Two pregnant women and their families who were refusing to get off a bus at a Darwin detention centre have been taken into detention, ending a three-day stand-off, according to Immigration Minister Scott Morrison. In a statement, the Minister said all individuals are now accommodated in immigration detention facilities in Darwin. Two midwives had been monitoring the women overnight. The ABC was told one womans husband and child had already left the bus and gone into detention at the nearby Blaydin Point centre. But the women, Maryam and Tahere, were standing their ground and said they would not go anywhere. It was understood Taheres husband Hossein was still on the bus with the women. Concerns had been raised about the womens health by advocates and health groups. A spokesman for the Immigration Minister said the families were receiving appropriate care. The ABC understood the bus was air-conditioned and the women had received food and water. Very hot bus had air-con, food and water Ben Pynt from the Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network (DASSAN) said he had been speaking with people inside the detention centre. He said he had serious concerns about the health of the women who were eight months pregnant Despite the air-conditioning, when I was last out at Wickham Point my shoes were sticking to the tarmac it was so hot, thats the case most days out at Wickham Point, he said. Its 40 kilometres outside of Darwin in the middle of the bush. Even if there is air-conditioning its going to be a very hot bus. So for the women to be extremely pregnant, extremely hot and extremely stressed is not good for the babies or themselves. The two women are still on the bus and still very hot and stinky. One of the fathers has left the bus and gone into Blaydin Point where its a little bit more comfortable for them, but the women are still refusing to cave in and go into detention. The Department [of Immigration] needs to start thinking reasonably about what they can do for these women to make them a bit more comfortable, a little bit less stressed. Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul called on the Department of Immigration and Border Security to release full details about the incident and how the women were removed from the bus. The two Iranian women had been on the bus since late on Saturday evening. They were living in Nauru after being found to be legitimate refugees, but were flown to Darwin to give birth. The ABC understood it was standard practice for pregnant asylum seekers whose claims were still being processed in Nauru to be flown to Australia and kept in detention centres. However, this was believed to be the first time a settled refugee had been flown to the country to give birth, and refugee advocates said this demonstrated health facilities on the island nation were inadequate.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 01:18:19 +0000
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