Centre operator (Wakenhut) partly responsible for detainee's death

[rooboy]

A coroner has found the operator of a Melbourne detention centre was partly to blame for the death of an inmate three years ago.

The man died after jumping off a basketball pole on the day he was to be deported.

Villiami Tanginoa, 53, had been living in Australia for about 17 years, much of it illegally, when he was placed in detention and told he would be sent back to Tonga.

On the day of his departure, he climbed up a basketball pole at Maribyrnong detention centre.

Coroner Phil Byrne found that the centre's operator, Australasian Correctional Management (ACM), should have known Mr Tanginoa was at risk of self-harm and brought in skilled negotiators.

He said their inaction was one of the causes of Mr Tanginoa's death.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s999408.htm

[Judi Lynn]

1. Here's some of the testimony of one of the witnesses:

A testimony from a detainee, said he was present during the suicide of William. His identity would be concealed for security reasons. He is detained in the Maribynong detention center 1 month and 10 days.

Eyewitness statement is as follows:
At about 7.30 AM I heard that William Lakisagi had climbed up the basketball post in the yard. We were in the yard for morning walk. We have seen him all around the day. At about 2 PM one of the ACM Officer named Tony Keeper put a few single mattresses around the basketball post.

At the same time all detainees have been forced to get into the hallroom and the officers locked the door because they didn't want us to see and speak or communicate with William.

I have told one of the ACM Officers, please don't put pressure on him, he might jump down. The Officer told me in reply "I don't give a shit about him, it is not my responsibility. It is the responsibility of DIMA".

Sometime later two ACM Officers arrived in the yard close to the basketball post to get him. William climb up more higher, this was happing twice, finally they dropped that tactics.

We could see him from the windows and door's glasses very clearly. He asked for bread but the ACM Officer Tony Keeper and Peter Dave refuged. They refuged to open the door, give him bread and they were laughing at William as if it was a very funny matter.

He also asked for a cigarette, again the Officers stopped us. Heavy rain started with cold wind. William was getting wet in the rain, he asked for a towel to put it on top of his head. We were ready to give him a towel but we have been refused by two ACM Officers as of before.

He jumped down by his head towards the concrete floor of the yard. ACM Officers open the door at about 4 PM. I along with few other inmates from different nationalities reached to the place where William's body was laying down on his back, his eyes were open, bleeding from the moth and ears and nose. I guess he was still alive. ACM Officer Peter Dave told me to touch him and get his pulse reading, I did so. I felt that he was alive. Other ACM Officers were doing CPR and cleaning his moth because he was bleeding heavily. I was rubbing his arm like padding him to come down. Within the next 5 to 6 minuets I think was died. (snip/...)

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~mdwatch/archive/archive.html#viliami

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(snip) Refugee group targets Maribyrnong
BY TANIA JORQUERA
MELBOURNE — Victoria University of Technology will play host to the inaugural meeting of a newly formed refugee rights campaign. Refugee Action Collective (West) will be based in Melbourne's western suburbs to meet the growing calls from local residents to close the Maribyrnong detention centre.

Daniel Moya, a member of RAC (West), explained the reason for the group's formation “As a resident of Footscray, I am appalled that some of my neighbours live in what can only be described as a concentration camp”.

Moya expects broad support for the group's aim to close the detention centre.

“Australia has some of the worst refugee laws in the First World, and we have noted more and more people are prepared to take a stand against this”.

Organisers acknowledge that the initiative has come too late for some. In December, refugee Villiami Tanginoa died in the Maribyrnong detention centre while protesting his deportation. But Moya said that the tragedy has only spurred on refugee supporters, who are determined that nothing like that should ever happen again. (snip/...)

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2001/447/447p9c.htm

Very sad. You're right, rooboy. Wackenhut is a nasty operation.

[R Hickey]

2. Wackenhut is the Wall Mart of repression.

Wherever they can figure out an excuse to lock up people, Wackenhut is there.