File spoon-archives/postcolonial.archive/postcolonial_2002/postcolonial.0203, message 198


Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 16:48:42 +1100
From: saeed urrehman <think-AT-riseup.net>
Subject: Fwd: Palm Sunday: help needed




>From: "Refugee Action Committee" <refugees_act-AT-hotmail.com>
>To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:-AT-anu.edu.au;>
>Subject: Palm Sunday: help needed
>Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 15:12:58 +1100
>X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2014.211
>
>
>* Leafleting for Palm Sunday
>* STOP PRESS: Extraordinary new migration laws being rushed through parliament
>* Hunger strike at Maribyrnong
>* We need your help at the Folk Festival
>
>Hi everyone
>
>The refugee issue is moving towards another crisis point, and we need to 
>use our Palm Sunday rally to show the government that we will fight their 
>brutality and racism every inch of the way.
>
>Palm Sunday is this Sunday, 24 March. The following day, the Senate is to 
>begin its inquiry into "a certain maritime incident"; ie the Children 
>Overboard scandal. We want to send the Senate, and the Prime Minister, a 
>message that we want the truth, and we want refugees treated with respect 
>and humanity. That's why we're protesting at THE LODGE (1.30pm).
>
>This Friday, 22nd, we will be blitzing Civic workplaces with a mass 
>leafleting. If you can help, come to Garema Place around 7.45am and get 
>leaflets and a building to leaflet. We had lots of volunteers doing this 
>before our great Parliament House rally; we need to do the same again. If 
>you can help, please either ring 0415 752 012 or email back. Please let me 
>know if you have leaflets you haven't used so we don't print more than we 
>need to for Friday.
>
>The situation is urgent. Ruddock is talking about deporting 700 people 
>over the next few weeks. The hunger strike has resumed at Woomera, and 
>there is now a major hunger strike at the Maribyrnong Detention Centre in 
>Melbourne.
>
>---------------------
>
>We have just received news that the Government is pushing a new Migration 
>(Transitional movement) bill through parliament with the support of the 
>Labor party.
>
>The bill will strip away existing rights from asylum seekers caught up in 
>the chaos of the "pacific solution".
>
>Asylum seekers currently on Manus Island (PNG) and Nauru, who have not 
>been found to be refugees, are going to be brought to Australia and locked 
>up. The "problem" is that once on Australian soil, they can apply for 
>refugee status according to Australian law. This new bill will deny them 
>that right, by declaring that wherever they are, they are outside the 
>"migration zone".
>
>Even worse, they will be denied ALL civil rights in Australia, and all 
>recourse to Australian courts. They will be absolutely at the pleasure of 
>the government.
>
>According to the Democrats' Senator Andrew Bartlett, who alerted us to the 
>new bill, "This legislation is unprecedented under international law." He 
>also sees it as "a ploy to pre-empt the upcoming Senate Committee 
>examination into the Pacific Solution".
>
>This adds an extra level of urgency to our protests on Palm Sunday. Please 
>do everything you can to get your friends and networks out on Sunday.
>
>And please: let's swamp Labor MPs with email protests. We need to put them 
>on the spot.
>
>--------------------
>
>By the way: we are still trying to find out what the legal status of 
>asylum seekers in the new Christmas Island detention centre will be. We 
>understand they will be processed according to different regulations, but 
>as the island has been excised from the migration zone, we wonder what law 
>the government will be using to lock them up.
>
>----------------------
>
>We understand there is a major hunger strike at Maribyrnong detention 
>centre, in Melbourne, in protest at both their general treatment, and at 
>ACM stopping visits to asylum seekers by various activists.
>
>This is a message signed by 41 detainees.
>
>  We all detainees of Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre request 
> your urgent intervention to lift ban from some of our visitors, unjustly 
> and baselessly imposed by the ACM management of the centre.
