ENDEAVOUR HILLS HALLAM DOVETON
endeavourhillshallamdoveton.starcommunity.com.au
/DandenongJournal
Tuesday, 16 May, 2023
@StarJournal_SE
Shawlands killer jailed
New ‘voice’ launch
EFL weekend wrap
PAGE 3
PAGE 5
PAGE 11
PAGE 26
12496498-DL22-21
Teen’s dream debut
40¢ Inc. GST
‘Tortured’ by life By Cam Lucadou-Wells “It’s like living in an open prison.” Sathees is one of five Tamil asylum seekers in Melbourne’s South East who has spoken out to Star News. The men are among a seemingly ‘forgotten’ cohort of asylum seekers in Australia. They have been in Australia for more than a decade. Their applications to settle here are in a seemingly endless review. Sathees and the other four are in their thirties, and should be in the prime of their lives. But instead they are ekeing an existence with little income, living in crowded sharehouses and even garages with no heating, and without basic privileges such as Medicare. “You don’t have any freedoms,” Sathees says. “You are under detention even when you are out. You can’t decide what you’re doing in the future because the Government and Immigration is holding it up. “They are torturing.” In February, the Federal Government announced a permanent visa pathway for more than 19,000 holders of Temporary Protection Visas and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas, a department spokesperson said. It was welcome news for temporary visa holders, many of whom are Sri Lankan (2223). But another 1657 applicants are still being processed or reviewed in courts – nearly half of which are in Victoria. Among them, the second-highest cohort are Sri Lankan (245), only behind Iran (519). Most of the Sri Lankans are believed to be in the South East. One of the men Nige says: “After Covid, everything has got expensive. Only a few people can survive like this. “So many young men have heart attacks. At 30-35 years old, they’re depressed, alcoholic and stressed. They suicide or harm themselves because they don’t know and it’s hard to survive.
Sri Lankan asylum seekers Sathees, Nige, Lenny, Dinesh and Roger with refugee advocate Wicki Wickiramasingham, second right. 333981 Picture: CAM LUCADOU-WELLS “When people hear our stories, they are shocked.” Nige fled by boat in 2009, leaving behind his wife and three-year-old son. He’s desperate for a permanent visa in the hope of reuniting with his family – heartbreakingly, he hasn’t since seen his now 17-year-old son except via video calls. He spent six years in detention at Christmas Island, Villawood and Maribyrnong. As part of a “cruel” detention, he was “caged” in what felt like a “shoebox”, fed the same food that after a
time he couldn’t bear to eat. “We don’t know when we will be released – we can’t do anything, we don’t know anything You can’t imagine what they were going to say in Canberra.” Other friends declined into depression, exploded into screaming, self-harmed and took their lives. Some were detained for up to 10 years. On his release, he’s applied and re-applied for a series of temporary visas for the past seven years. Some friends who came by boat have
got permanent visas, while others languish like him for no apparent reason. Others were welcome in Australia on working visas while asylum seekers are shunted aside. “It’s a bull-s*** process. “I feel confused where I am – same as in the detention centre. “It doesn’t matter if it’s ‘blue’ or ‘red’ in Government, the policy is the same. Everyone kicks you like a political football. Continued page 2
BOOK YOUR FUNCTION TODAY. Phone 9582 4600
mulgravecc.com.au • Mulgrave Country Club Cnr Wellington & Jells Road Wheelers Hill 12575057-MS02-23