1240 asylum seekers on hunger strike in WA
By Sean Healy
Green Left Weekly has learned that 1240 asylum seekers detained at the Curtin air base in Derby, far-north Western Australia, are on hunger strike to protest against the conditions in which they are being detained.
A letter smuggled out of the camp by one of the detainees claims that the asylum seekers have been cruelly treated by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.
Most of the detainees have arrived by sea from the Middle East in the past six months. Under new laws passed in November, even those deemed to fit the tight criteria for refugee status will be granted only temporary visas. Others will simply be deported to their country of departure.
The letter claims that refugees have been on hunger strike since February 2 "because of very bad behaviour and treatment of DIMA". "We are suffering inside the camp. Where is human rights?", the letter asks. "Please help us. We will die if nobody comes to help us."
Green Left Weekly's source said that there has been contact between authorities at the base and officials in Canberra, and that officials are prepared to use their powers under mental health legislation to force-feed the hunger strikers.