Newsletter for 31 October 2017 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{Next Roadside Demo -Coffs Base Hospital Thursday November 9th 2:30pm}

_{Next Market Stall - Bellingen Sat 18th November}

_{Good news story}

_{Looming crisis on Manus}

_{Roadside demonstration report}

_{Last week’s roadside demonstration in Bellingen went well. We had  small but enthusiastic band of supporters, and our very visible presence drew lots of positive and sometimes  exuberant support from passing motorists. These demonstrations are an excellent way of keeping the plight of asylum seekers in the public eye. It would be great to welcome more supporters to these fortnightly demos, so why not come and join us? Our next demo will be in Coffs Harbour, by the Pacific Highway, opposite the Base hospital on Thursday 9th November from 2.30  until 4.00 pm.}

_{Our next market stall: Saturday 18th November at the  Community Market}

_{Our next market stall will be at the Bellingen Community Market on Saturday 18th November from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. As usual, we’ll be handing out leaflets, collecting signatures on our petition, interacting with market-goers and selling our merchandise on behalf of the Asylum Seekers Centre. The markets are always enjoyable occasions, so if you can join us at the stall for an hour or two, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.}

_{Some wonderful news}

_{A few weeks ago, we told you about the Iranian asylum seeker family who were hosted by members of our local RAR group earlier this month . On their return to Sydney, they finally had their long-awaited lengthy interview with Immigration in relation to their application for refugee status. We were delighted to learn last week that the family’s application was successful and that they have been granted a Temporary Protection Visa  (TPV), which will allow them some certainty about their future in Australia.  This is a great outcome for them and we have of course sent them our warm congratulations. A huge cloud has been lifted from their shoulders.}

_{Looming crisis on Manus Island}

_{Today marks the deadline for the closure of the Manus Island detention centre, and the situation for the men held there is utterly dire. The facilities for the refugees and asylum seekers have been gradually closed down around them, as our government attempts to coerce them into moving to three separate accommodation blocks on the outskirts of Lorengau. Senate Estimates Committee was informed last week that all facilities, including food, water and electricity, will be cut off as of today.  The local Manussians are very unhappy about the the arrival of the detainees in Lorengau and are threatening them with violence. The detainees are very fearful that they will face violence or death at the hands of the locals. Imran Mohammad, a Rohingya refugee on Manus, wrote in this week’s The Saturday Paper: “The refugees and asylum seekers on Manus island are at the lowest point in their lives. There are no words to describe the pressure the Australian government is imposing in order to empty and close its illegal offshore detention centre by October 31st...........We call out for help in the vain hope that someone might answer.......Six  men  who were full of life have died because of the endless pain. They would have been alive if they had been taken to safety.”}

_{It is clear that this is a disaster waiting to happen, and that it is likely to happen very soon, unless our government intervenes to bring these men to safety in Australia. The government, sadly, remains intransigent and indifferent to the plight of the detainees. As far as the government is concerned , “everything is proceeding at this point”, according to a spokesperson for Minister Dutton. And as regards the removal of the detainees from the detention centre, well, according to the Immigration Department Secretary Michael Pezzullo, a man not noted for his humanity or compassion,  it is a matter for the PNG government to decide whether the men would be removed by force. Please consider sending an email to the Prime Minister to urge him to bring the detainees to Australia for resettlement here or in another safe country. You can email him at: www.pm.gov.au/contact-your-pm.  Or you can write to him at: PO Box 6022, House of Representatives, Parliament House, Canberra. ACT 2600.}

_{Check out the index of subjects on our blog  http://bellorar.blogspot.com.au} 

_{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}

Newsletter for 24 October 2017 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

Next Market Stall - Bellingen Sat 18th November

Next Roadside Demo - Bellingen Thursday October 26th 2:30pm

Australia slammed by the UN Human Rights Committee

What next for the refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru?

Market report

There were lots of market- goers at the Harbourside market in Coffs Harbour on Sunday, and we had a busy time handing out leaflets, collecting signatures on our petition and selling our asylum seeker merchandise. All in all, a very successful morning, with lots of positive and encouraging comments from the many people who visited our stall. A big thank you to our faithful team of regular helpers and to Kim, the market manager, for her ongoing support. As a result of our sales at recent markets, we will be sending $150 to the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown this week to help them in their vital work.

Our next market stall will be at the Bellingen Community market on Saturday 18th November from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. If you can help out for an hour or two, then please email Mike at:mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.  to let him know.

Next roadside demonstration : Bellingen, Thursday 26th October, 2.30 to 4.00 pm

Our next roadside demonstration is this Thursday on Waterfall Way, Bellingen.  You will find us by the roadside opposite the golf club, just before you get to the Yellow Shed. It would be great to see some new faces in addition to our usual band of regular supporters, especially at a time when both the Coalition and the Labor opposition seem to think that there is not a high level of opposition to the current punitive policy on asylum seekers and refugees. We know from the responses that we get to our demonstrations and market stalls that there most certainly is widespread unhappiness in the community with the current cruel and unlawful government policy, which is largely supported by the Labor opposition in Parliament. We have lots of banners and placards to share, so please come and join us if you can.

Australia’s asylum policy slammed by the UN Human Rights Committee

Last week the UN Human Rights Committee met in Geneva to consider Australia’s responses to a range of issues, including the government’s record on detention practices for refugees and asylum seekers. To put it mildly, the UN’s response was less than positive. The Committee complained about Australia’s “chronic non-compliance” with, and disengagement from, the Committee’s work. Indeed, the Vice Chair of the Committee, Professor Yuval Shany, stated that Australia  “has very little to be proud of” and said that its compliance rate was so low that it was “completely off the charts”. Amy Frew, a lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, reported that: “Today, the UN gave Australia a grade of E –and that’s not an E for effort. The condemnation shows how far we have strayed  from the promises we made to uphold the civil and political rights of Australians and people in our care.”

This grilling in Geneva came just a day after the United Nations Human Rights Committee issued a statement saying that the conditions on Manus Island amount to an “imminent humanitarian crisis” and a “looming humanitarian emergency”. UNHCR visited the Manus detention centre in September and is calling on Australia to immediately evacuate the men from PNG to Australia.

What more will it take for our government to recognise the cruelty and utter futility of its detention policy, and to bring all the people on Nauru and Manus to Australia?

What next for the refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru?

We reported last week that asylum seekers and refugees on Manus are being offered the “opportunity” to relocate to Nauru, in spite of the fact that the detention centre on Nauru was slated for closure given that the current contractor does not intend to bid for a further contract due to reputation damage caused by its association with the regime of mistreatment of the detainees. This week, however, Minister Dutton  announced the appointment of a new contractor to take over the running of the detention centre. The new contractor is Canstruct, a civil engineering and construction company based in Queensland. The company was involved in the construction of “temporary” accommodation units on Nauru in 2013. We have to ask the questions : What kinds of services will a construction company be able to provide for the detainees? Who will manage their health and medical needs? How will the many needs of the detainees be catered for?

It is deeply disturbing to learn that an Australian company is prepared to risk its reputation by taking on the running of a detention centre in which so much harm has been inflicted on the inmates.

Please contact Canstruct and urge them not to take up this contract. Remind them about the reputational damage that they will suffer if they collude with the government in its ongoing mistreatment of asylum seekers and refugees. You can contact the company at: www.canstruct.com.au/contact-us/

Check out the index of subjects on our blog  http://bellorar.blogspot.com.au 

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