Letter from Lombok Asylum Seekers

To Whom it may concern

?

We are a group of Iraqi people, who are seeking asylum in Australia.

We are living in, Lombok, an Indonesian island under the protection of the IOM Organization and under a temporary protection of the United Nations in Indonesia. We are victims of Saddam`s regime. it was during the time in which we experienced all kinds of violence, including killing and more of things that the mind could not imagine. Over all of that our human rights have been violated in our own country, which led us to leave our homes in Iraq to neighbouring countries to escape Saddam`s criminal leadership.

?

Despite the bad treatment everywhere we go, we have not given up on finding a safe country to take us under its wings and start a new life far from the pain we have been through. While moving from country to country, the pain and suffering kept following us.

?

After that the fate led us to the hands of heartless smugglers and others to play with our lives with no mercy. They put us on a?small and weak boat towards Australia. Unfortunately, after seven days sailing, fate threw us in the hands of Australian Navy. The Navy sent us away to one of the Indonesian island in order to present John Howard`s Government in a good picture without any problems, during the election period.

?

In Indonesia, we moved from island to island till we settled in the Indonesian island Lombok.

?

The United Nations opened the first Immigrant case to take in a big number of refugees. After 10 months, the United Nations opened a second case to accept some Iraqis as refugees and make some countries like Australia, Canada, and New Zealand their permanent homes. Later on, these cases closed forever before Saddam`s Government collapsed on November 12,2002. These cases have been closed with no solution to ensure for us living in a safe country neither as migrants nor as refugees. They did not even try to consult any other country to take us under their protection for the sake of our children and women.

?

It has been known that the UNHCR Authorities have opened Iranian and Afghani refugees` cases?three times in a row; they have accepted the Iranians and some of Afghani refugees, but none of the Iraqi refugees who they appealed to the UNHCR twice.

?

Internationally, it has been known that the situation in Iraq is going from bad to worse. Iraq, also, is not considered a?safe country in all cases but what about us who have been victims of Saddam`s regime. victims in Indonesia by UNHCR and later IOM Organization. There is no desire or hope that we could return to Iraq because it is a full of terrorism and front line point in fighting Terrorism, Islamic and none Islamic Terrorist organization are kidnapping and murdering Iraqis and stranded their families. It is not safe anymore for families, so you can imagine what could happen to the people who are seeking refugee status and are further persecuted because they are considered traitors.