Last minute efforts are underway on Nauru to get all families and children out of the mouldy tents of RPC 3, the family compound, before the Pacific Islands Forum gets underway in Nauru on 1 September.
Requests by families to move out of RPC 3 were rejected as recently as 7 August (by Australian Border Force), but now families are being hurriedly moved to other settlement areas.
Now this morning (Monday, 27 August) the tents that have housed the families for five years have started to be demolished. (Photos of tent demolition 27 August. Photos of mouldy tents RPC3 taken on 11 August, 2018).
Scores of white vans and new police motor-bikes have recently been donated by Australia, while black Toyota SUVs have been donated by India. (Photos attached).
Refugees on the island fear that security zones are going to be established to prevent any contact between the media and refugees during the Forum. To prevent contact, some refugee services are being relocated to keep workers and refugees away from the area around the main settlement area and the Menen Hotel where some of the Forum events will take place.
“The Australian and Nauru governments are going to extraordinary efforts to cover up the abuse of refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition, “Families have been kept in misery in mouldy tents for five years, but they can be re-housed overnight when Nauru’s reputation is in front of the international media.
“Demolishing the tents and providing new cars to drive around in, won’t hide the reality of the abuse that Nauru is now internationally identified with. Around two or three children or families are now coming off Nauru each week, such is the damage and distress deliberately inflicted on refugees by the Australian government. Two more families were flown off Nauru to Australia on the weekend.”
For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713
