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.

No increased risk of boat people in NZ

Dear Prime Minister,

Your government's stance forbidding New Zealand from saving refugees from Manus and Nauru is indefensible. Minister Dutton, with his usual deliberately inaccurate innuendo, waffles about 'chatter' and 'incentives' to people smugglers. New Zealand's head of Immigration disagrees. He is in no doubt about the scale of people smuggling but says, categorically, that 'there has been no increase in the risk of people smugglers making trips [to NZ]'. If Australia had accepted NZ's offer of taking 150 refugees per year most of the men from Manus would be safe and free by now.

Amnesty now for all refugees and asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru.

lies, New ZealandRuth HalbertNew ZealandComment