STOP THE FORCED TRANSFERS DON”T LET IMMIGRATION FORCIBLY TRANSFER 83 YEAR–OLD IRAQI WOMAN TO DARWIN Refugee supporters will again be at the gates of Villawood detention on Friday morning (11 April), from 6.30am, to protest against the forced transfers of asylum seekers from Villawood to remote and less accessible detention centres. The immigration department plans to shift around 30 asylum seekers to Darwin tomorrow morning; the fifth forcible transfer in 8 days. The complete inhumanity of the forced transfer of asylum seekers from Villawood has been brought home by the government’s attempt to forcibly transfer an 83 year-old Iraqi woman, Fatima, and her 38 year-old daughter, Intisar, to Darwin tomorrow, Friday 11 April. The 83 year-old has numerous medical issues – she was hospitalised with palpitations in early January and has an appointment on 7 May for echocardiogram at Liverpool hospital. She cannot walk unaided and is extremely distressed by the proposed move. On Thursday night, immigration officers told Intisar that if she and her mother did not cooperate, they would be removed by force. “It is a callous and inhuman act,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition, “There are medical concerns and real reasons to believe that 83 year-old Fatima is not fit to fly. “Both mother an daughter are distraught at the prospect of being forcibly moved to Darwin. But, the immigration department continues to move asylum seekers – separating them from partners, relatives, community and legal support. “They have had months to ensure their building program to ensure that asylum seekers would continue to be properly housed. A new accommodation block is ready to open to take 150 people – about the same number that is being transferred. “It is an expensive, monumental, bureaucratic bungle that demonstrates complete lack of concern of Minister Scott Morrison for the welfare of asylum seekers. Rather than inflict more misery and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars sending asylum seekers to remote detention centres, they should be freed to live in the community.” For more information contact Ian Rintoul 04178 275 713 A major rally and march to “Declare Peace on Refugees” will be held on Palm Sunday, 13 April, 1.00pm Hyde Park. Speakers include, Phil Glendenning (Edmund Rice Centre), Hazara Youth Perspectives, Firas Naji (Arab Council Australia) and Aborioginal activist, Dulcie Flowers
Posted on: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 16:11:23 +0000
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