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Family want Great Grandmother out of Detention Alive Not Dead
by Media release
Thursday May 12, 2005 at 11:32 PM
The Melbourne based family of a frail 74 year old Vietnamese Asylum seeker Great Grandmother. Mrs Thi Tu Nguyen, held in detention since July 2003, say they want her out of detention "alive not dead". While the sister of the wrongfully deported mentally ill women, Vivian Alvarez (Solon), demanded the Federal Government get her sister back dead or alive, the Melbourne based family of the fragile Great Grandmother are pleading the Immigration Minister intervene quickly and grant the Great Grandmother her wish to die in freedom in Australia.
During recent visits to Mrs Thi Tu Nguyen, Perth based refugee advocate Mrs Kaye Bernard says, "I have witnessed the old women sobbing while she told me in a matter of fact way through an interpreter that she believes she will die soon. Thi Tu is withering and she is losing hope in seeing her daughter who has lived in Melbourne for 10 years. I can't understand why the Minister does not simply grant the old lady a humanitarian visa and stop this senseless cruelty."
Mrs Bernard said, "The Refugee Review tribunal has recently declared Mrs Nguyens great granddaughter 'Baby Amy', Refugee status and the Minister granted Amy's parents humanitarian visas, so it would be reasonable for the Minister to act swiftly to allow this family to be together in the final days of Thi Tu's life."
Mrs Nguyen is subject to a renewed RRT hearing after Immigration conceded that the first unfavorable RRT judgment was bungled. The length of time for the bureaucratic processes and length of time for judgments to be handed down may not come in time for Mrs Nguyen.
Mrs Nguyen has today met with DIMIA officials today and asked through interpreters for her release from detention after nearly 2 years, in a last ditched effort to succeed in her wish to spend her last days with her family in Melbourne.
Senator Andrew Bartlett said of his meeting with Thi Tu late April "She is very frail and was very sad – she looked far less healthy than when I saw her in November. "
Sue Hoffman, from the WA Refugee Alliance said about Mrs Nguyen, "Why is visiting this lady (in detention) so very very sad? Because she is tiny, helpless, old, frail, frightened. And for her life to end like this, in this kind of place, under guard. And because its completely unnecessary. Her incarceration achieves nothing."
Australia's immigration detention camps have been condemned by international human rights groups - and hit by riots, escapes and suicide bids as asylum seekers become frustrated at delays in hearing cases.
In Federal Parliament, the Opposition used the Alvarez (Solon) case to again press for a royal commission into the immigration detention system, with Opposition leader Kim Beazley accusing the Government of chronic and arrogant indifference - charges rejected by the Prime Minister.
More Information:
http://www.nauruwire.org/christmas.htm
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