| Howard regrets woman was deported |
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| Written by The Age | |||
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The Age Prime Minister John Howard has apologised if anything "unfair" happened to an Australian woman mistakenly deported by immigration officials. The woman was deported to the Philippines four years ago after Australian police failed to realise she was listed as a missing person. Mr Howard said it appeared the woman had been treated unfairly. "I am very sorry if anything unfairly has happened in relation to that and on the face of it that does appear to be the case," he told Southern Cross Broadcasting. Mr Howard said the closed government inquiry into the detention of Cornelia Rau, a mentally ill Australian woman who was locked up as an illegal immigrant for 10 months, had been extended to examine the case of the missing woman. The Australian newspaper has revealed the woman, who claimed she was kept as a sex slave in Queensland, identified herself to Philippines consulate staff as Vivian Alvarez. She is believed to have been born in the Philippines where she apparently married an Australian man with a surname believed to be Wilson.
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