by Val Campbell, Melbourne, Australia
Also posted at http://www.safecom.org.au/lombok-campbell.htm
When writing about the Afghan Asylum Seekers stranded in Lombok, Indonesia, I am not referring to the past or providing detailed information about how they came to be there. This has all been covered in documents which are all available on the Internet (Search Engine + Lombok Refugees), especially the transcript of the Four Corners program and other progress reports on Australia s and IOM supervision of these people. Particularly graphic are the reports, which outline the failed attempts of these desperate people to reach asylum in Australia and their subsequent five-year detention in a camp/compound in Lombok. Whilst these people are not locked behind bars and razor wire, they are effectively economically imprisoned by their inability to leave the island and not being permitted to work. These background documents make fascinating and heart-rending reading and explain in detail the horrifying experiences that these people have survived. I write this as a refugee support activist and a volunteer at the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre in Melbourne where I teach English to people new to Australia who are on temporary protection visas and thus denied government funded English lessons. There are 55 Afghan, 43 Iraqi and 21 Vietnamese in Lombok at the time of writing. Of the 54 Afghans, are 15 children aged from 1 14 years. There are many more Afghan and Iraqi asylum seekers in Jakarta, plus 107 from Sri Lanka, 14 from Burma.
Lombok
I write this sitting outside my hotel room at Sengiggi, Lombok. Today I will go on a motorbike as a passenger to visit the Afghan Asylum Seekers at Mataram, which is around 20 k. from where I am staying. I go to meet Mohammad who is my contact. I have been emailing with him for a few months, and received an invitation to visit. I am hoping to talk with the Afghan people in the camp, to deliver a bag of toys and games for the children, to take photographs, and perhaps to bring messages from them back to their relatives in Australia. At least fifteen of the 55 Afghan asylum seekers have close family members who are already living in Australia, most who have received permanent residency.
Motorbike taxi is the cheapest way to get around Lombok, or most of South East Asia for that matter. Arriving at the address provided - I had been warned by the motorcycle driver that it was a "poor people's area", I was grateful to have the driver with me to translate, and to find the section of the compound when the Afghan people are housed. It didn't take long, and I found Mohammad easily. We talked in general terms about me and my two travelling companions (2 Melbourne women) making a longer visit the next day. I gave Mohammad a bag of toys for the children, and messages of goodwill and cash donations from two organizations in Melbourne. We made an arrangement that I would return with my party, my tape recorder and camera, and spend time in the camp in the afternoon, and to visit the Iraqi camp, a short distance away.
Next afternoon we hired a bemo (a cheap form of transport, like a covered ute with seats along each side) and were dropped at the camp. Mohammad took us to an empty room - no seats - but red carpet on the floor, so we all sat around on the red carpet. This room is the meeting room and learning room at the camp. Around twenty Afghan men came in to meet me, and my two companions. We started the pleasantries, and were joined by little Ali, 5 years old, and other small children came in and out to receive cuddles from their dads and to see what was going on.
These men told us that most of them had relatives in Australia - Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. That is the major reason they want to seek asylum in Australia, to re-connect with family, and to life in a safe, stable place. All the time we were talking, little Ali was moving from man to man receiving cuddles and attention; it was not possible to work out who was his father all of these men were so loving towards him. These men said that their relatives in Australia are also working to get these Afghan refugees to Australia, and that they have regular communication by email. (Internet use is very cheap in Mataram, it is only expensive in tourist areas like Sengiggi). I asked them "what place would you like to go to" - and they replied Afghanistan, but they know that they cannot return there it is because it is too dangerous, and may be too precarious to re-enter for a long time for them. These asylum seekers are mostly Hazara ethnic group. It is now known that the few Afghans who were misled into taking the $2000 and returning there have been killed or never been heard of again. The Taliban is on the rise again, and these people would be immediately exterminated or incarcerated for becoming asylum seekers if they were forcibly returned or returned voluntarily. These men did indicate that they would go to any country that would have them, and had heard good reports about New Zealand, but expressed their ultimate goal as Australia because of the family reunion aspect.
Regarding life in Mataram, I was advised that the first year there was pretty awful, as the Lombokians although Muslim were quite hostile as they feared the asylum seekers, particularly I guess because of the shortage of work in Lombok. But over time they have come to recognize that these are good living, non-violent people, who cannot attempt to take jobs, the locals are pleasant and quite supportive of the camp people. Also the Afghans have learned the Indonesian language, and people in Lombok appreciate it if you converse with them in Indonesian. The camp is not far from the large Mataram market where the daily food is obtained, so there is some social interaction with locals in the market situation. People in the camp live mostly on rice, a little vegetable, and occasionally a little fish, chicken or meat. Some families make their own Afghan-type bread. Most families have a little gas cooker, some have an old refrigerator, and a little furniture, but mostly people sit and sleep on the floor.
