![The detention centre death sparked a roof-top protest at Villawood. [ABC]](http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201009/r642373_4456770.jpg "The detention centre death sparked a roof-top protest at Villawood. [ABC]")
ABC News, Sydney: The operator of a detention centre in Australia has angered the local Fijian community by cancelling a memorial service.
A service had been planned for a 36-year-old man who died at the Villawood Detention Centre, in Sydney, the day he was due to be deported to Fiji. Josefa Rauluni died in an apprent suicide at Villawood on Monday.
The pastor, who will now conduct the service on the footpath outside the detention centre, says the operator at Villawood, Serco, contacted him at midnight to cancel their permission.
A service had been planned for a 36-year-old man who died at the Villawood Detention Centre, in Sydney, the day he was due to be deported to Fiji. Josefa Rauluni died in an apprent suicide at Villawood on Monday.
The pastor, who will now conduct the service on the footpath outside the detention centre, says the operator at Villawood, Serco, contacted him at midnight to cancel their permission.
The company had also organised an order of service. Mourners arrived for the service at 10am Friday but were forced to leave soon after. They gathered outside one of the perimeter fences and sang as they waited for other mourners to arrive.
1 comment:
As an Australian, I was absolutely disgusted and embarrassed at how the Fijian Community were treated at Villawood today.
Initially, two options were offered by one of the staff at the Detention centre, to have the Service inside, then outside near the front gate, but within the compounds grounds.
Within 5 minutes and after liaising with someone inside the Centre, we were told to proceed outside, to the gate at the rear of the Centre.
fortunately, despite the very small space between the fence and road, the Media were able to film the event, speak to many of the participants and to also film some who had gathered inside the compound on their verandahs, because they were denied access to what should have been an internal Service.
My argument is with the government and its Administrators, not the Staff at the Centre who are the meat in the sandwich.
The Government has yet again shown it has no heart and that it is incompetent, especially when you consider that Josefa could just as easily have been given a visa to stay, or remain in detention a little longer.
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