on 14-11-2013 03:47 PM
This is disgraceful and I can only hope the people who are in charge fix this asap.
An asylum seeker who was moved off Nauru to give birth is being locked up for 18 hours a day in a detention centre in Brisbane while her week-old baby remains in hospital with respiratory problems.
The case of Latifa, a 31-year-old woman of the persecuted Rohingya people of Myanmar, has shocked churches and refugee advocates.
She was separated from her baby on Sunday, four days after a caesarean delivery, and has since been allowed to visit him only between 10am and 4pm in Brisbane's Mater Hospital. The boy, named Farus, has respiratory problems and needs round-the-clock medical care.
Latifa is confined to the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation, 20 minutes away, where her husband and two children, four and seven, are being held.
Latifa's husband, Niza, is not allowed to visit the child at all, according to people in daily contact with the family.
on 16-11-2013 09:38 PM
@azureline** wrote:I was "appalled" to see those pics of the tents. Sorry but I was. It is very hot in a tent.
yes, I get that, I found that to be incredibly confronting, and it did cause significant emotion and still bothers me.
I haven't been able to find out if those are the current conditions following the reopening of Nauru or those of past policies so far though. One of the gazillion links in this thread did track the history of Nauru camp, and although it did state that vast improvements have been made for this current reopening, it didn't actually say what those improvements were.
This is certainly an area I would be focusing on if those seeking asylum in Australia were my specified area of interest. I'd probably give it preference to the topic of this thread.
Has anyone expressed their concern about these conditions? Has it been or in the process of being addressed?
on 16-11-2013 09:47 PM
oh and they would have been classed as 'visa overstayers" They ended up getting their permanent residency after enrolling in courses which would give them qualifications for the jobs on the Skilled Occupation list. In their case - pastry chef. They now own a restaurant.
16-11-2013 09:48 PM - edited 16-11-2013 09:51 PM
Isn't the point/message of the current boat arrivals policy that if you get on a boat in Indonesia to travel to Australia you won't be able to settle here, you will be sent to Nauru or Manus Island.
That the accommodation and location are not ideal, is meant to be a deterrent for people. They are supposed to think, I don't want to live on Manus Island/Nauru for the rest of my life.. and not even bother to attempt to travel here... because there is no chance they will be able to settle in Australia.
It may take awhile for people planning to arrive by people smugglers boats, to realise they will not get to live in Australia. There were already people ready to travel on a boat from Indonesia to Australia when the 'goal posts' moved.
Julia Gillard got NZ to agree to take 150 of these people per year. However, the Abbott Govt says No.. it is Nauru or Manus Island.
on 16-11-2013 09:54 PM
I haven't been able to find out if those are the current conditions following the reopening of Nauru
It was reported that this year's riots caused $60mln damage.
16-11-2013 09:57 PM - edited 16-11-2013 09:57 PM
Those pics are recent, the tents I saw.
My grandchild arrived in Australia aged 18 months, she was born in London but is an Australian citizen by descent.
She needed to see a doctor soon after arriving but had no medicare card so had to pay $65. Not claimable on medicare. Same with meds, not subsidised.
It took the assistance of an MP to get her a medicare card as for some very obscure reason, she was not considered an Australian resident., despite having an Australian passport.
16-11-2013 09:57 PM - edited 16-11-2013 10:00 PM
I can see trouble in years ahead for Nauru and Manus Island if people that don't want to live there are forced to live there. Will they assimilate with the people already there? Will there be work for them?
I guess the option is not to travel on a boat to Australia and then you won't end up living there.
It took the assistance of an MP to get her a medicare card as for some very obscure reason, she was not considered an Australian resident., despite having an Australian passport.
That is odd, especially as I presume both her parents are Australian born?
The medicare person was mean to me when I first moved here I asked at one of their branches to apply for medicare cards and she said you may not be entitled etc. I had already checked that I/my family was entitled.
on 16-11-2013 10:01 PM
@am*3 wrote:Isn't the point/message of the current boat arrivals policy that if you get on a boat in Indonesia to travel to Australia you won't be able to settle here, you will be sent to Nauru or Manus Island.
That the accommodation and location are not ideal, is meant to be a deterrent for people. They are supposed to think, I don't want to live on Manus Island/Nauru for the rest of my life.. and not even bother to attempt to travel here... because there is no chance they will be able to settle in Australia.
It may take awhile for people planning to arrive by people smugglers boats, to realise they will not get to live in Australia. There were already people ready to travel on a boat from Indonesia to Australia when the 'goal posts' moved.
Julia Gillard got NZ to agree to take 150 of these people per year. However, the Abbott Govt says No.. it is Nauru or Manus Island.
Yes, that is the message. The ABC reported in August that some asylum seekers were demanding refunds from people smugglers.
The ABC has learnt some asylum seekers have asked for their money back from people smuggling agents, and have succeeded in getting a refund.
Asylum seekers tell the ABC it is mainly Iranians who are asking for refunds and are reportedly preparing to return back to their country, not willing to take the risk of ending up in PNG.
on 16-11-2013 10:06 PM
@azureline** wrote:Those pics are recent, the tents I saw.
My grandchild arrived in Australia aged 18 months, she was born in London but is an Australian citizen by descent.
She needed to see a doctor soon after arriving but had no medicare card so had to pay $65. Not claimable on medicare. Same with meds, not subsidised.
It took the assistance of an MP to get her a medicare card as for some very obscure reason, she was not considered an Australian resident., despite having an Australian passport.
