Refugee Action Coalition Media Release
Urgent surgery needed for brain-injured refugee on Nauru
A 28 year-old Rohingyan refugee injured in a motorbike accident on Nauru this morning around 7.00am has been unconscious in the RON hospital since yesterday afternoon (Saturday 18 November).
The accident between two motorbikes, happened on the Fly Camp Rd, the same road where a refugees was killed on 2 November.
It is understood that doctors believe the man needs an urgent surgery to deal with a clot or bleeding on his brain. He was vomiting blood and had bleeding from his right ear beefore he lasped into unconsciousness.
Other refugees on the island do not believe that Nauru is equipped to perform the brain surgery need, but no arrangements have been made for the man to be medivacced for urgent treatment.
People on the island are also concerned that the current dispute between Border Force and the Nauru government that has seen the Nauru government expel 107 Canstruct workers from the island in the last 24 hours has paralysed administration on the island and is delaying the decision to provide the urgent treatment he needs. The injured refugee is a Canstruct worker.
The dispute between Border Force and the Nauru government is over rent (believed to be over $3.5 million a year) that Border Force has been paying for space in the Menen Hotel (owned by the Nauruan government) for various activities.
“We have grave fears for the life of this refugee. He needs urgent surgery; any delay could be a matter of life and death,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.
“Border Force cannot shrug off its responsibility for this man’s welfare. We are calling on Peter Dutton to ensure that a money-squabble with Nauru is not going to cost this refugee his life.”
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What can be said about this horrible situation? Dutton is happy for the refugees to die off, apparently. He only moves when the Australian people show their disgust and there’s not a lot of that happening, overall. If sanctions against Australia go ahead, we will justly deserve them. We must surely be reviled by the rest of the world.
Everything Dutton touches turns into a disaster of poor administration and neglect. We saw this when he was Health Minister yet he was allowed, for factional reasons, to take on a portfolio that required empathy and imagination.
Can we finally acknowledge that Dutton is way out of his league and is the living example of the Peter Principle in action
Malcolm, just sack this man or his incompetence on Manus and Nauru will bring you down.
The Peter principle : The Peter Principle is an observation that the tendency in most organizational hierarchies, including goverments, is for every employee or minister to rise in the hierarchy through promotion until they reach the levels of their respective incompetence.
Another tale of the hatred and spleen Dutton displays on a daily basis. I have no words left for fear of being arrested. And I guess that shows what “security” has done to our freedom of speech.
“the same road where a refugees was killed on 2 November.”
The only report I could find of this earlier incident states;
“The 29-year-old Bangladeshi man “died after the motorcycle on which he was travelling collided with another vehicle”, according to the Nauruan government, which said police were investigating.
The government also directly addressed rumours circulating on social media that the death was not an accident, branding them “false”.”
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/refugee-killed-on-nauru-20171102-gzdsfk.html
The police have been investigating since the 2nd November. The police on Nauru are renowned for their investigative skills.
“Madelyn Adeang, the wife of the country’s powerful Justice Minister, was found burnt to death in the garden of her home in April 2013.
Attempts by Nauru police to investigate her death proved difficult and the incident has raised serious questions about Nauru’s commitment to the rule of law.
As the country’s Justice, Border Control and Finance Minister, David Adeang holds the reins of power on the tiny island of 10,000 people.”
The Nauruan resident magistrate and coroner from 2012 to 2014, Peter Law said;
“The impression I got from the police investigators was that they were fearful of taking the matter further and they were very concerned about having to talk with the Minister for Justice.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-23/questions-linger-after-death-of-wife-of-naurus-justice-minister/7193090
Maybe they’ll have the ‘investigations’ complete in time for the Pacific Islands Forum next year. It is to be hosted by Nauru to coincide with their 50 year anniversary to celebrate their ‘Independence and Democracy’.
http://www.loopnauru.com/nauru-news/nauru-ready-host-2018-pif-leaders-summit-66329
Dutton will be there. He likes the PIF, cause he can make funny jokes about the water rising. As for the irony of Nauru being the host to celebrate independence (whilst reliant on Australia for 30 pieces of silver on a regular basis) and democracy (whilst incarcerating or exiling opposition members and denying any press entry to the country), well the PIF must have no standards at all.
Or do they? From their Mission and Vision statement in 2004;
“We seek a Pacific region that is respected for the quality of its governance, the sustainable management of its resources, the full observance of democratic values and for its defence and promotion of human rights.”
http://www.forumsec.org/
Ah well. At least Nauru ratified OPCAT in January, 2013, although they have yet to establish any ‘National Preventive Mechanism’ (NPM). Australia should ratify any day now (then start working on their NPM) and PNG have stated they have no intention of even considering OPCAT.
As Terry2 noted, Malcolm should sack ‘this man’. Regrettably, Malcolm values his political life far more than he values any real lives. Malcolm is dutton’s boy as long as dutton is malcolm’s buoy.
Thank you RAC, Mr Rintoul and commenters. Take care.
Its not simply “Dutton” its the entire dysfunctional and morally empty Coalition and the labor party, so far as they mirror them. Our governments have come to accept that destroying people is a cost worth staying in power. It is our job to convince both them and the public that it most certainly is not!