Denying water to asylum seekers- immigration strategy

In the course of the 8 hours sitting in the hot sun, 15  men were taken away in ambulances suffering from dehydration.

Can you think of any other people in Australia who would be stood over and denied water while they slowly succumbed and required hospitalisation?

In Australia any indignity, brutality and breach of human rights can be perpetrated on asylum seekers with impunity.

Pamela Curr
Campaign Coordinator
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
12 Batman Street, Melbourne
ph 0393266066 / 0417517075

FACT: Australia July 2010 – 639 CHILDREN IN DETENTION

One thought on “Denying water to asylum seekers- immigration strategy”

  1. 'Aussie' attitudes to refugees and migrants? says:

    Afghani refugees staged a peaceful protest against detention in Darwin yesterday.

    A spokesperson for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Pamela Curr, is quoted in the Australian today (4 Sept 2010) about the Afghani refugees plight.

    Here is the context and the quote in the Australian:

    As the detainees sat peacefully in blazing temperatures, encircled by about 80 Northern Territory police, anonymous voices yelled abuse from passing cars.

    Some urged police to “shoot” the protesters, others labelled the men “terrorists”, and worse still.

    “I heard a host for a commercial radio station in Darwin say, ‘it’s time we brought out the tasers and tear gas and fixed these people for good’,” Asylum-Seeker Resource Centre spokeswoman Pamela Kerr (sic) said yesterday.

    “Is this what it’s come to?” — Asylum-seekers feared ‘being tricked

    John Bailey, the deputy lord mayor of Darwin, is quoted also as saying:

    It was an ugly incident that revealed a “widespread” hatred of boat people.

    “There’s a redneck, nationalistic attitude towards these people coming to Australia and it was sad to see it play out in Darwin, because it’s a city that likes to see itself as a fairly cosmopolitan, caring place,” Mr Bailey said.

    “The thing that gets me is that people say that asylum-seekers should have to go through the ‘right processes’.

    But if you’re trying to flee a place like Afghanistan because you fear for your life, you can’t just go down to the corner store and make your claim as a refugee. “

    But is The Australian to be believed? Or is it another beat-up of feellings to provide sensationalism and sales? Are these quotes taken out of context? What do these supporters of asylum seekers really think about the ordinary people of Darwin and their attitude to refugees?

    Bob Katter Snr, MP for the seat of Kennedy in the Fraser years, was called everything from ‘boong’ to ‘afghan carmel driver’ by his constituents … I wonder if the same is said of his son, Bob Katter Jnr, the independent MP for Kennedy?

    Bob Katter is quoted as saying that Aboriginal rights will figure in his calculation as to who to support to form a minority government after the hung parliament, Liberal or Labor.

    It seems that the Australian people voted for neither side to govern thus ensuring instability and an ongoing election campaign for the next three years.

    Ian Curr
    September, 2010

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