What freedom really means
On Thursday night Behrouz Boochani took a flight to New Zealand, his first flight to freedom after six years incarcerated on Manus Island. He has a 30-day visitor’s visa sponsored by Amnesty International to allow him to speak at the Word Christchurch writer’s festival.
Boochani led hundreds of refugees in protest against Australia’s punitive border policies, and wrote an award-winning book sent entirely in snippets via WhatsApp, from Manus.
He’s urging the New Zealand Government to bypass Australia and start direct negotiations with Papua New Guinea and Nauru to bring the promised 150 refugees here.
Three days after flying in secret to Auckland from Port Moresby, he talked to me about freedom.
Q: What was the first thing you wanted to do when you got off that plane?
A: People asked me what will you do when you get freedom, and I say I want to sleep. But later, when they transferred me to Port Moresby, I wanted to walk on a long street just by myself. So today when I met Hoda (Afshar, the artist who’s portrait of Boochani is on display at Auckland’s Gus Fischer Gallery ) I said, let’s walk.
Q: In 2017 when Australia closed the detention centre they appeared to be offering you ‘‘freedom’’. Why did you and hundreds of others decide to stay and protest?
A: Because of freedom. We didn’t want to be a part of another process and we knew if they sent us to new places, we would be stuck there for longer. I think it was a clear and strong message. Just let us go, let us go free.
Q: Some of the men from Manus are still in prison, under pressure to sign agreements and be sent back to their home countries. Can you talk about the men who are in Bomana (an Australian-built prison in Port Moresby)?
A: Fifty people are in Bomana. These people were rejected by immigration because (the authorities) say they are not refugees.
They are starving. There is no medication, the lawyers cannot have access to them, they don’t have access to phones so they cannot communicate with their families and they don’t (even have) a pillow.
Many of them self-harm. It is a horrible situation there, just to force them to sign to go back to their countries.
I should be a part of them because I refused to give details, too. And when I asked them why (I was allowed out of prison), they said ‘we collected your information on the internet, so we think that you are a refugee’. It is ridiculous because I asked them, ‘how do you know my name is Behrouz Boochani, I didn’t give you any document’.’’
Q: What is life like for those, like you, who are in motels and hotels in Port Moresby. Is that freedom?
A: No. The big problem is poverty. In Manus we didn’t have this problem. They gave us 100 kina per week, which is about A$40 per week, so you could buy cigarettes . . . simple things like shampoo. It was OK because they gave us accommodation and food.
But Port Moresby, this city is so, so expensive. If you get in a taxi to go somewhere you pay 20 kina, and that means if you go somewhere and come back that’s 40 kina, and if you do that twice in a week you have nothing.
They can go outside, but people don’t have money. So they stay stuck there.
Q: So they’re prisoners, still?
A: Yes. And the place is not like these streets, (not) like being in a beautiful place. It is an unsafe place, it’s dark at night in the streets, very dark and very unsafe.
In this kind of city, always there are some good places. They build those places for white people, for themselves. Even in Manus we had a very good hotel, which was strange. The Australians built that for weekends (so they could) be safe, enjoy, have a drink. So in Port Moresby it’s like this, there are some places which belong to white people. Of course everyone can go there, but if you don’t have money you cannot belong to them, they won’t let you in.
And an Australian citizen in Port Moresby can call someone if something happens to them. They have money to buy a car.
But us – they just left us there.
Q: New Zealand has offered many times to take 150 of the refugees and resettle them here, and been rejected by Australia every time. Do you know why that is?
A: Yes. Australia, the Liberal Party, gets political benefits (from) this policy. They used us in the election in 2016, and in the election this year they started to target individual people in Manus in stories in newspapers. But when the terrorist attack in Christchurch happened many people started to blame them, and said ‘you are responsible for this, because you politicised this’.’’
The second reason is corruption. They spent $9 billion on this policy, so where is this money?
The third reason is an ideological reason. They are happy to see people suffering. They could fix it like this (snaps his fingers) by accepting the New Zealand offer. I remember when your Prime Minister said something about it and people in the camp became so happy, because it was a big hope. But now people are just tired.
Q: What do you think of the suggestion that refugees would use it as a ‘‘back door’’ to get into Australia?
A: It is such a ridiculous thing. They think their country is better than New Zealand, you know? (laughs)
Why would these people who come here and live in such a good country like New Zealand, and then go? They (Australia) think that their country is like a piece of cake, they do not share it. And many times we have said we are happy to go to New Zealand and sign that we will never go to Australia.
I don’t know why people accept that we would use New Zealand like a back door. It doesn’t make sense.
Q: You’ve recently heard that you’ve been accepted by the United States as part of the refugee agreement. How do you feel about the United States’ current policies, and the prospect of living there?
A: What is important for me is just to start a new life in a safe place, and have a simple life. I want nothing, you know, just a safer place (where) I can contribute to the community. Just that.
So for now, you know it’s hard for people to accept this, but I just want to be free of any process, just for a few days. Because we have been through so many processes; for seeking asylum in Australia, then America again, it took a long time. Now, I want to be free for just a few days.
Q: You have said this week New Zealand can do more for those who are still in Papua New Guinea?
A: When we heard from your Prime Minister about the offer, people became so happy and hopeful, but it was like a gift that we could not touch.
The New Zealand Government can try to have negotiations, if they really want to do it, directly with Papua New Guinea and with Nauru, just to give this opportunity to those people, to start a new life.
Q: In your book, No Friend But The Mountains, you say that on Manus you found freedom in the end of your cigarette. What does freedom mean to you now?
A: Just having the opportunity to have a life in a safe place, you know? I don’t want to make a political statement about this, I look at life very simply. We should look at the world in a simple way, that is my understanding of life. Find some beauty and happiness in simple things. That’s what I understand about freedom and the meaning of life.
What is important for me is just to start a new life in a safe place, and have a simple life.