Manus asylum seekers congratulate Malcolm Turnbull – and ask for freedom
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Version 0 of 1. Related: A life in limbo: the refugees who fled torture only to end up trapped indefinitely on Manus Asylum seekers on Manus Island have joined world leaders Barack Obama, Ban Ki-moon and Binyamin Netanyahu in congratulating Malcolm Turnbull on his ascension to the prime ministership, and asked to be released from detention. In a neatly penned handwritten letter, addressed to “the honourable prime minister Mr Malcolm Turnbull”, the asylum seekers of Manus Island write that they “offer our congratulation to you and wish you the best success and for your government”. The open letter mentions Australia’s, and the world’s, “embracing” of refugees now fleeing conflict in Syria. “We are happy for them as they are welcomed, because we know the pain of them and understand them more than others.” The letter writers say they did not intend to breach Australia’s “borders and privacy” in arriving by boat. “This was a hard decision to leave our families and love ones. We also believe that seeking refuge by boat is dangerous but we didn’t have any choice at that time.” The asylum seekers say they understand, and support government policies, designed to save lives at sea “because we saw death with our own eyes, but at the moment we are experiencing gradual death at detention for more than two years, that affects our mental health daily. We see men cutting themselves as they are suffering.” The letter finishes with a plea for freedom, and not necessarily passage to Australia. “Our request from you, who are as a father to your children, is to look at us fatherly and bring back the taste of freedom and living to us. Related: Extended detention worsening depression on Nauru and Manus Island “If you haven’t decided to resettle us in Australia because of any reason we please expect to resettle us in countries that participate in the UNHCR resettlement program.” Papua New Guinea is not a refugee resettlement country under the United Nations high commissioner for refugees program. About 40 recognised refugees have been moved from the Australian-run detention centre on Los Negros Island to the East Lorengau refugee transit centre on Manus Island, also built and run at Australian direction and expense. But PNG has no resettlement policy for the men and there is no indication from the country’s government they might be resettled soon. In a reflection of the Manus men’s forensic interest in Australian politics, the letter is also copied to the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, the MP Clive Palmer, the high court, the parliament, and premiers of most states of Australia, noting carefully that the Northern Territory has a chief minister not a premier. Related: Malcolm Turnbull says no one 'entirely comfortable' with asylum policy One of the recognised refugees moved to East Lorengau also wrote to the new PM via Facebook. “We expect to see humanity not cruelty, please treat us like humans,” wrote Mohsen, who spoke to Guardian Australia last month on Manus Island. “I don’t like begging for anything but your treatment forced me to do it again and again, congrats to new PM, please you show us the real Australian treatment … please show humanity to us.” The new prime minster appears highly unlikely to make an immediate change to any elements of Australia’s asylum policies. In his first question time as prime minister on Tuesday, Turnbull said the government’s “successful” border regime, the key planks of which have been boat turnbacks and offshore processing, had stemmed the flow of asylum seekers arriving by boat. “In no small part because we have been successful in securing our borders, we can play our part in helping resettle an additional 12,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq,” he told parliament. |