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WORLD NEWS Thursday 29 augusT 2019

Australia tries to curb foreign interference at universities

By ROD McGUIRK tralian universities. curity Center, an intergov-
Associated Press Education Minister Dan Te- ernmental agency, has
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) han said the task force will said Australian universities
— Australia announced comprise half university are increasingly attractive
Wednesday that it has staff and half government targets for cyberattacks
formed a task force to agency officials. because of their research
crack down on attempts "Our government is taking across a range of fields and
by foreign governments to action to provide clarity at the intellectual property
meddle in Australian uni- the intersection of national that the research gener-
versities. security, research, collabo- ates.
The move comes as con- ration and a university's au- Australian universities said
cerns grow over Chinese tonomy," Tehan said. through their representa-
influence at Australia's uni- "Universities also under- Australian Education Minister Dan Tehan speaks at the National tive body, Universities Aus-
versities, where Chinese stu- stand the risk to their oper- Press Club in Canberra, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. tralia, that they want to
dents are by far the largest ations and to the national Associated Press work collaboratively with
group of foreign students. interest from cyberattacks the government to en-
Pro-Beijing student dem- and foreign interference cess and damage. Chinese foreign ministry hance existing safeguards.
onstrators have recently and we are working con- China said Wednesday spokesman Geng Shuang "Australian universities have
clashed with Hong Kong structively to address it," he that claims of its "so-called said at a daily briefing. "We worked with government
democracy advocates on added. infiltration" are "purely fabri- hope that the Australian for decades to protect our
Australian campuses. The task force includes cated with ulterior motives." side will see China-Austra- intellectual property and to
Australia has also raised a cybersecurity working "Politicizing education co- lia cooperation in various rebuff attempts to breach
concerns about the influ- group that will better pro- operation and artificial- fields in an objective man- our security," Universities
ence of Beijing-funded tect university networks ly setting obstacles are ner." Australia Chair Deborah
Confucius Institutes at Aus- against unauthorized ac- not good or beneficial," The Australian Cyber Se- Terry said in a statement.q

UN opposes forced repatriation of refugees to Burundi

By SYLIVESTER DOMASA tary in line with the tripar- An estimated 200,000 of
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania tite agreement signed in them are sheltering in Bu-
(AP) — The United Nations March of 2018," the state- rundi.
refugee agency is urging ment said. "UNHCR urges Tanzanian authorities have
the governments of Tanza- States to ensure that no expressed frustration over
nia and Burundi not to forc- refugee is returned to Bu- what they say is the slow
ibly repatriate Burundian rundi against their will, and pace with which the UN is
refugees sheltering in Tan- that measures are taken to repatriating refugees back
zania. make conditions in Burundi to Burundi. Nearly 75,000
Although security generally more conducive for refu- refugees have voluntarily
has improved in Burundi gees returns, including con- returned to Burundi since
since violence erupted af- fidence building efforts and December 2017.
ter the 2015 presidential incentives for those who Most of the Burundian refu-
polls, "conditions in Burundi have chosen to go home." gees live in camps in the
are not currently condu- Tanzanian authorities said northwestern region of
cive to promote returns," Tuesday they had reached Kigoma. In this Saturday, May 23, 2015 file photo, refugees who fled Bu-
rundi's violence and political tension wait to board a UN ship, at
UNHCR said in an e-mailed an agreement with Burundi "They're still more refugees Kagunga on Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, to be taken to the port
statement. to send all Burundian refu- who have registered for city of Kigoma.
"We call upon the govern- gees back home from Oc- voluntary repatriation but Associated Press
ments of both Tanzania tober 1. have not been returned,
and Burundi's commitment About 400,000 Burundian thus fueling violence in AP on Wednesday. the government's own pro-
to uphold international refugees have sought asy- camps," Brig. Gen. Em- Tanzania's government has cedures or reconsider ar-
obligations and ensure lum elsewhere in the re- manuel Maganga, Kigoma formed a committee to ad- rangements by the UNHCR,
that any returns are volun- gion, according to UNHCR. regional commissioner, told vise on whether to apply he said.q