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Messages from
the detainees |
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VOICES OF DETAINED REFUGEES 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. 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 Number of our families lost their shelters,
their relatives and home towns in 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 |
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YOU CAN RELAY THEIR VOICES THAT WILL BE SENT TO EMBASSIES INVOLVED IN THEIR RESETTLEMENT PROCESS |