>
>Most of us don't have any relatives in Australia.   These visitors mean to 
>us everything.  Especially under situation of fear and hope.  In fact 
>their visits gives us hope and strength to keep up the morale.  They are
>lifeline for us.
>
>In their presence we feel secure and safe.   They are bridging the gap of 
>love and care wheat we miss badly in detention.
>
>Their visit does not offend any of us and we strongly believe that they 
>are not security risk to us or to any of the Commonwealth Australia's 
>installations.
>
>Please consider with sympathy and love to lift the ban immediately.
>
>We all look forward your urgent and kind action in this matter
>
>--
>
>The following is the text of a fax received yesterday from inside Maribyrnong
>Detention Centre, by hunger strikers protesting their conditions
>
>We in Australian detention centres are facing all kinds of oppression,
>discrimination, some are as under:
>
>1)
>a) At arrival we face a system which is based at negative intentions.
>b) Deputed Compliance Officers or Case officers will not tell us about our
>rights: even at request their attitude is maximum heartbreaking and
>negative.
>c) Once as applied applicant, most of the time decision is being made
>without given any opportunity of applicant's comments, which is most of the
>time rejection of application and claims.
>d) Applicant if lucky given a chance to go for an appeal in RRT, Refugee
>Review Tribunal, but no legal assistance being provided, short time is given
>and no consideration is given at whatever the claims or the evidences are
>submitted.  The result is refusal, not to give Protection Visa.
>e) There was only one form of relief in Australia for Refugees Courts of
>Australia, and this Govt had also narrowed our appeal rights from Courts
>through new legislation in September last year.
>
>2) Can somebody ask occupational health and safety enforcement agencies to
>certify these torture centres to whom they had named as detention centres
>from all the aspects.
>
>3) they had not only snubbed our freedom of movement, we can't say
>anything - there is not any place where we could complain and someone will
>listen.
>
>4) our detention is baseless, lawless and inhuman.
>
>5) Detention centres are run under illiterate or irrelevant qualified
>personnel, or they are not qualified at all to have such jobs.
>
>6) Duty of Care is no more than a joke here.  We are the victims of gross
>negligence - unhygienic atmosphere and tasteless bad-smelling food.
>
>7) for nearly one hundred detainees, only 4 hours a week doctor, and nurse
>is only available daytime - at weekends she leaves the centres at 12 noon,
>and detainees are left over to the experiments of ACM officers.  The nurse
>does all other things other than nursing.
>
>8) We do have a counselor but no counselling.
>
>9) Counselling and activity officers always entertain only people of their
>choice.
>
>10) Whenever any high officials visit the centre, extra cleanliness and
>arrangement of BBQ or other good looking good taste foods are arranged.
>
>11) Compaints and rectifications system is unknown by ACM or DIMA.
>
>12) Laughing at refugees and at their circumstances by most of the ACM
>staff.
>
>13) Discouraging visitors of detainees and imposing baseless irrevocable
>bans at visits.
>
>14) Every day now rules and restrictions by oppression manager of
>Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre, regarding food, fruits, drinks.
>Already shortage of tea, coffee, milk, sugar, toilet rolls.
>
>Once again we appreciate your interest and help - and condemn this human ill
>treatment of Australian Government.
>
>thanks
>
>Detainees of Maribyrnong Detention Centre
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>The National Folk Festival draws thousands of people every Easter, and 
>this year, the Refugee Action Committee has a free stall to inform people 
>on refugee issues.
>
>We need more volunteers to help with the stall, whether for half a day or 
>all Easter. We have been given three passes for the whole event for people 
>prepared to help over several days. Naturally we do not expect people to 
>staff the stall the whole time; so volunteers can mix music and campaigning.
>
>-------------------------------------
>
>All the best
>
>Phil Griffiths
>Refugee Action Committee (Canberra)
>tel 0415 752 012
>LPO Box A287 ANU ACT 2601
><http://www.refugeeaction.org>www.refugeeaction.org
>
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