Thread: Fijian detainee jumps to his death at Australian centre

Fijian detainee jumps to his death at Australian centre
20 September 2010


Verifying asylum seekers' right to remain in Australia can take 90 days or more

A Fijian man died after jumping from the roof of an Australian immigration centre hours before he was to be deported, refugee advocates say.

Josefa Rauluni, 36, had been held at Sydney's Villawood detention centre since 17 August, officials said.

An immigration spokesman said the "circumstances surrounding his death are not yet clear" and described his death as a "tragic incident".

The death has sparked a rooftop protest by Sri Lankan asylum seekers.

A group of up to seven Sri Lankan asylum seekers in their 20s has climbed the same building and are threatening to kill themselves, says refugee advocate Saradha Nathan.

"They are threatening to jump because they want confirmation from immigration that their applications are processed appropriately," Ms Nathan was quoted by The Australian as saying.

"This morning's incident was just too close to their reality."

The Refugee Action Coalition group said detainees at the centre said the Mr Rauluni had "thrown himself from the rooftop" of a building inside the 300-person compound.

He had been scheduled to be deported along with a younger relative, thought to be his nephew.

"The death of the Fijian man has thrown a stark light on mandatory detention and conditions inside the detention centres," said Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul.

Mr Rauluni's death follows a series of suicide attempts and hunger strikes in Australian detention centres this year.

Earlier this month more than 80 asylum seekers broke out of a detention centre in the city of Darwin to stage a protest at conditions.

Under current Australian government policy, those who arrive by boat without valid documents are taken into immigration detention on Christmas Island or to centres on the mainland while their reasons for being in the country are verified.

So far during 2010 authorities have stopped boats carrying about 4,000 asylum seekers.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is in talks over opening a regional processing centre for refugees in neighbouring East Timor.

bbc.co.uk

Things must be real bad if you kill yourself because you can't become Australian.

Thank God I have the best passport in the World, a British one.

No great loss. Another 49 arrived by boat today.

If they expect sympathy they should apply for migration like everyone else.

All this asylum thing is a scam. Are Fijians subjected to persecution ?

Foking wankers rocking up in boats and expect a walk up start in Australia.

Fok em, Apply legally like every other bastard has to and wait your turn.

The truth being that the dudes know that if they jump off the roof and don't kill themselves they get to stay in Aussy until they are recuperated. The aim is to fok themselves up but not kill themselves.

Slippery bunch of tossers at best.

Funny how they all sail to Aussie but never bother with any off the Asians countries.
Fokers would be shot before they hit land.

We should adopt that policy.

Originally Posted by Mid

So far during 2010 authorities have stopped boats carrying about 4,000 asylum seekers.

4000?

effen hell, suggest they give them taller buildings to threaten to jump off, and give them every encouragement.

Originally Posted by Mid

A group of up to seven Sri Lankan asylum seekers in their 20s has climbed the same building and are threatening to kill themselves, says refugee advocate Saradha Nathan.

Go for it.

Originally Posted by terry57

Foking wankers rocking up in boats and expect a walk up start in Australia.

Fok em, Apply legally like every other bastard has to and wait your turn.

The truth being that the dudes know that if they jump off the roof and don't kill themselves they get to stay in Aussy until they are recuperated. The aim is to fok themselves up but not kill themselves.

Slippery bunch of tossers at best.

Funny how they all sail to Aussie but never bother with any off the Asians countries.
Fokers would be shot before they hit land.

We should adopt that policy.

I believe those romantic notions of sailing in might be a note for fanciers of history, for most all understand how that turned out with the coming of the first wave of sailors to wash up upon the golden shores of OZ.

I know they had a military coup some time back in Fiji, but I didn't realize that things were so bad there that the locals would rather kill themselves than be sent back. Maybe he had upset the military guys there and feared for his life if he were sent back.

Simon

if you open this link there's a video - my connection too slow to open. It says some have been in detention for over a year so I guess easy to understand things getting a bit angry - either you're 'in' or you're 'out' they'd be better to get them offshore the same day they land.
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Sydney Morning Herald: Villawood detainees continue rooftop protest

Villawood detainees continue rooftop protest
September 21, 2010 - 8:46AM

Eleven detainees are continuing their protest on top of the roof of Sydney's Villawood detention centre.

The men, believed to be nine Sri Lankan Tamils, one Afgahn and one Iraqi, climbed onto the detention centre roof yesterday afternoon after a Fijian man fell to his death in front of other detainees just hours before he was due to be deported.

This morning, the men appear to be in heated negotiations with a group of people standing below.

Detainees protest on the roof of Villawood detention centre this morning.

At least one of the men appears to have cut himself and smeared his blood on a banner with the words "we need help and freedom".

Another banner on the roof read: "We are humans. Stop murder. Stop immigration. Crime."

A Department of Immigration spokesman said: ‘‘They are quite calm, not aggravated - negotiating to have their cases here as opposed to threatening to jump off the roof.

"No one has jumped or is threatening to jump. There has been no substantial change overnight.’’

Refugee advocate Sara Nathan says the asylum seekers, whose refugee claims have also reportedly been rejected, say they've threatened to take their own lives first.

Ms Nathan said the men had not eaten since 1pm yesterday.

"All they want is for their application to be revealed by either the UNHCR or the department of immigration."

She said the Tamils were not given legal assistance when they lodged their refugee applications and believed the forms were not processed properly.

Ms Nathan said some of them have been in detention for more than a year.

they live better at villawood than they do where they come from what's the complaint

He finally got his way, they won't deport him now but may install a stepladder to the roof.