Candlelit vigil report
Next Roadside Demo - Coffs Base Hospital Thursday July 27th 2:30pm
Next Market Stall - Valla Beach Sat 5th August
The costs of running Manus and Nauru
Candlelit vigil report
Notwithstanding the biting wind last Wednesday evening, more than 40 people participated in our candlelit vigil by the Bellinger river to mark the four years since the then-prime minister Kevin Rudd announced that “any asylum seeker who arrives in Australia by boat will have no chance of being settled in Australia.” Since then, untold suffering has been inflicted on men, women and children who fled oppression and violence in their homelands to seek safe haven on our shores. In spite of the consistent revelations of physical, sexual and mental abuse , our government remains shamefully unmoved. People have died whilst in the care of the Australian government.
At the vigil, we held a minute’s silence to remember the six men who have died whilst in the care of our government, and we heard the moving accounts of four men on Manus Island – Imran, Amir, Madu and Naseem – all of whom have been locked away for the past four years.
Imran writes: “I have lived with fear and sadness for the last four years. But the worst part is being without hope. Wasting away without a glimpse of hope for the future.”
Madu writes: “ I came to Australia for safety- I came to seek safety. I suffered a lot when I was in Burma. I escaped but now I am here and still suffering. I still have hopes and dreams. I want to study.”
Naseem writes: “ The last four years.... Really I have no words to describe how we’ve suffered. Every minute, every second, every night, we die a little bit.”
Amir writes: “The worst part about being here is the disempowerment. You have no control over your life. The system is implemented this way to make you suffer. To take away your power and your hope.”
You can read their full accounts on our blog. To access the blog, just click on the link at the foot of this newsletter.
Roadside demonstration: Thursday 27th July : Coffs harbour, 2.30 to 4.00 pm
Our next roadside demonstration is this Thursday, 27th July in Coffs Harbour. You will find us by the Pacific Highway, opposite the Base hospital. It would be great to have a good turn out on what is forecast to be a sunny day. Please try to join us if you can, and remind the community that many Australians continue to oppose the government’s cruel asylum policies. We have lots of banners and placards to share, but we do need a few more willing hands to wave them aloft.
Next market stall: Valla Beach, Saturday 5th August from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm
A reminder that we have our next market stall coming up soon on 5th August. If you can lend a helping hand for an hour or two, particularly from 10.00 am onwards, then please let Mike know by emailing him at : mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.
The cost of running the two offshore detention centres
Figures released under recent Senate estimates questioning reveal that our government has spent a staggering $5 billion building and running the detention centres on Manus and Nauru over the past four years. It has cost the Australian taxpayer roughly $2 million for each of the asylum seekers who have languished in these hell holes for the past four years. This does not include the huge cost of the naval blockade to ensure that asylum seeker boats are turned back, usually to Indonesia. And there is no end in sight as yet for the 2,000 refugees and asylum seekers who are still awaiting their fate. It goes without saying that all these people could have been resettled in Australia long ago at a fraction of the cost. Instead, we have broken their spirits and destroyed their lives, simply to keep them out of sight for political ends. We must surely keep up our efforts to bring about change.
It includes articles from many sources and letters to politicians and newspapers.
This newsletter is sent to >500 recipients
Our Face book is at https://www.facebook.com/Rural-Australians-for-Refugees-Bellingen-and-Nambucca-Districts-269696303205083/timeline/
(482 likes)
Twitter Account @RARBellingenNam
Email address bellingen.rar@gmail.com
The National RAR web site is at www.ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org.au
The National RAR facebook site is at RAR Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment