Christmas Island refugees moved to Nauru

Wednesday, April 9, 2003 - 10:00

BY SARAH STEPHEN

According to Victorian Greens refugee spokesperson Pamela Curr, the three remaining asylum seekers on Christmas Island were secretly removed at 3am on March 25.

"A specially chartered plane came in from [Papua] New Guinea", she wrote, "and in the darkness three men were led on to it [with] their hands bound behind their backs for the transfer to Nauru."

Two of the men were Hazaras from Afghanistan. The third man is stateless, being born on land that was partitioned between India and Pakistan. One of the Hazara men left his wife buried on Christmas Island. She drowned during Operation Relex.

The department has scaled back plans for a refugee detention prison on Christmas Island capable of holding 1200 people to one which can hold 800. The immigration department has re-tendered for a contractor to build the new detention centre, which remains partially constructed. Construction will not be completed this year.

From Green Left Weekly, April 9, 2003.

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From GLW issue 533