Roadside demonstration: Thursday 22nd August, 2.30 to 4.00 pm
Our next market stall: Sunday 1st September, Coffs Harbourside market
Fundraiser at Mylestom Hall: SOLD OUT!
A new detention centre opens in PNG
Roadside demonstration: Thursday 22nd August, 2.30 to 4.00 pm
Our next roadside demonstration will take place on Thursday in Coffs Harbour, by the Pacific Highway, opposite the base hospital, from 2.30 to 4.00 pm.
Please come and support us if you can. We are always delighted to
welcome new supporters to join our regular band of banner wavers and
placard holders! These events are a great way to remind people about the
injustice and the inhumanity of our government’s treatment of refugees
and asylum seekers, so the more of us there are, the better we can be at
getting our message across.
Our next market stall: Sunday 1st September, Coffs Harbourside market
A reminder that our next market stall will be at the Coffs Harbourside market on Sunday 1st September from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm.
As usual, we’ll be handing out leaflets, engaging with market-goers and
collecting final signatures on our open letter to the Prime Minister,
urging him to accept the offer of the New Zealand government to accept
150 refugees a year from Manus and Nauru. If you are able to help out at
our stall for an hour or two, then please let Mike know by emailing him
at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.
Fundraiser at Mylestom Hall: SOLD OUT!
As
you will be aware from previous newsletters, a group of RAR supporters
are planning a fundraising lunch and auction on Saturday 24th August in
support of a local asylum seeker family. We are delighted to report that
the event is now sold out, and should therefore raise a significant
amount of money to help this family secure rental accommodation in Coffs
Harbour in the months ahead. If you were not able to secure a place at
the lunch, but would like to make a donation, then you can do so by
contacting Margie at: gsmh@fastmail.fm, or by phoning her on: 0414 592 519.
A new detention centre opens in PNG
In
spite of the fact that the PNG Prime Minister James Marape has been
calling for some time for the Australian government to set an end date
for the closure of all detention centres in PNG, a new detention centre
has been opened in Port Moresby. This prison - let’s call it what it is -
has been funded by the Australian government to detain about 50 asylum
seekers from Manus island who have had their claims for protection
rejected. They were initially told that their transfer to Port Moresby
was a temporary shift to hotel accommodation whilst repairs were
conducted at their centre on Manus. The reality is that they are now
held in secure detention, and on arrival were officially informed: “You
will not leave your room. Your meals and drinks will be provided to you
in your room. If you are on medication, we will administer it to you.”
The
reality, then, is that these men are to be detained indefinitely, in
solitary confinement, until such time as they either agree to be
deported back to their home countries or are forcibly returned. It
appears that there is no proper process in place for them to have their
claims for asylum to be independently reviewed, as is their right.
Predictably, our government’s response to this development is that it is
a matter for the PNG government, notwithstanding the fact that it is
our government that has spent $20 million on constructing this new
prison, and that it is our government which will pay all the costs of
running the place. A spokesperson for the Australian government states:
“As the PNG government seeks to resolve the regional processing caseload
it has determined that these failed asylum seekers should be detained
pending removal.” So, nothing to do with us!
Ian
Rintoul, on behalf of the Refugee Action Coalition, quite properly
takes a different view. He states: “Many of those being detained are
deemed not to be refugees, although they have never had a refugee
determination in PNG.” He adds that the new facility is as bad as the
now closed Lombrum detention centre on Manus. His view is that the
people who have had their applications for protection rejected should be
released and have their cases properly reviewed. That is surely the
proper thing to do.
See also:
See also:
Remaining Manus Island refugees offered voluntary relocation to Port Moresby : The Guardian
This newsletter is composed by Mike Griffin. This newsletter is sent to >670 recipients.
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