The petition
VOICES OF DETAINED REFUGEES
Bangkok, on the 26th of August 2007
"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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Dear Sir or Madam,
By countersigning the above letter, I want to relay towards your embassy the voices of these detained refugees.
Please hear their voices and make whatever is in your power to end their detention,
Please don’t let them wander any more between fear of deportation and hope of resettlement,
Please support their request of resettlement in your country by forwarding it, on my behalf, to the relevant decision-makers,
THANK YOU.
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Chère Madame, cher Monsieur,
En contresignant la lettre ci-dessus, je veux relayer vers votre ambassade les voix de ces réfugiés emprisonnés.
S’il vous plait, écoutez leurs voix et faites tout ce qui est en votre pouvoir pour mettre un terme à leur détention,
S’il vous plait, ne les laissez plus errer davantage entre la peur de la déportation et l’espoir d’un pays d’accueil,
S’il vous plait, aidez leur demande d’accueil dans votre pays en la transmettant, en mon nom, aux personnes décisionnaires,
MERCI.
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