After lengthy and detailed questions and answers and further discussion it became resoundingly clear that the major objective of these people IS TO OBTAIN WORK. Their work ethic is strong, as they want to obtain work and earn money so that they can give their families, especially their young children, adequate food, clothing and education. They are not particularly complaining about their living conditions in Mataram (although their conditions and food are very low level); they told us that they are becoming psychologically affected by the thwarted efforts to reach Australian shores in boats - being turned back 3 times - and having their cases decided. They are going stir-crazy not having work to do.
These people have skills to offer. Amongst them are cabinet maker, TV mechanic, drivers, shoe-maker, electro-mechanic, painter, body builder, pilot, computer operator, and most of the men seem to have cooking and child-care experience.
The women have skills also - dressmaker, cook, handicraft, hairdresser. Ironically Australia has just been reported as importing guest workers from the Philippines for hairdressing and restaurant work. All of the Afghan women of course have childcare and cooking experience, and have the capacity to manage on very small income to keep their families fed and clothed. Here are people wanting to enter Australia as permanent new citizens, who possess the skills Australia needs and they are denied asylum for who knows what reason. Many of these people speak a little English, and a few speak fluent English. Particularly poignant was meeting an older woman with the most beautiful expressive face who implored me to help her to get to Australia to be reunited with her son and her grandchildren who live in an outer suburb of Melbourne. "I want to see my son and my grandchildren before I die" she explained, and the tears welled in her eyes. She has not seen her son for over five years. In my view these people would make fantastic immigrants to Australia, with the added enhancement of family reunion possibilities.
How do these people live? International Organization of Migration (IOM) who is paid by the Australian Government provides the basic accommodation. The Afghan people receive a few large bottles of water per family each week (in Lombok purified water must be used). They receive a few $USD a week for food. However since it costs money for the children to go to school, this money is cut by those who make it a priority to send the kids to school; therefore the family budget suffers, and the diet is meagre and meat perhaps once per month, eggs one per week. They have two meals per day, mostly rice and a bit of vegetable, sometimes a little dried fish. They make their own roti bread, and drink weak black tea. They are not locked in, they can go to the local Mataram market for food, and it is very cheap but still their payment does not cover expenses. There is no money for new clothes for the adults. Some of the families have a rented TVs as their families in Australia send a little money to help with the children, or will send money to buy them an old TV, so that they have something to do. Their living conditions are one family to a large room, with no furniture and a bathroom behind the room with a squat toilet and mandi (bath) no hot water (no flush toilet). Some families have obtained mattresses - on the floor - a few had obtained beds with mattresses - and a few had a table and a few chairs, but mostly eating and family life means sitting in circles on the floor or the fence outside the compound. Most of the rooms are built around a square concrete area, and the families live next to each other. Mohammad - after arriving in Lombok at age 17, has taught himself to speak Indonesian and English. He runs English classes for the other Afghan refugees, two hours per day.
I asked to spend time with the women alone, to chat about their problems in raising children in the camp, and their day-to-day routines and experiences in the camp. They came to the room bringing tea for our refreshment. The atmosphere in the room changed, and the room was suddenly full of very gentle and friendly faces, very beautiful female faces framed by headscarves and soft folds of material.
We talked about life as an asylum seeker. They talked about their experiences on the failed freedom boat trips from Indonesia to Ashmore Reef, and the awful rejection and treatment they received at the hands of the Australian Navy personnel. They talked about their five years in detention, mothers of children dealing with everyday problems of illness, traumatized children and husbands, too little money to make appealing meals, no resources to make clothing or craft items, their despair about the worsening psychological being of their menfolk as they become increasingly affected by not being permitted to work. They talked about the kids crying to go out to walk and play; they can't afford to go on outings. The kids are scared to be out in the streets because of fear of the police, or any person in uniform.
These women think that Australia is full of optimism, wealth and human kindness. They know however that although there are many Afghan people in Australia, they mostly are not wealthy and cannot send much money. Their hope is to be admitted as asylum seekers awaiting family reunion. I kept seeing images of Minister Vanstone's face, and had to restrain myself from conveying any semblance of hope. Ashamedly, I had to tell these people that even if they were admitted to Australia, they could possibly be sent to detention centers, which would be worse than living in Mataram as they would not be free to go in and out. They said this would be worth it if eventually they would be given permanency and be allowed to work, and be reunited with family in Australia. These people wanted me to say to Australians "please help us". They pleaded: "please do not forget us". How could I, was my thought. These people and their warmth, poignant expressions on their faces, expressive eyes, their hope despite their circumstances, will be unforgettable.
