Manus Island – Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group

Until when: The forgotten men of Manus Island

This joint report by the Refugee Council of Australia in partnership with Amnesty International, tells the story of the men who have been sent by Australia to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG), and what has happened to them after they were forcibly removed from the ‘regional processing centre’ on Manus Island one year ago.
Executive summary
“The system the Australian government has designed for refugees and asylum seekers, has a kind of evil and devastating effect. It can ruin the very inner strength of human spirit. To the outsider, Fariborz [Karami] took his own life [on Nauru in June 2018], but the truth is the system took his life. There is no alternative explanation, and we must hold
the Australian government accountable for this action.Read more
- Detention
‘Do not abandon us’ Behrouz Boochani tells audience in Wentworth Falls

Behrouz Boochani, the Kurdish Iranian journalist and award winning autho, discussed his recently published memoir No Friend But the Mountain: Writing From Manus Prison at the Wentworth Falls School of Performing Arts last Saturday. Mr. Boochani fled from Iran to seek refuge in Australia but was instead sent to offshore detention on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. Mr. Boochani is a vocal advocate for Kurdish people and all refugees and asylum seekers. Mr. Boochani Skyped in from East Lorengu, the refugee accommodation on Manus Island where he currently resides, and received a standing ovation from audience members, before talking about his memoir and his time in detention.Read more
- Detention
Wentworth Falls Launch of “No Friend But The Mountains”

by Roger Grealy Kathie Herbert and Joy Connor did us proud in organising and running the afternoon around the local launch of Behrouz Boochani’s book, No Friend But The Mountains. As an interested observer I write to say what a professional group we have and what talented , hard working women Kathie and Joy are.Read more
- Detention
Lobbying Federal Politicians in Canberra

Joy Connor and Marie Sellstrom, President of Rural Australians for Refugees, spent 2 days in Canberra meeting with politicians. They met with Russell Broadbent, sent Marise Payne a gift of Blue Mountains honey and a copy of Behrouz Boochani’s book and met with Julie Bishop. The meetings were facilitated by local member Susan Templeman.
Julie Bishop said that refugee advocates needed to lobby for more involvement by Australia in regional intercountry dialogue such as the ‘Bali Process’, if there is to be any kind of solution to forced migration. Read more
- Advocacy
Is it time to compromise on Australia’s cruel asylum seeker policy?

A few weeks ago two of Australia’s leading critics of successive governments’ asylum seeker policies have republished their contentious views on how to change the seemingly intractable position held by both the Government and the Opposition. Robert Manne, Emeritus Professor of Politics, La Trobe University and John Medadue, Former Secretary, Department of Immigration together with Frank Brennan SJ, Professor of Law, Australian Catholic University and Tim Costello, CEO World Vision Australia put forward their position in 2016.

BMRSG is posting these articles for discussion and does not endorse any position.

Read more
- Detention
Top UN official slams Australia’s offshore detention

New Human Rights chief’s, Michelle Bachelet, first speech to the Human Rights Council, says Australia’s offshore processing immigration regime is “an affront to the protection of human rights”, #KidsOffNauru Read The Guardian article: ‘Affront to human rights’: top UN official slams Australia’s offshore detention Listen to Michelle Bachelet https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TjgnpU5AuwQRead more
- Detention

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