November 2, 2012
Bianca Hall
An
asylum seeker on Nauru described the environment on the island as ‘‘like a
mental hospital’’. Photo: Joe
Armao
Despair
on Nauru is escalating, with asylum seekers claiming 276 men are now taking
part in a mass hunger strike, up from 170 on Thursday.
The
Department of Immigration said a group of asylum seekers was continuing its
peaceful protest, but it was impossible to confirm how many were involved
because the number of people involved kept fluctuating.
Reports
from Nauru said an Iranian man has been on a hunger strike for 22 days, while
an Afghan man was hospitalised this afternoon after taking part in a hunger
strike.
An
asylum seeker on Nauru, who asked not to be named, told Fairfax in a phone
interview that the environment was ''like a mental hospital'', and the
uncertainty was damaging detainees' mental health.
''You
can suppose it is like a mental hospital, because this is, they were okay,
these guys were okay, but this environment are making them mental, making them
crazy. So because of these things we just cannot see this situation so they've
decided to start a hunger strike.''
The
man said asylum seekers continued to ask officials when their claims for
refugee status would be processed, but officials were unable to give them
timelines.
''This
camp, I think, this is not suitable for anyone. We are humans. I don't think
that an animal can survive this.''
A
group of asylum seekers has set up a Facebook page to reach out to the
Australian public.
They
wrote: ''As a human being in this critical condition, we are not being given
the fair treatment, which affect us physically and mentally. This bitter
reality torture us 24 hours means all days. In our home land we were in a
danger of being tortured physically, but here we are facing mental tortured
which are effecting us mentally.''
On
the page, it was claimed that three people had fallen unconscious from hunger.
Meanwhile,
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen announced that 26 Sri Lankans who had arrived
in Australia over the past week were sent home on Thursday night,
after failing to make any claims for Australian protection.
''Clearly,
we're seeing people smugglers selling a product, telling people that even if
they're not refugees, even if they want to move for economic purposes, that
they can get a visa in Australia,'' Mr Bowen said.
''Now
we have seen, since August 13 – the announcement of our suite of measures –
either a reduction or a stabilisation in the number of asylum seekers from most
countries – from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran – but we've continued to see an
increase from Sri Lanka.
''So
we'll continue to take the steps necessary to ensure that people in Sri Lanka
are very, very clear – very, very clear – that people cannot come to Australia
with non-genuine claims of asylum and they will be returned swiftly after their
arrival.''
