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Dear Sir or
Madam,
We are Sri Lankan refugees and want to bring to your
attention the fact that we are writing this letter from Bangkok Immigration
Detention Centre.
We were recognized as refugees by UNHCR (United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees) at various dates.
Some of us have been detained since more than 1 year,
meanwhile 19 children including 7 aged 1 to 3 years, 11 women on a total of
58 refugees are currently imprisoned. Thailand immigration arrested
us for overstay, as we could not extend the duration of our visa to stay
legally in this country.
Since the 11th of April 2007, we did not
receive any visits from UNHCR, we later learnt that UNHCR is not allowed to
visit us.
We heard a few days ago that the files of the majority
of us had been submitted by UNHCR to various third countries’ embassies for
an urgent priority resettlement request, but until now, we could not get
personal details about it.
We escaped from our mother country because of life
threats and undergoing deadly civil war. We fled to Thailand to ask political
asylum to UNHCR Bangkok office, but we are now imprisoned like accused. We
don’t understand why we are in prison. We did not commit any crime in Thailand,
but we and our children are now jailed in critical situation without any
reason.
Number of our families lost their shelters, their
relatives and home towns in Sri
Lanka. We were already mentally and
physically suffering from this situation, but this prolonged and
undetermined imprisonment makes our survival even more hazardous and will
for sure end up with making us insane. We can not brave anymore to be
locked 24 hours a day in overcrowded cells where the daylight never
pierces. We forget day by day what the sky and sun look like, as we
couldn’t walk a single step outside of our cell for more than 1.5 months.
We kindly request you to show us basic humanity and
sympathy and to help us to be released from behind the bars.
Our children are already mentally and physically
affected. They lost weight and became weak due to the lack of adequate
nutrition. Their future is questionable as they miss the opportunity of
receiving primary and secondary education.
We are pushed into terrible deprivation, and members of
the same family are even denied the right to see each other.
Among the many international institutions,
organizations, countries that shout out for children’ rights, won’t any of
them raise their voice to protect our children too?
We are dreaming of the day our children will be granted
the right to live something else than war and imprisonment,
We are dreaming of the day they will be offered a place
to play, laugh, grow and learn freely,
We are dreaming of the day we will find a place to live
where respect of human rights will also be applied to us,
We are dreaming of the day one country will offer us
resettlement, granting us by the way an opportunity to build a decent
future with our children.
Whatever action might be in your power, we beg you to
undertake it so we can be released and resettled in a country where we can
heal from our wounds and start a brand new life.
Dear Sir or Madam, we thank you for your attention and
hope your much appreciated intervention will help to bring us back to a
better life.
THE REFUGEES IMPRISONED IN BANGKOK
IMMIGRATION DETENTION CENTRE,
THAILAND
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