Ruth Halbert
artist, weaver
Paper boat Rud.jpg

Blog: Dear Prime Minister

On July 30 2016 I started writing letters to the Prime Minister of Australia to protest against the imprisonment and torture of the asylum seekers in the offshore detention centres of Manus Island and Nauru. I started with the intention of writing a letter a day for every person in detention until they are all freed. There are more than 1800 asylum seekers in off shore detention. These are those letters and any response from Mr Turnbull.

Drowning in a sea of despair

Dear Prime Minister,

Three days left. Today, Imran Mohammad's article was published in The Saturday Paper. In it he details the torture, the violence and removal of services including access to food. He describes the situation for the Manus locals and the suffering they also endure from Australia's offshore detention policy.

“I am one of many stateless Rohingya refugees in detention on Manus Island and the fear we have endured for most of our lives is still with us. We came to Australia thinking we would be given a chance to experience freedom and safety, but in fact the reverse has been true. We are as frightened now as we were at home, because the whole centre is surrounded by menacing police and we don’t know what their next move will be.

People such as us, who put our lives in danger on the sea to find our freedom in a safe nation, can never make plans before leaving our country. We are allowed no documentation by our government, so can never enter any country through normal channels. We had no choice but to endure unspeakable tragedies and unimaginable horror all our lives, both at home and in many detention centres. In my case, it has been almost seven years in camps and detention.”
— Imran Mohammad
“... we are drowning in a sea of despair with every passing day. We gather in peace and silence every afternoon around 2pm, in front of the two main gates inside the centre, begging the Australian government to bring our suffering to an end and to show we are resisting pressure to move to Lorengau.

We are powerless and hopeless. We have no intention, nor the strength and ability, to fight anyone. We have been made to endure indescribable and unspeakable hardships for more than four years.”
— Imran Mohammad
“We are on our knees, imploring the Australian government to let us live our lives in a safe country. All we are asking for is our freedom in a safe nation. After more than four years of imprisonment, waiting, feeling lost and drifting in this concentration camp, that is all we are asking.”

Put an end to this misery, Prime Minister. As Imran says, all we are asking for is freedom in a safe nation. End the suffering now.

Ruth HalbertComment