{"id":959,"date":"2013-03-27T21:11:00","date_gmt":"2013-03-27T10:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org\/?p=959"},"modified":"2013-03-27T21:11:00","modified_gmt":"2013-03-27T10:11:00","slug":"plea-from-a-man-inside-mita-detention-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\/?p=959","title":{"rendered":"Plea from a man inside MITA Detention Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE STORY OF MY LIFE IN DETENTION – A WORTHLESS HUMAN BEING<\/strong><\/p>\n

Please let me relate my story in the hope that I could solicit your support to bring some meaning to my life.\u00a0 At present, after 37 months in detention, I feel that I am “a worthless human being”, to my beloved wife and daughter; a daughter, who I have not seen, except in photographs.<\/p>\n

I was able to share my love and affection with my wife for eleven (11) months, who I left when she was two months pregnant.\u00a0 I was not there to give her hand through her pregnancy, nor did I have the opportunity to be at her side when giving birth, and the opportunity to hold my daughter when she was born.<\/p>\n

My beloved daughter is now two and half (2 1\/2) years old, and has not had the opportunity of a cuddle, nor the warm embrace of a father; all she only hears is my voice intertwined with emotional cries of my unfailing love for her.\u00a0 After my daily calls to my beloved wife and daughter, I stay awake in bed unable to sleep.\u00a0 There are days when my emotions become uncontrollable, and I cry fulfilled with the shame that I have become “a worthless human being”\u00a0 and not a husband to my wife and a father to my daughter.\u00a0 These days bring mixed messages to my mind, where I think death would be better.<\/p>\n

The 37 months in detention has physically and mentally affected me to function as a normal human being, as detailed in a report by my Counselor at Foundation House.\u00a0 This is a true reflection of a human being affected by 37 months in detention in combination with the effects of war in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

May, I now take you through my journey in detention in Australia and the many hurdles I have faced in trying to be recognised as a refugee, denied a bridging visa and community detention, which is as follows:<\/p>\n

I left\u00a0Sri Lanka to escape from the clutches of the armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the hope of finding safety in Australia.\u00a0 I arrived in Australia on\u00a0the 1st of March 2010 at Christmas Island (CI), and was kept in detention in CI until March 2011.<\/p>\n

Whilst I was in CI, I was subjected to numerous interviews, that were like investigations, by Immigration, and had my case rejected, as well as by an Independent Reviewer. I was denied recognition as a “refugee”.\u00a0 I could not comprehend this decision, and became physically and mentally affected in trying to understand the process of fairness and equity, in the assessment of a person as a refugee, as I saw people of other nationalities getting visas and leaving CI in a short time and I being denied refugee status.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, when I was rejected by Immigration and the Independent Reviewer, I was advised that it was safe for me to \u00a0to return to Sri Lanka.\u00a0 On the contrary, Sri Lanka was not safe; people who were returned went missing, killed by the armed forces.\u00a0 The thought of been sent back to Sri Lanka, began to affect me psychologically.<\/p>\n

In February 2011 I wrote to the Minister of Immigration and provided additional information and evidence in support of my case.\u00a0 In March 2011, when I arrived in Queensland, I stayed there for eight months and applied to the Courts to have my case reviewed two times, without success.\u00a0 After the Courts rejected my case I wrote to the Minister in September 2011.\u00a0 Then I wrote a further two letters to the Minister in October 2011.<\/p>\n

In October 2011, I was transferred from Queensland to MIDC in Melbourne.\u00a0 After five months at MIDC, I was transferred to MITA.\u00a0 Whilst at MITA, in April 2012, I applied for a Bridging Visa, and got a response from Immigration on 7th May 2012, that I would be monitored for three months, pending a Bridging Visa.\u00a0 No reason was given as to why I was to be monitored to get this visa.<\/p>\n

On 18th October 2012, the Minister denied giving my a Bridging Visa, or the opportunity to be released into Community Detention.\u00a0 However, the Minister agreed to reopen my case, basically starting a fresh process.\u00a0 I got this response after 18 months; it was very bad news, no Bridging Visa or Community Detention.<\/p>\n

On 24th October my case was reopened for a Protection Visa.\u00a0 However it has been five months and I have not had any information, either from Immigration or my Lawyer about my case.\u00a0 All I have heard from Immigration is that they are awaiting ASIO’s response and other reviews\u00a0 and that only after receiving this information, that a decision will be made.<\/p>\n

When I ring my daughter she asks me when I would be coming home and requests me to bring her a chocolate.\u00a0 When I hear this I feel ashamed, that as a father, I cannot fulfill her request.<\/p>\n

One day when a plane flew over my area\u00a0 my wife told my daughter that one day they will go by plane to be with me in Australia.\u00a0 So every time my daughter sees a plane she thinks that she will be taking a plane to see me.\u00a0 Sadly, every time a plane flies over the house it means further disappointment for my daughter.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, every time my daughter goes to the temple and church she prays to\u00a0God, to help me to get a visa.\u00a0 Also when people come and hold my daughter\u00a0 she gets upset, and cannot understand why her dad is not there to hold her.<\/p>\n

When I left home I told my wife that in seven to eight months that we could be together.\u00a0 However it is now 37 months, and we are not together as a family.\u00a0 All these months spent in detention has affected me physically, mentally and psychologically. “I feel that I am close to losing my mind”.\u00a0 I feel like a vegetable, and my body is listless.<\/p>\n

I have spent four years seeing counselors, mental health specialists and doctors, but no one has been able to help me to get out of detention.\u00a0 I now believe, that I am like a political football between Australia and Sri Lanka.\u00a0 I see no hope of being released from detention.\u00a0 Sometimes, I believe that is is better for the Australian government to kill me in a merciful way, rather than slowly kill me, by first making me “a worthless human being”.<\/p>\n

Finally, I make this appeal to all the citizens of Australia, who care about refugees, to advocate strongly for me to be given a visa.\u00a0 As a first step, I would like to have my freedom, to be given a Bridging Visa or Community Detention, so that I could feel like a human being again, and then start to rebuild my body and mental faculties, to become a proud citizen of Australia together with my beloved wife and daughter.<\/p>\n

Please, all citizens of Australia, who care about refugees, use your strength and resources to advocate on my behalf, to make me feel “a worthwhile human being.”<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n

Sincerely yours,<\/p>\n

Sivaloganathan \u00a0Kulachelvan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE STORY OF MY LIFE IN DETENTION – A WORTHLESS HUMAN BEING Please let me relate my story in the hope that I could solicit your support to bring some meaning to my life.\u00a0 At present, after 37 months in detention, I feel that I am “a worthless human being”, to my beloved wife and daughter; a daughter, who I have not seen, except in photographs. I was able to share my love and affection with my wife for eleven…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-help-refugees","post-has-thumbnail"],"yoast_head":"\nPlea from a man inside MITA Detention Centre - Refugee Advocacy Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\/?p=959\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"adm1ncontrol\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\\\/?p=959#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\\\/?p=959\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"adm1ncontrol\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8421c2cda9cbc056a6d7a3338507e20b\"},\"headline\":\"Plea from a man inside MITA Detention Centre\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-03-27T10:11:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\\\/?p=959\"},\"wordCount\":1192,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\\\/?p=959#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2013\\\/03\\\/ipad-art-wide-detention-420x0.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Help Refugees\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\\\/?p=959#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\\\/?p=959\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\\\/?p=959\",\"name\":\"Plea from a man inside MITA Detention Centre - 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