ABC
The Prime Minister of Vanuatu has called on the Australian government to apologise for the treatment of people taken from his islands during the notorious era of 'blackbirding'.
In an address to a group of descendants of South Sea Islanders, Vanuatu's leader Moana Carcassus Kalosil said he wants an apology from Australia to recognise a "shameful" part of history.
Around 100 Australian South Sea Islanders are in Vanuatu this week to take part in commemorations for the 150th anniversary of the departure of the first blackbirding ship bound for Queensland.
Minister of Lands Ralph Reganvanu says in a forum to mark the commemorations, there was a feeling the Australian government should say sorry.
"(It's) important for the Australian South Sea Islander community in Australia, in terms of recognition of their distinct history," he said.
"The fact that when the deportation laws were passed in 1906, it is the only time in Australia's history that parliament has passed laws specifically to get rid of a whole ethnic group out of the country."
Mr Reganvanu says an apology would also extend to the countries from which the blackbirders came from.
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| Vanuatu Prime Minister |
During the infamous blackbird trade from 1863 to 1904, Pacific Islanders were forcibly taken to work on Australia's sugar plantations, a practice known as 'blackbirding'.
It's estimated that more than 30,000 of those forced workers' descendants are living in Australia.
Hundreds of people turned out for a parade to recognise the Australian South Sea Islanders.
Mr Reganvanu says the story of the blackbirded people is an important part of his cou
ntry's history.
"Thousands of Ni-Vanuatu went to Australia as part of that time. A number returned," he said.
He says a number of historical legacies, established by returned blackbirded people, continue to be maintained today.
Mr Reganvanu also says the Prime Minister discussed the opportunities the commemoration is providing for Vanuatu now "in terms of re-linking and finding a way forward on the issue".
The increasing number of South Sea Islanders going to Vanuatu to rediscover their connections is creating a new dynamic in the relationship between Port Vila and Canberra.
Mr Reganvanu says he hopes it will lead to a stronger relationship, including the growth of Australia's modern-day seasonal worker scheme, which offers very different conditions.
ABC News