That is really strange.
on 16-11-2013 10:20 PM
@topsidesoul wrote:
@my*mum wrote:
@izabsmiling wrote:EM, I am unhappy with the wider situation and attitude.
Unfortunately I feel that if these people and their childten had different faces,skin and religions.. more people in this Country would be willing to acknowledge that they are more than physical bodies and also more willing to look into what they have been and are going through.
Seems some have more compassion for our export Cattle than they do for other human beings and that recognising these humans as human isn't the in thing.
Are we returning children unassisted to some places as well?
Scott Morrison says mother and newborn could be sent back to Nauru
SCOTT MORRISON: All appropriate care is provided for people who are located in the offshore processing facility, she was brought to Australia to give birth to a child and she had other health complications that also necessitated her being brought to Australia for that purpose.
Now that is the process we follow, now if and when she is in a fit state to return to Nauru or Manus Island, and that will be assessed by doctors, then that's what will occur.
FELICITY OGILVIE: The Royal Australasian College of Physicians president-elect, Nicholas Talley, says there is a risk that the asylum seeker's children could die if they're sent offshore.
NICHOLAS TALLEY: Well malaria is a problem. Pregnant women of course - this woman's no longer pregnant, but pregnant women and also young children can't be given the medications that will help protect them from malaria and if they go to a high malaria environment then indeed they will be at risk.
And in fact the infant mortality is also an issue overall if you look at the infant mortality for example on Nauru, it's about seven times higher than in Australia. That's pretty significant.
FELICITY OGILVIE: The woman says that she's afraid that her infant or her young children might die because of the heat and food that's being served that's half cooked at times. Is that a possibility, could the children die?
NICHOLAS TALLEY: Certainly http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2013/s3887268.htm
Defence should also be wary of being forced into a position of having to defend deaths in detention, particularly of children. Officials in Immigration should be now giving frank and fearless advice because when the fan clogs up it will be them that Morrison seeks to blame for his transgressions.
a) none of this has anything to do with the OP
b) none of this has anything to do with race, colour or religion or any other form of discrimination.
c) we are looking into "what they have been and what they are going through" that's the whole idea behind processing those who seek asylum!
d) This woman put her own children at risk of Malaria. She chose to come here knowing that she would be transferred to an offshore detention centre.
e) To our knowledge, she did not become pregnant by force, she became pregnant and gave birth twice in Malaysia where malaria is a huge consideration and then chose to come here to do it again. NO ONE FORCED her
f) preventative measures for the prevention of malaria can begin once a child is 5 kg.
g) the woman and family have arrived after spending at least 10 years in malaria prone regions, how have they avoided infection so far?
h) is it a possibility that her children could die? She gave birth to them whilst in Detention in a malarian prone region. She put them on a boat and risked their lives just for a chance that they may be accepted into Australia. And now the responsibility is being passed onto the Australian government? C'mon hey!
i) her children are being used as a tool and a weapon to circumvent established procedures and protocols, just as ashjoma suggested that other persons seeking assylum may do.
j) felicity Ogilvie is a journalist, it is her job to dramatize and sensationalize situations and take them out of context and proportion, she is hardly a credible authority on the topic.
k) just read that story in the last link and absorb the manipulation that is occurring and has occurred. Exactly as ashjoma said does and will happen.
Have you been in a detention centre in Malaysia? Has anyone here
Nope, just opinionating about someone in another country in circumstances you will never have to deal with.
Your using of the phrases 'will' and 'may do' shows you are making assumptions, just as Felicvity is and while you are at it calling her over dramatic.
As a matter of fact, yes. yes I have. Somen Salangor and Umpium I have also visited a processing centre on the Thai/Burmese border (Ban Mai Nai Soi - 2 days after a new intake where one of the people was a little girl who had been shot in the thigh by Burmese soldiers as she and her family crossed the border with permission from the Burmese Govt, her mother was shot and killed in front of her during the attack, her father and brother received only minor injuries so could still help and carry the little girl for the two more days that it took them to reach Ban Mai) and had a bit of involvement for the past 7 years with refugee camps for the Karen, in Thailand at Mae Ra Ma Luang, Mae La Oon and Mae La.
obviously, as I was referring to future occurances when I used the terms "will" and "may do" as these were reported earlier in the thread by ashjoma. I made NO assumptions and have stuck to complete FACT throughout the thread.
on 16-11-2013 10:29 PM
@am*3 wrote:I can see trouble in years ahead for Nauru and Manus Island if people that don't want to live there are forced to live there. Will they assimilate with the people already there? Will there be work for them?
I guess the option is not to travel on a boat to Australia and then you won't end up living there.
It took the assistance of an MP to get her a medicare card as for some very obscure reason, she was not considered an Australian resident., despite having an Australian passport.
That is odd, especially as I presume both her parents are Australian born?
The medicare person was mean to me when I first moved here I asked at one of their branches to apply for medicare cards and she said you may not be entitled etc. I had already checked that I/my family was entitled.
LC was denied access to medicare and her private health insurance 5 years ago. She was born in australia. had lived in Australia for her entire life and has never left Australia. Her parents (The OH and I) were born in australia, and at least on her maternal side, the generations born in Australia date back to the second fleet! (Mary Fogg). I'm not positive about her father's side of the family, I think her grandparents were born in Australia, but her great grandparents were born in Scottland - I have no idea when, who or how they came to Aust.