Appendix 07 Foreigners on Hunger Strike
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BY ALCUIN PAPA ALL 104 foreigners detained at the Bureau of Immigration detention centre in Bicutan, Taguig have gone on hunger strike to protest the alleged lack of medical attention. The mass action followed the death of an Indian detainee last week, which the detainees claimed was the result of this kind of negligence. Canadian Raymond Jackson told the INQUIRER that the foreign detainees all decided to go on hunger strike after Indian Satnam Singh died reportedly of heart complications on Aug. 9. “Singh died last week because officials Of the Bureau of Immigration denied him medical attention,” Jackson said. “What happened to him might happen to any one of us, which is why we decided to start this hunger strike.” The doctor assigned to the detention centre, Dr. Elsie Libran, denied the detainees were not being given proper medical care. Lobrin also said she had been updated on the Singh case and that she recommended his transfer to a hospital. Jackson said since the death of Singh, the doctor has been seen everyday at the detention centre. “Since the case has been made public, the doctor is here everyday. Before that, we hardly ever saw her. We don’t think she is qualified to attend to us, plain and Sought for comment, Dr. Lobrin said: “Some of the detainees are attacking me because the easiest way out for them is for me to recommend their confinement or check up in a hospital outside. But I cannot do that without a justifiable medical reason.” The detainees, Jackson said, have been suffering from an assortment of respiratory and heart diseases. Aside from the lack of medical attention, the detainees are also protesting their denial of due process, their detention without bail, the alleged corruption and extortion activities of BI of officials and the use of discretionary powers of the BID Commissioner in relation to their cases. Simple,” Jackson said. The detainees earlier protested that they have been illegally arrested and detained and that their cases have not been acted upon by the BI while they languish in jail. “We will continue with our protest until media is allowed inside so we can air our grievances and until President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo takes action on our cases,” Jackson said. The Canadian added they have taken their grievances to immigration