Re the Iraqi and Vietnamese asylum seekers, and three Iranian refugees originally on Lombok. These three Iranians were moved to Lombok from Sitibonda (Java) by IOM. And the Iraqis apparently are soon to be moved to Jakarta, but the detention in Sitibonda is closed now, so their destination is not know. We were just about to visit the Iraqi camp in Mataram, a short distance away, when a huge 4Wdrive vehicle pulled up at the entrance of the school room where we were standing. There was one uniformed man, who stated he was from the (Lombok) Immigration Police, accompanied by two (Javanese) women officers from IOM who proceeded to interrogate me about our purpose in visiting the camp. This was an extraordinary experience, and quite intimidating for the women and children who had just been chatting with us. "Give me your passport" was the policeman's greeting. "Actually I don't have it with me", I replied, "it is at the hotel, but I'm more than happy to show it to you if you wish to accompany me to there". The women took over and explained that we had to have permission to visit the camp. "How would I know that" I replied, there is no notice at the entrance to the compound, and I had never been advised that permission is necessary. "What are you doing here" they asked, "we have had reports that you are holding meetings and giving lectures". (A spy in or near the camp?) I replied that I was simply a social visitor visiting a friend of a friend from Melbourne. They wanted to know what I was talking about with the Afghan people. I replied that we had been chatting with the women about caring for their children and food and recipes. One of my companions piped up and said "what is all the fuss about, we are just three grandmothers from Melbourne, visiting to deliver toys.". After some time the cross examination petered out and I think they concluded that we were pretty harmless. We were then offered a lift back to our hotel (a firm offer to leave immediately), which we gracefully accepted (me thinking, how pleased I was to "escape" without my backpack with notes, tape recorder, digital camera and etc. being searched).
On the drive back to our hotel in the huge vehicle, the two IOM officers talked in negative claims about how psychologically damaged, depressed and troublesome these refugees are, and how their job is to "look after them" and how they don't want visitors to come and raise expectations and hopes. Yes, yes I agreed, I fully understand. They even stated that my contact, M. was a troublemaker, and in fact had led a hunger strike two years previously. (My, my, I thought, good onya M. I'm sure you had good cause.) This is the organization paid by the Australian people to provide shelter and care to these refugees under the UN conventions. Cripes, I thought, with friends like these...! They were (I'm sure) pleased to ascertain that we were leaving the next morning to get the ferry back to Bali, and we were dropped inside the hotel gates with best wishes for a safe journey, and without bothering to look at my passport.
That evening, we just happened (!) to meet up with two of our Afghan friends, M & one of his mates, in the main street of Sengiggi. (We had previously agreed to take a parcel back to Australia - a gift from one of the families to his brother and family in Melbourne.) They had borrowed a motorbike and come across to Sengiggi. This was good as we were able to de-brief the afternoon's incident, and we found the IOM officers had not been completely honest. They had told us that they are at the camp every day to check on the welfare of the residents. In fact, they only visit there about once a month, and are generally not available at other times (unless a "spy" reports unauthorized visitors to the camp, of course). It was great to have a chat with these two guys away from the camp, and we said our farewells in good spirits.
Melbourne - Australia's most livable city?
A few weeks after returning from Indonesia, I phoned and made arrangements to visit the brother whose contact details I had been given. I wanted to deliver the parcel (which apparently didn't contain any sort of bomb, as it passed customs at both Denpasar and Melbourne).
Off I went to South Narre Warren, about outer, outer suburb of Melbourne, to search for M's brother's house. Down the Princes Highway, turning right at Hallam, miles and miles south, then winding roads, finally finding the street. Not been there before, couldn't believe the thousands of little houses on small blocks miles from anywhere. No place to survive without a car, unless you are a long distance walker, I thought. Narre Warren is Kath & Kim country isn't it? but these houses are definitely smaller than that shown in their TV show, and the blocks of land are so tiny. These were definitely low-income housing. Knocking on the door of a new-ish, house with an immaculate garden, I was immediately ushered in and was seated. I was in a small, spotless house, with a little furniture and a colourful carpet. The family said they were very happy to be living there. The man worked in a factory near Dandenong, and the children were doing well at their schools. Social activities were possible, as there are quite a few Afghan people living around the area. They were delighted to receive the parcel and looked at my photos. It transpired that this man at Narre Warren was the son of the older lady I mentioned before, and when seeing the photos the emotion on his face and the face of his lovely wife was very moving. I met all of their five children, and thought what wonderful Afghan-Australians they will be. So well mannered and pleasant, and beautiful faces. I also met the best friend of the brother at Lombok, who had come around to meet me and see the photos. On leaving, the wife gave me a little hand made tablemat as a gesture of appreciation of my visit, and I left them copies of the photographs I had taken in Lombok.
I've been thinking about these people ever since, and often look at the photographs. Whilst it is fine that I can keep in touch with M. and be updated about what is happening, it is so frustrating to not be able to offer any hope. Why, why does it have to be like this. The contradiction of shortages of labour in Australia, and these people wanting to join family here and WORK, what is the problem?? I know my analysis of this situation may be judged as unsophisticated, but I do know that these asylum seekers cannot return to Afghanistan. It is simply too dangerous, and these people would be killed or persecuted. They deserve better. They are not queue jumpers, there was no queue to join. They are genuine asylum seekers who have risked their lives more than once to find a safe and better place for themselves and their children. It is simply absurd that Australia continues to pay the IOM to keep these people out of Australia and even more disgusting that they would offer money to encourage them return to unsafe home countries. The Lombok asylum seekers must be supported to come to Australia to be with their families and other people who have fled intolerable situations in their home country.
Val Campbell
(received 17 September 2006
