Lunch with detainees and refugees in WRD: Mandatory detention system should end

The Social Justice Network (SJN) is holding its annual celebration of World Refugees Day next week as recognition of the deep suffering and sacrifice of the refugees during their journey to reach safe country that protect their lives and dignity.

This year’s celebration, the SJN decided to have the celebration as lunch with refugees and detainees. The network wants to give community members and journalists chance to meet refugees and detainees to explore the truth about their suffering in our detention centers. The celebration will present golden opportunity to clear any misinformation about the boat people and the reasons to make this dangerous journey.

“For the last few years, the refugees and asylum seekers (especially those who arrived by boats) endured sustained attacks from the opposition Liberal party, demanding very tough and inhumane measures to “stop the boats” said Jamal Daoud, spokesmen of SJN.”Instead of standing up against these attacks, the Greens-backed Labor government bowed to these attacks and adopted very tough measures that attracted national and international criticism”.

“The Greens-backed Labor government wanted to introduce legislations to deport asylum seekers to Malaysia, before their claims examined. Such move that was labeled as “inhumane” and “violating international laws” even by Liberal party”.

“The Greens-backed Labor government adopted very inhumane measures that resulted in 6 deaths inside our detention centre, hundreds of refugees attempted to end their lives, rooftop protests and riots and fire in almost all detention centres in the country”

Instead of acting to end the suffering of detainees that caused all these, the government resorted to more draconian arrangements. The government released thousands of detainees on community detention with no rights and no time frame of visa grant.

At the celebration-lunch, many of these “detainees” in community detention arrangement will be present and will be happy to explain their plight. The insecurity and instability they suffer have inherited almost all of them deep mental health problems. Almost all of them are living now on anti-depressants and sleeping bills. Many had told us that they are thinking seriously to end their suffering by ending their lives. Their release from detention centres to unknown destination, did not improve their situation or their health.

What makes situation worse is the fact that many of these detainees in community have either been found to be refugees earlier (in Indonesia or in Australia when they came by boat during Howard era). Many of them are stateless that will be almost impossible for this government or any future government to deport them to any country in the world. In the celebration, there will be chance to meet some of them.

In the celebration, there will be many refugees who survived the boat crash off Christmas Island, December 2010.

During the network’s celebration this year, we want to send strong message to the Australian politicians. The message includes deep disappointment the refugees and their supporters are feeling of the empty rhetoric the politicians promised them before the last elections.

The Greens-backed Labor government should have worked to change the policy fundamentally. They should have worked progressively to abandon the policy of mandatory detention, closing down all detention centres and increase the settlement services for refugees and asylum seekers. This is the declared policy of the Greens. The Greens assumption of balance of power did not bring any relieve to refugees and asylum seekers. On the contrary. Their situation got worse, while the Greens is still engaging in empty rhetoric about setting committees and introducing bills that will never pass the parliament.

The Greens should have used their power (uniquely in both houses) to enforce the Labor government to abandon its inhumane policies. The unique power should have enabled the Greens to enforce the Labor to move more forward and introduce more progressive policies, including widening the definition of refugee to include statelessness and environmental refugees.

The annual celebration is aiming also to send message of solidarity with refugees in Australia and outside for their resilience to survive. The last few years witnessed major armed conflicts that created millions of refugees. The celebration will remember and salute the sacrifice of refugees, everywhere.

The celebration will be held next Sunday 24 June 2012, 1 pm at Kebab Abu Ali restaurant – 14/75-77 Auburn Rd, Auburn.

For media, you can contact Jamal Daoud, the SJN spokesperson, on 0404 447 272