with dementia. This included an app, tags and special camera for monitoring unusual movement. 'This is an increasing problem in Japan, with a large ageing population and a shortage of carers.' With Australia's population following Japan's ageing trend, this technology could come in handy beyond their borders. Making a difference Morris will stop at nothing to get what she wants: to make a difference. Because while the circumstance of the disappearances can be different, the families all share the same enduring pain. The uncertainty of seeing their loved ones again eats away at them in the dead of night. What Morris does is about lightening this load. While running her national database and communicating with these families is a full-time occupation that often leads to cases being solved, Nicole earns no money from it. This devotion has earned her a Compassion in Media award, and the Queensland Pride of Australia award for Community Spirit. She's also been nominated twice for Australian of the Year. But for Morris, her selflessness is nothing out of the ordinary. 'I believe we should all be going through life seeing how we can help those around us.'
SBS Australia
16 hours ago
- SBS Australia
'Exiles have no home': Australia grants asylum to Hong Kong democracy activist
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Ted Hui has been granted asylum in Australia, the former lawmaker said, more than four years after he left Hong Kong, where he faces criminal charges over the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Hui said he received written notice from the Australian Department of Home Affairs on Friday approving his claim and that his wife, children and parents were also granted visas. "When people around me say 'congratulations' to me, although I politely thank them, I can't help but feel sad in my heart. How to congratulate a political refugee who misses his hometown?" posted on Facebook. "If it weren't for political persecution, I would never have thought of living in a foreign land. Immigrants can always return to their home towns to visit relatives at any time; Exiles have no home." The Home Affairs Department did not immediately respond to emailed questions sent after business hours. The Hong Kong government said in a statement it was "against the harbouring of criminals in any form by any country". China's foreign ministry did not respond to questions about the decision. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Beijing last month as part of his administration's years-long push to improve ties with China. A former Democratic Party lawmaker, Hui left Hong Kong in late 2020 after facing criminal charges over the 2019 pro-democracy protests. In July, Hong's national security police issued fresh arrest warrants for Hui — including three other Australian residents — accusing him of subversion, with a bounty of at least HK$200,000 ($38,807). Fellow Hong Kong activist Tony Chung said on Sunday he had been granted asylum by Britain, in a post on his X account. He was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison in late 2021 after being convicted of secession and money laundering. Pro-democracy businessman Jimmy Lai is on trial in Hong Kong on charges related to a national security law imposed by Beijing and alleged sedition.
ABC News
17 hours ago
- ABC News
Former pro-democracy Hong Kong politician Ted Hui granted asylum in Australia
Former pro-democracy politician Ted Hui — who is wanted by authorities in Hong Kong — has been granted asylum in Australia. He said the Australian government granted him a protection visa this week, with asylum also extending to his wife, children and parents. "I express my sincere gratitude to the government of Australia — both present and former — for recognising our need for asylum and granting us this protection," Mr Hui said in a Facebook post on Saturday. Hong Kong has seen dissent quashed since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law following huge — and at times violent — democracy protests that erupted in 2019. Mr Hui was a high-profile participant at the time in those protests and was arrested in China. He later settled in Adelaide. A vocal critic of Hong Kong and Beijing authorities, Mr Hui is among several overseas activists targeted in 2023 by police bounties of $HK1 million ($200,000) each. The bounties are seen as largely symbolic, given that they affect people living abroad in nations unlikely to extradite political activists to Hong Kong or China. Hong Kong's government has not commented directly on Mr Hui's case; however, a spokesperson said on Saturday local time that those who absconded should not think they could evade "criminal liability". "Any country that harbours Hong Kong criminals in any form shows contempt for the rule of law, grossly disrespects Hong Kong's legal systems and barbarically interferes in the affairs of Hong Kong," the spokesperson said. Mr Hui ended his Facebook post by calling on Canberra to do more for those who "face long sentences for simply defending basic democratic rights". He urged the Australian government not to forget the other Hong Kong pro-democracy activists who remained jailed, including tycoon Jimmy Lai, who has been behind bars since 2020. "Australia must do more to rescue them and to speak up for their humanity," Mr Hui said. "Its stance matters internationally, and its protection of Hongkongers sets a precedent for other democracies." Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong previously condemned Hong Kong's arrest warrants and bounties. "Freedom of expression and assembly are essential to our democracy, and we will support those in Australia who exercise those rights," she said in 2023. "Australia remains deeply concerned by the continuing erosion of Hong Kong's rights, freedoms and autonomy." ABC/Wires
