Conferences & public forums
Boorloo/Perth & Walyalup/Fremantle
When
7:00pm Friday 19 November
Where
Rabble Books & Games
2/46 Eighth Ave
Maylands WA 6051
AustraliaWhy
We invite you to attend this event promoting Jaivet Ealom's 'Escape From Manus'. We will have the privilege of hearing from Jaivet and sharing some excerpts from the book.
"Born and raised in Burma as a Rohingya Muslim, Jaivet Ealom was a minority. The Rohingya were not recognised by Myanmar as Indigenous citizens: their access to education was blocked; they weren’t permitted to learn the Burmese language; they were largely imprisoned in their own communities and were heavily regimented. While Jaivet was able to cheat the system and escape his hometown to obtain three years of university education, his status as a Rohingya meant he couldn’t progress any further, or even actually graduate. At this time, sectarian violence erupted in his home state, where Rohingya villages were attacked and burned to the ground. Many of his family members were rounded up and imprisoned. Jaivet’s safest option would be to leave his homeland altogether.
Hearing from others also escaping the violence about a compassionate country, Jaivet decided to try to seek asylum in Australia. He embarked on a perilous journey involving two boat trips, one in which the boat nearly sank and a child drowned, and the other where passengers were caught at sea for days.
Instead of being rescued, they ended up on Christmas Island, mere days after Australian law changed; people who now arrived on Australian territory by boat, without a visa, would be held in detention and would be not eligible to claim asylum. A third wave of genocide had begun in his homeland; returning to Burma was not an option.
Jaivet spent five months on Christmas Island before being transferred to Manus Island, where he was detained for three and a half years. Manus Island locals were told that detainees were hardened
criminals, too dangerous to be housed in Australia; their resentment and hatred was apparent in their treatment of detainees. Tensions were high; when they came to a boiling point violence erupted, where Jaivet, along with many others, were beaten and severely injured. They did not receive medical attention for days. Jaivet’s physical and mental health eroded, and he lost his faith altogether. As time dragged on, and his claim for refugee status was denied – without even being interviewed – he decided his only hope was to escape from Manus Island.
criminals, too dangerous to be housed in Australia; their resentment and hatred was apparent in their treatment of detainees. Tensions were high; when they came to a boiling point violence erupted, where Jaivet, along with many others, were beaten and severely injured. They did not receive medical attention for days. Jaivet’s physical and mental health eroded, and he lost his faith altogether. As time dragged on, and his claim for refugee status was denied – without even being interviewed – he decided his only hope was to escape from Manus Island.
Years of watching the television show Prison Break inspired the harrowing trek Jaivet then undertook: a six month odyssey by air, foot and boat, from Manus Island to his eventual arrival in Canada, where the paperwork for his claim for asylum immediately begun at the airport. Jaivet was able to finally find peace and settle in a country that recognised his torment and plight, acknowledging the harrowing experiences he had been through and seeing him as more than a number.
Escape from Manus is incredibly confronting, gripping and powerful reading, and is the story of one man’s strength and determination to survive in horrendous conditions and beat the odds, Jaivet Ealom is nothing short of inspiring and his story will leave you in awe of the human spirit."
Books will be available for purchase and light refreshments will be available.