[Nettime-bold] Caron Eliot: The Invisibles...in a foreign land, in a foreign town...

["geert lovink" <geert@xs4all.nl>]

Subject: The Invisibles...in a foreign land, in a foreign town...
From: Caron Eliot <caron_eliot@yahoo.com.au>
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2002 2:11 PM
 
SUMMARY:

20 refugees, men apprehended following the break-out from Woomera 
Detention Centre last Thursday on the fourth day of their hunger strike, 
are currently "at large" somewhere in the corrections services system of 
South Australia. In a repeat of a situation 3 weeks ago, the staff at 
the Adelaide Watchhouse, the maximum security holding cell facility next 
to the Magistrates Court, have been told to expect a group of asylum 
seekers, who then "disappear", apparently lost in the system of 
non-communication between various vectors of authority stretching down 
the Stuart Highway from Woomera to Port Augusta to Adelaide. The only 
certainty is the date of their court appearance in Adelaide, which is 
Thursday 4 July.

REPORT:

The first day of the new financial year, and the coldest morning in 
Adelaide since 1989, has also been a big day for various refugee issues. 
At 8.30am the Adelaide round of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity 
Commission's National Enquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 
commenced in Meeting Room B of the Hilton International, with evidence 
relating to nine submissions being presented. All presentations were 
public, excepting one by an ex-counsellor from Woomera, which was held 
"in camera". (Every witness can choose to make their submission in a 
closed setting, or HREOC can recommend this if there is a lot of 
detailed evidence naming detainees, or employees of DIMIA or ACM or 
other authorities).

The Head Commissioner, Mr Sey Ozdowski, seemed really cool with wise and 
compassionate court cred. He has a graceful way of elicting pertinent 
information from witnesses, who drew upon their first-hand experiences 
and areas of professional expertise to contribute to the macro and micro 
pictures of conditions in the Woomera Immigration Reception and 
Processing Centre. Of particular interest to the Commission is an 
understanding of the range and depth of potential harmful effects of 
these material circumstances on the intellectual, physical, social and 
emotional development of children in detention. Mr Ozdowski told me that 
he and his team had been in the middle of their 3 day field visit to 
Woomera when the break-out occurred. Despite copping some of the blame 
for the escape, they fortunately still managed to interview all detained 
families who have children. Mr Ozdowski said that the prevailing mood is 
"very despairing." Following tomorrow's hearings I will post a summary 
of submissions.

In the evening of 1 July a meeting of various refugee groups and 
networks was convened at the Pilgrim Church by South Australians For 
Justice for Refugees. The focus of the meeting was to decide upon 
specific strategic demands and supportive actions to be made rapidly in 
response to the escalating crisis of the hunger strike, now in its 
eighth day. Given that DIMIA and/or ACM have disconnected the 3 mobile 
phones which have been the only direct link to the refugees in Woomera, 
and that lawyers have been denied access to their clients for the past 
few days, it is next to impossible to have a feeling for what is 
happening inside the centre right now.

Watch this space for announcements of the actions -- some will start 
very soon. There is news just to hand of actions planned by groups in 
other states. And a report that Arabunna Elder, Kevin Buzzacott, has 
made a special visit to Port Augusta to put the word out that refugees 
are welcome in his country.

The final thing to report on tonight is the mysterious disappearance of 
20 refugees. The men, apprehended over the past few days following the 
break-out from Woomera Detention Centre last Thursday, are currently "at 
large" somewhere in the corrections services system of South Australia. 
People already dehumanised by the system of mandatory detention are now 
being reduced to the class of "the invisibles", in the system of Power 
and Politics being played out.

In a repeat of a similar situation 3 weeks ago, the staff at the 
Adelaide Watchhouse, a maximum security holding cell facility next to 
the Magistrates Court, had been told (by DIMIA?) to expect the refugees 
at 7.30pm. When I visited the Watchhouse at 9.30pm the men still hadn't 
turned up, apparently lost in the system of non-communication between 
various vectors of authority. In fact the sergeant on duty asked me to 
let them know if I found anything out.

A phone call to a very disinterested and unhelpful Phil Easterbrook, 
Shift Manager at Woomera (08-8673-7007), yielded the information that he 
didn't have a clue and that they (ACM presumably) were always the last 
to know anything about the detainees. I then contacted the Port Augusta 
gaol (08-8648-5400) and spoke to Colin Grantham, the Officer-in-Charge, 
who was friendly enough but told me he couldn't give me any information 
and that I would need to wait till 9am to speak with the Manager, Steve 
Simmonds. He said that he wouldn't be able to give the Watchhouse staff 
any info either. Strange. He did at least tell me that the men were very 
much alive.

I returned to the Watchhouse (conveniently located round the corner from 
my home) and had a yarn with that mob. Luckily the *good cop* was on 
duty. We talked about the fact that the men might still be on a hunger 
strike, and that they were quite possibly suffering from depression. He 
explained that they don't have medical staff in the Watchhouse but that 
after people are checked in they are examined by a locum. And if people 
require medical assistance during their confinement they will receive 
it. If anyone wants to send a message of support to the refugees please 
email me.

The only certainty is the date of their court appearance in Adelaide, 
which is Thursday 4 July.


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