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DISCRIMINATION IN DETENTION
Introduce EDITOR……
Dear friends
I introduce Editor
of Baxter news in this newsletter who didn’t declare name so far. I wrote
17 newsletter disclosing discrimination in detention for about two and
half years. I suppose it would have helped to minimise harassment in detention
or at least you to know how arbitrary Baxter is. You may not enjoy reading
Baxter news because it contended human torture in your country but you
may have acknowledged what have been happening in Baxter Detention. Thanks
for everyone who help me to write, distribute my newsletters all these
years. Your encouraging helped me to reveal truth all the time. Further,
I thanks to Sydney PEN writers association for given me a membership as
a writer.
Thanks for you all,
Sarath Amarasinghe
Editor of BaxterNews
About 2005
Protest.......Whether
or not in front of Baxter As you all aware, refugee activist, detainees
and public speak about Baxter 2005 protest these days. So far we heard
most of your arguments whether or not it is suitable doing protest in
front of Baxter. However, detainees are the most suffering part all the
years been locked up inside Baxter. I realized it would be great if I
could gather of their opinion about the protest. Therefore, I forward
herein majority detainees ideas about Baxter protest. I suppose this would
help to determine whether or not suitable protesting in front of Baxter.
I don’t declare any detainees personal details who gave their idea although
this letter has been prepared after being discussed with many long period
stayed detainees at Baxter.
Q: Do you know
that there is a Easter protest in front of Baxter, how do you feel about
it, is it better doing it in front of Baxter or better do somewhere else?
Suppose it is
better in front of Baxter, I believe showing Baxter, protesters will
shout about human torture inside detention. Then there would have good
publicity about all torture inside Baxter detention.
Q: What do you
mean of publicity? Has Baxter already got enough publicity of locking
up innocent people for longer period?
It is true but
more publicity is better. There are lot of Australian has still not
understood how badly we are being treated here. Protesters will come
here and yield about us, and then more Australian will come to know
about us.
Q: Why don’t you
think somewhere else is better than here? If I suggest like parliament
house.
Last Easter there
was a protest in front of Canberra office, in 2003 there was a protest
in front of Baxter. So, it doesn’t matter if they protest in here at
this time.
Q: Then as many
area activists argue, you will get problem like it happened 2003 Easter
time.
It is true we
had a bit hard time like restricting visits, telephone calls, opportunity
of going out from compound, frequent room searches. But it doesn’t mean
that they don’t protest here. We have been suffering from all these
harassment throughout all the years. What is new? The other thing is,
there was a wrong impact of 2003 protest that they are going to break
fences and get us out, but this time it is not. If they maintain strategy,
well it doesn’t matter if they protest in front of Baxter. We like it.
Q: Can you explain
me what is the difference of Easter protest between last time and this
time?
In year 2003
protesters published that they come to break fences and take detainees
out. We like freedom but we were unhappy that news because although
we are out we still illegal immigrant. What we need is political solution.
As you know we are political pawns in Australia. But this time protesters
announced that they have no idea for any violence. Their protests only
political then we are happy.
Q: So, sometime
you will get same harassment like last time from the management. Will
you be happy about that?
We know we would
get same treatment like last time. But you have to understand there
is nothing new to us, we every day get same bad treatment in detention
like in prison. If protest politically help for our situation, why we
can’t sacrifice more harassment for few days? However, either protester
comes or not, we have hard time in detention. There is no much difference.
Q: If I say some
groups don’t happy of protesting in front of Baxter, what do you say about
that?
Don’t think there
is particular reason to disagree with protest. This is another group
of Australians decision according to their point of views. The way they
are going to react also up to them. We can’t say yes or no. We are happy
to say whoever works hard against these mandatory policies, we respect
to them too. I don’t think Baxter is belonging only to particular group.
We welcome all of you and we thank you all who has seen disgrace of
this human torture. Further we thank to you all who come and visit and
looking after us all the time, we need it. Moreover, we need who blunt
and write all about these treatments.
Q: As conclusion
what do you have to say?
Am happy to request
from friendly protesters show your non violence goal to authorities.
If your heart says you need to make sound against human torture in your
country blunt against it. Further, without disagreeing giving different
views, everybody come to one decision and say to your government release
these innocent people without keeping them more in this Baxter jail.
Thank you very much; I appreciate you all who talked with me. I don’t
mention your name or country. I believe this would be a great message
for all of our Friendly supporters.
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